Changed by a Child [Paperback]

Barbara Gill (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 17, 1998

Raising a child with a disability can often be more isolating and frustrating than any parent ever imagines. Finally, here is a book that honestly describes the inner needs and range of issues parents with disabled children face. Changed by a Child invites parents to take a moment for themselves. Each of the brief readings offers comfort and hope as they capture the unique challenges and joys of raising a disabled child.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Parenting is always tough, but parenting a child with disabilities, serious injuries, or chronic illness can be a life-changing, profoundly disrupting experience. In Changed by a Child, Barbara Gill provides brief meditations and passages about the challenges, grief, faith, hope, and other feelings and experiences of parents who have a disabled child. Gill's son has Down syndrome, and she writes with the authority and credibility of a parent who has been through it herself. The brief pieces in this small, handsome book are divided into three sections: "In the Beginning," "Rounding the Curves," and "Transformed." It's a credit to Gill's experienced wisdom and her skills as a writer that this material never becomes sentimental or sugary. Temple Grandin, a woman with autism and the author of Thinking in Pictures, writes, "I wish my own mother had had this book when I was a child. If she had read this book she would have realized that she was not alone." For those parents who do feel alone, this book may serve as a kind and compassionate companion. --Ericka Lutz --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"I wish my mother had this book when I was a child. If she had read this book she would have realized that she was not alone." --Temple Grandin, author of Thinking in Pictures

"Changed by a Child is a book for all parents, not just parents of children with disabilities. It is comprehensive, literate, inspiring, and deeply healing." --Annabel Stehli, author of The Sound of a Miracle

"An outstanding achievement. Profound, absorbing, and a great joy to read. I recommend it enthusiastically." --Dr. Bernard Rimland, founder of the Autism Society of America

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press; 1 edition (August 17, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385482434
• ISBN-13: 978-0385482431
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.9 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #368,013 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful book, February 4, 2000

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Changed by a Child (Paperback)

I only wish I had found this book a year ago, when I was first struggling with the facts of my child's disability. This is a book they should hand out to parents in hospitals and clinics. It is honest, heartbreaking, sweet and hopeful all at the same time. Not every one of the little notes will match your mood at any given time, but the book is structured so that you can pick and choose among them at random. Barbara Gill has managed to put into words the complex emotions of having a child that challenges every facet of your life in previously unimaginable ways, yet for whom you feel a deep and ferocious love. I keep it on my desk at work and pick it up when I feel myself flagging -- it never fails to help me pick up and go on.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic, October 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Changed by a Child (Paperback)

This book was given to me by a friend and I have given it to countless others including my school district and my daughter's teachers through the years. This book means different things to me each time that I read it. I can pick it up after not reading it for several months and find something new and inspiring in it. I belong to a book club for moms who have kids with special needs and although we've read several books, we keep coming back to this one and each meeting we each read an exerpt and it can result in an entire night of sharing. This book can make you laugh, cry, reflect and give you strength to face another day. This is my favorite book of all times.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Companion..., July 16, 2001

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Changed by a Child (Paperback)

I bought this shortly after finding out my baby had severe cerebral palsy, blindess, and mental disabilities from brain damage. It was helpful to read the words of other parents whose children were didabled in various ways, because they knew what they were talking about. I did not feel the same as all of the contributors, but I could see their point of view. Reading some of the contributions, I felt so good knowing that some of these parents felt the same and had the same thoughts I did. At the time, I was deluged with advice and attempts at wisdom from people with healthy normal children. But this book offered me the shared wisdom and strength of parents who really know what it is like.