A Different Kind of Boy: A Father's Memoir on Raising a Gifted Child With Autism [Paperback]

Daniel Mont (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 15, 2001

A little nine-year-old boy looks down at the gymnasium floor. The room is filled with children who like and respect him, but he can barely name anyone in his class, and has trouble with the simplest things - recognizing people, pretending, and knowing when people are happy or sad. And yet he was only one of seven fourth graders in the United States to ace the National Math Olympiad. In fifth grade he finished second in a national math talent search. That boy is autistic, loving, brilliant and resilient. In this book, his father writes about the joys, fears, frustration, exhilaration, and exhaustion involved in raising his son. And, oh, yes, math. Lots about math.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Daniel Mont is the father of Alex and Simon Mont. Alex, who is autistic, is now a fully mainstreamed ninth grader. An economist specializing in disability and welfare issues by day, Daniel has been an Assistant Professor at Cornell University, a Principal Analyst for the Congressional Budget Office, and is now with the National Academy of Social Insurance. By night, he is an actor and a writer. Several of his plays have been produced in the Washington, D.C. area and in New York City. He is presently working on a novel.

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Pub; 1 edition (December 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1843107155
• ISBN-13: 978-1843107156
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #676,856 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 Engrossing, Funny, and Eye-Opening, March 31, 2002

By 

David A. Zapolsky (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Different Kind of Boy: A Father's Memoir on Raising a Gifted Child With Autism (Paperback)

I stayed up until 1:30 am last night finishing this book. The Monts' story is moving and engrossing, filled with unexpected and often hilarious delightful surprises. I never laugh out loud when reading, but I did so while reading this one, many times. Alex's back and forth with his dad about the economics of grocery stores and amusement parks, his utter inability to comprehend why Jackie Robinson wasn't welcomed by every major league team ("But why, he was a great player, right?"), and his endless fascination and facility for games (tic-tac-toe with gravity, so that you can't put a symbol in any square that isn't on top of another symbol or at the bottom of the grid - try it!) are particularly memorable.

This first-time author displays a strong, clear writing voice, particularly in the last two-thirds of the book, when it seemed like he really locked into a narrative comfort zone that made the book flow extremely well, not to mention impossible to put down. His use of snippets of quoted dialog throughout the book is particularly striking and effective.

Perhaps more important, the book opens up and explains the world of autism in a way that really allows the reader to understand and feel the nature of the condition. In the course of recounting observations and scenes from his own life and experiences with Alex, he manages to illustrate the various facets of autism and view them from a number of different directions. I found it both fascinating and even mind-blowing in many ways.

I highly recommend this book. For people like me, who are relatively uneducated about the world of autism, it will make you think about people in a new way.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For anyone raising a child, March 9, 2002

By 

Lola Kamp (Highland Park, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Different Kind of Boy: A Father's Memoir on Raising a Gifted Child With Autism (Paperback)

This is a beautiful memoir of committed parents raising a special child but there is much to be learned in it about being attentive to your child's needs and being an advocate for your own child.

The honesty of this book is a gift to all of us. It lays bare the struggles, self doubts, trials and errors, as well as successes this family has experienced. The author opens a window for us into the life of his family, involving his wife and their younger child who does not have autism, his parents, and his own siblings.

The author describes how they sought resources, worked with the school systems and strategized. Although encounters with unkind, unfeeling or clueless individuals are shown, there are many instances of kindness and support by children and adults that surprised this reader. One comes away amazed by the resourcefulness and committment of these parents.

The book is also enjoyable and interesting. I read it the day I received it and was up until 2am to finish it.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't Mourn for Alex, February 13, 2002

By 

Isabel Cutler (Western North Carolina) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Different Kind of Boy: A Father's Memoir on Raising a Gifted Child With Autism (Paperback)

Totally fascinated with the mathematically gifted autistic Alex, his parents, and the strength of their marriage, I empathize with them as they learn to deal with his uniqueness. Not without humor, Daniel and Nanette Mont show fierce determination as they grapple with the necessity to socialize and school their extraordinary child, while Alex' "NT" (neurologically typical or "normal") younger brother Simon finds his ways of reaching him. I couldn't put the book down.