A Real Boy

A True Story of Autism, Early Intervention, and Recovery
by Christina Adams

I don't recall when exactly I read A Real Boy, because somehow I failed to enter it in my booklog (a small notebook where I write down titles of books I've read, to keep track). But it must have been around the same time as Mozart and the Whale and a half dozen other books I read on the subject at the time (when one catches my interest, I tend to run away with it!) Of all those books, this one was the most accessible and easy to read. Probably because it is a personal account: of one woman's struggle to achieve recovery for her son from autism. It tells of her emotional upheavals learning her son had an incurable developmental disability. Her persistence is unwavering in seeking out experts and innovative treatments, networking with other parents of autistic children, and implementing relentless routines and therapies at home, even to the point of exhaustion. To what end? You will have to read the book! I do not have any personal experience with autism, so I can't evaluate this book on that account; for a review from Kristina Chew, PhD at AutismVox.com, go here. All I can say is I really enjoyed this book, it was compelling, inspiring and poignant, and I learned something about what it is like to live with autism in the family.

Rating: 4/5                   318 pages, 2005