With the Light: Raising an Autistic Child, Volume 1

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1282675.html

This is a Japanese graphic novel about autism, told from the point of view of young mother Sachiko Azuma, who realises quite early on that her baby, Hikaru, doesn't respond like other children do, and in due course gets the diagnosis of her son's disability. Most of the rest of the story is about her navigation of the Japanese social welfare system, and especially the education system: Hikaru is quite seriously disabled but is at least able to talk and participate in normal elementary school classes some of the time.

Every situation is different, and there was a lot here that didn't especially resonate for me. Belgium's services for people with disabilities score over Japan's, at least by this show more account, as they score over those in most countries. On the other hand, I can't help feeling a twinge of jealousy at the fictional Hikaru's progress; sadly, not every case of autism has that element of positive progression. (Another important difference is that we have never had to deal with my wife giving birth while being rescued from a typhoon while I was on a business trip to Sweden, but I think we can allow Tobe some dramatic licence there.)

There were several things that really resonated with me. First, Keiko Tobe has really caught the look in the eyes of the autistic child - the manga style of enlarging the pupils emphasises her success - which makes everything else much more credible. Second, it's fair to say that once parents have got the diagnosis, it is an awful shock but also a relief - at least you know your child isn't dying, at least you know it is unlikely to get any worse. Most parents plan their lives around their aspirations for their children, after all; we simply have an unusual set of data points to deal with, and after a while one just gets on with it.

Third, and most of all, the real hell of raising an autistic child is dealing with other people. There are some godawful episodes here of drive-by parenting from know-nothing outsiders (and relatives), as well as hurtful encounters with uncaring professionals of the caring professions, which I found all too familiar. At least we haven't had the equivalent of the unsympathetic family acquaintances who twice put Hikaru's life in danger through callous negligence (though here I felt that Tobe let them off too lightly by pointing to a bad marriage as being at the core of the problem; I am afraid that people in good relationships are just as capable of being assholes).

The translators have printed the English version right-to-left, which I understand is fairly standard for manga but was new to me. I got used to it after a bit; young F, whose interest in the subject is every bit as keen as mine, was fairly racing through it earlier as well.

I would hesitate to recommend this book to anyone who actually has an autistic child, as they will already have their own local source of expertise on the subject and may possibly wish to read about other things in the small hours of the morning; on the other hand it will certainly be useful for their friends and relatives. It is also a pretty good human story in its own right. show less

Incredible series of graphic novel volumes by Keiko Tobe about a woman who had followed traditions of her culture, the moment she was ready to bear children and had given birth, her child seemed in constant distress and was constantly blamed for the child's cries. She learns to grow along with her newly diagnosed autistic child, and learn together through her parenting trouble and trials, the book is very well written and the amount of emotion pouring out of this book is tremendous. I have laughed, cried, screamed, and blown my cover with anger while sympathizing with this new mother in a world that knows very little about autism.

Keiko Tobe's manga about Masato and Saachiko Azuma and their son, Hikaru, is a well-researched and informative look at a family's dealing with their young son's autism. Although this is a story about a family, it's also an introduction to understanding how differently an autistic person may view the world and how one can deal with communication issues that are bound to arise. What I especially appreciate is that the problems that the family encounter are presented along with various possible solutions and that Hikaru is portrayed as seeing the world differently rather than being handicapped. If you have autistic people in your family or circle of friends (and even if you currently don't), I'd call this is a must-read for its show more information, for its art, and for its big, big heart. show less

This is a 523-page manga originally published in Japan as Hikari To Tomoni. It is a beautiful portrayal of the hardship and joys of having an autistic child. My own little guy is 2.5 years old and was just diagnosed as high-functioning autistic, though I have suspected his condition for a long time. The child in the book, Hikaru, has a much more severe autism, but so many of the emotions are the same. I have been afraid for so long that my son's inability to do so many normal things was my fault, because of my own inadequate parenting. The manga panels on this subject made me get teary-eyed because they captured those fears so well. The translation is very well done.

I cannot relate as well to Hikaru and his family as they get older, but show more it is still a beautiful story. Some of the people they encounter are so petty and cruel; I felt so furious as I read. It is a very emotional story. If you have a family member with autism or are a teacher, this book is very educational. The formatting is in typical Japanese style but is very friendly towards those who are not accustomed to reading "backwards."

Read it, share it, and cheer for Hikaru all the way. show less

I heard about this on a blog that reviewed science fiction and fantasy books mostly but also new Manga that took the reviewer's fancy. He said it was brilliant, so I picked it up. I was also interested in it because I have Asperger's Syndrome. Asperger's and Autism aren't exactly the same, but they come from the same spectrum. This Manga shows not only a touching portrayal of raising an Autistic boy, but also the attitudes that Japanese people have towards both gender roles and bringing up children. It starts with a young mother whose salaryman husband doesn't pay attention to her or his new son, until she decides she's going to run away with the child for help. The child will not look at her and does not like being hugged, and other show more people who see her plight blame it on bad mothering. What the reality is: the fact that the child has Autism, is misunderstood by many around her, apart from a supportive parent's group she finds that assists this poor woman. Eventually, the father realises what is really needed from him, not the endless striving at a corporation, but striving as a father to his child. And that's just the first half of this massive volume!

This is a much better explanation of Autism in children than "The Curious Incident With The Dog In The Night-Time" ever was. The art is pretty well done as well, the Manga style of drawing really conveys the emotions of the characters. Somehow the stress of parenting is done justice by this artform, because Manga is such an expressive medium where characters wear their emotions on their sleeves. Even the Autistic boy's difficulty of conveying emotion effectively is depicted in a realistic way, I feel.

Not too sugary a story about how a marriage is united by a child either. It's not lovey-dovey all the time, and there's a lot of distress on the parent's part. But still, they do a better job at coping than many other parents without the same issues with their children. This seems to be not just a story about Autism, but how marriage and family in Japan is constructed by their society.

Highly recommended. show less

Sachiko Azuma is a new mother and her first born son Hikaru behaves so oddly. As he develops, it is discovered that he has autism and is nonverbal (mostly). This book follows until he is of kindergarten age or 5 and it is full of twists and turns but always carries the same message, autism can't be helped (unknown cause) and it is not an excuse for rudeness, but an explanation to quiet those who are snide. While I wouldn't suggest this for an in school read, I would offer it in my classroom library for an inside look on autism. This is a special topic for me as I am on the autism spectrum. Many things that Hikaru feels and goes through, even reacts to, I react to - maybe not the same way, but I understand. I even got to see what maybe I show more could have been like for my mother and father. I give this manga novel 5 stars because it is rather accurate, the hardships parents of children with disabilities go through. How the kids suffer from the most trivial things. This is a very real thing that many people brush under the rug, support just for show, ignore the adults on the spectrum, ignore the facts... so many things. show less

More engrossing than I'd expected, and more touching. This is a family I'll continue to root for through further volumes.