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Loading... George & Sam: Two Boys, One Family, and Autism (edition 2007)by Charlotte Moore
Work InformationGeorge & Sam: Two Boys, One Family, and Autism by Charlotte Moore
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. not in CLAN A fascinating look into a family with two autistic sons (and one neurotypical). What's particularly helpful about this book is how it shows autism affecting the two boys differently. Their impairments are different; their treatments are different. Strong ammunition against the "this one thing will cure your child's autism, guaranteed!" crowd. I've been trying to read this ever since I stumbled across an excerpt in [a:Nick Hornby|2929|Nick Hornby|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1254337802p2/2929.jpg]'s [b:The Polysyllabic Spree|4260|The Polysyllabic Spree A Hilarious and True Account of One Man's Struggle With the Monthly Tide of the Books He's Bought and the Books He's Been Meaning to Read|Nick Hornby|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327723619s/4260.jpg|2961810] and finally got my hands on it through interlibrary loan. I kind of read it in one sitting. It is brilliant. It is funny and heartbreaking and fascinating and tender and every good adjective I can think of. Moore is tough as nails and clear-eyed in her gaze on her two non-neurotypical sons (who are, in her words, "autistic through and through"), but when she talks about how much she adores them, the lady doth not protest too much. You believe her. You believe that while every day brings fresh frustration, it also brings joy of a kind she cannot really convey. I am ridiculously in love with Jake, her youngest -- who is neurotypical -- and the one thing I would like to see in a second edition which is almost wholly lacking in this one is an examination of Jake's relationship with his brothers. Since reading copperbadge's discussion of the prodigal son and siblings of the non-neurotypical, I have become much more sensitive to this (not to the extent of, uh, talking to my sister about how my depression affects her, but baby steps). Obviously, a five-year-old (which is how old Jake was at this writing) can't really have the same kind of deep conflict that Sam has or that my sister probably has, but I remain troubled by Moore's blithe assertion that she does not want Jake to feel responsible for the care of his brothers when he's older. I'm just not sure how she's planning to make that happen, especially since she doesn't seem to have a clear sense of what could or would happen to her sons if and when she can no longer care for them herself. It is clear to Moore and to the reader that George and Sam almost certainly will not be able to live independently as adults, but there is a real...blitheness is the only word I can think of, to her tone, when she talks about it. But as a whole? OMG SO GOOD. (Also, please God, if only Charlotte Moore were the face for parents with autistic children, instead of Jenny McCarthy. The world would be better off.) Since I work in the field of autism, people constantly give me books on autism for my birthday and Christmas. Most of them are fairly generic and stay unread beyond the first chapter. However, George & Sam is the single best book on autism I have ever read. Charlotte Moore is touching but realistic, giving the impression that she loves her autistic boys rather than the children she imagines she should have had. I recommend this to anyone who wants to know what autism is really like. no reviews | add a review
"Brilliant...the first book about autism I've read that I'd recommend to people who wanted to know what it was like." -Nick Hornby, author ofAbout a Boy andA Long Way Down For the parents, families, and friends of the 1 in 250 autistic children born annually in the United States, George and Sam provides a unique look into the life of the autistic child. Charlotte Moore has three children, George, Sam, and Jake. George and Sam are autistic. George and Sam takes the reader from the births of each of the two boys, along the painstaking path to diagnosis, interventions, schooling and more. She writes powerfully about her family and her sons, and allows readers to see the boys behind the label of autism. Their often puzzling behavior, unusual food aversions, and the different ways that autism effects George and Sam lend deeper insight into this confounding disorder. George and Sam emerge from her narrative as distinct, wonderful, and at times frustrating children who both are autistic through and through. Moore does not feel the need to search for cause or cure, but simply to find the best ways to help her sons. She conveys to readers what autism is and isn't, what therapies have worked and what hasn't been effective, and paints a moving, memorable portrait life with her boys. Charlotte Moore is a writer and journalist who lives in Sussex, England with her three sons. She is the author of four novels and three children's book. For two years she wrote a highly acclaimed column in theGuardian called "Mind the Gap" about life with George and Sam. She is a contributor to many publications. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)618.92Technology Medicine and health Gynecology and Pediatrics Pediatrics & Geriatrics Pediatric CareLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
Is this you?Become a LibraryThing Author. Penguin AustraliaAn edition of this book was published by Penguin Australia. |