George & Sam: Two Boys, One Family, and Autism (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: most autists, many autists, mainstream primary school, Father Christmas, Jessy Park, Luke Jackson (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As Moore astutely points out, "Giving birth to an autistic child doesn't make you an instant expert on the subject." Moore, a British journalist, doesn't claim to be an expert, but as the mother of George and Sam, two autistic boys (she has a third nonautistic son as well), Moore is able to provide a perceptive look into the habits and, to a certain extent, the minds of her sons. "A common belief among people not deeply familiar with autism," she writes, "is that there is a normal child trapped inside, struggling to get out. That's a false belief.... Sam has no 'normal' core." Those casually visiting the world of autism might be frustrated by Moore's detached accounting: she merely hints at her own feelings, doesn't discuss her nonautistic son and skims over her split from the boys' father. But for anyone dealing with an autistic loved one, the details are chilling and insightful. Less memoir than road map, the book lays out every aspect of her children's lives, such as their inability to integrate at school, their eating and sleeping habits, their stims ("self-stimulation," the autistic behavior that can soothe or calm) and the structures of their day. She shies away from nothing. With fact, theory and her own take on matters, Moore's book will reassure others in her position that they are not alone in their struggles. (Dec.)
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Product Description

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 the Guardian called “Mind the Gap” about life with George and Sam.  She is a contributor to many publications.
 

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1 edition (November 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312358938
• ISBN-13: 978-0312358938
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #639,264 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A story that will both teach you and touch you, January 1, 2007

By	LIZARD "LIZARD" (RI) - See all my reviews

I love this book! I was drawn to it, first and foremost, as a mother of a child with autism, but also because not enough is written about multiple affected kids in families. Charlotte Moore does an outstanding job of both vividly illustrating what autism is and how it affects her two older boys, and in showing that no one therapy (or even combination of therapies) works best for every child. She tried several, and both George and Sam responded differently to them. This is perhaps the most important point the book makes. We hear so much about the value of various therapies and how we as parents are even neglectful if we don't pursue them, and she lets us off the hook in a sense by showing that there are usually certain signs that indicate whether or not a child will succeed with certain therapies, particularly dietary interventions. Her illustrations of the unique manifestations of autism in her individual children helps even the most "autism-clueless" see why parenting children with this disorder is so difficult. There is so much available, and so much to learn, that we often second-guess ourselves and wonder if there's more we can and should be doing. Moore gives comfort to all of us with her level-headed and, at times, humorous approach to confronting it.

I said four stars only because she surprised and even shocked me by being adamantly opposed to inclusion. She makes some valid points, but there seems to be a great deal of generalized thinking in her argument, and it leaves little room for encouraging "putting the big toe in the water" in the case of higher-functioning kids who can (and in fact, often do) benefit from gradual mainstreaming and inclusion. My 12 yo son is thriving in a slow process of mainstreaming, and I see him as coping better with the chaos of the outside world at some point because of it, rather than avoiding certain environments or going into full-blown meltdown due to living in a limiting "bubble." I believe this will also provide him with greater opportunities to live as independently as possible. Without inclusion, at least to some degree, this seems impossible.

Whatever your personal situation, whether you're a parent, educator, or just curious about how those of us touched by autism live, I think you'll find this book to be a very interesting and helpful glimpse. In any case, I can assure you that you won't be sorry for picking it up.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I understand, April 5, 2007

By	Donald Jennifer Duffie - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a mother of two sons with Autism I thought I had read all that I could on the subject. Charlotte Moore however has produced a book that I would have loved to have written myself. She does not dwell on cures and pity for her situation ,but gives a gritty un apologetic account of the life of her family. We often hear about cures and programs for improvement, ms moore however tells it how it is. I love my children where ever they may be in their development ,. Often things i read on Autism have made me feel inadequate , not so in this case. Ms moore brought out her sons beauty and fun side aswell as making no apology for the stress and sometimes peculiar ways that families effected by this dis order learn to cope. Well done from one "auty " mum to another . i have reccomended this book to family , friends and professinals.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fast read, very exciting and educational, March 14, 2007

By	Kathryn Radtkey-gaither (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

My daughter read this book for a class, and she loved it. She actually ended up wanting another book on a child raised with Autism after reading this one. She said that this book was such a fast read for her, written in basic everyday language, making Autism easy to understand. The way the mother in this book describes her everyday troubles and joys raising two boys with autism was so interesting to read. A definite must read for anyone interested in autism or raising someone with autism.