Customer Reviews

George & Sam: Two Boys, One Family, and Autism

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I want to thank Charlotte Moore from the bottom of my heart for writing this wonderful book about her two sons with autism. I have read many, many accounts of life with autistic children, and never have I read one I loved this much. I loved it because Moore accepts her children, finds them lovable and fascinating just the way they are, but that doesn't mean she doesn't do all she can to help them. She just isn't doing it to find a "cure". She doesn't waste time worrying about why---why autism struck her twice, what caused it. She doesn't cast blame or ask for sympathy---she just describes, and does it so well! I've never read another account about how hard Christmas is for children on the autistic spectrum. My son has Aspergers Syndrome, and is quite high functioning, but Christmas has always been a nightmare for him, for just the reasons this book talks about---surprise presents that bring with them an expectation of a certain social response are not his idea of fun! I've taken to telling him in advance exactly what we will give him.

I also was struck by Moore's writing about imagination and autism. It's not that kids with autism don't have an imaginary life---it's just that it's a lot like their real life---not much social content. My son has a whole imaginary world, and has for many years. You would think it would be interesting to hear about, but it's not---mostly he tells me about things like the population density there, the major imports and exports, the state of the transportation system---the same things that interest him in the real world!

I hope Moore writes more books about her sons. I would love to hear more about them as they grow up. I also hope that anyone who loves someone on the autistic spectrum will read this book, and learn from it. I know that even after 12 years of hands-on experience with my son, I learned a lot here. Thank you again, and all my best wishes to your family, Charlotte!

By the grace of God, I do not have an autistic child. I picked this up because it had a very good review in some of the trade journals that I read for work (I'm a librarian). Ms. Moore caught my attention with her straightforward writing and no nonsense approach to dealing with her sons' disabilities. I have tremendous respect for her and how she manages day to day with not one but two severely autistic sons and one "normal" son.

This is not a textbook on Autism nor does Ms. Moore at any point claim to be an expert. This book is based on her experience and she is quick to note that what works for her and her family might or might not work for another autisic family.

Truly, I couldn't put it down. I was amazed at how George and Sam functioned in their own little worlds and how Ms. Moore managed to merge them into her and Jake's world. Perhaps it is the sociologist in me but I did enjoy reading this and most likely will look into reading some of the books that are mentioned in the bibliography at the end of the book.

I have a 3 yr old autistic son who moved from severe to mild with a lot of intervention. I have read a lot of books, and I was particularly interested in this one because I had heard so many positive things about it. I am glad that I did because overall, I really liked the book. I found her accounts of her sons to be filled with love, honesty, and sometimes even humor. She is an amazing woman to raise 3 boys alone (she's a single Mom!), and two of them with autism. I give her a lot of credit. I give it 4 stars though instead of 5 because while I liked her accounts, I think she made some pretty odd assertions. Some of it has been mentioned already in the reviews, and some not. I just hope that people read it with an open mind - that her assertions on autism is just that of a Mom with two autistic boys, and they are not always...accurate. Regardless, I highly recommend this book.

My children are "neurotypical" and don't have autism. I do have friends and aquaintances who deal with many of the issues she discusses. I found this book to be a fascinating look inside one family's life. I found myself wondering more about her ex-husband and his involvement with the children. Apparently he does care for them on weekends, etc. but she clearly made a decision to leave him out of the book. Her life sounds difficult and yet she finds much joy in her sons. I'm not personally connected to any of the debates about autism's causes or treatments. The author struck me as someone who is open to options for care but is most interested in results. I liked her a lot and wish her well.

I read this book because Nick Hornby recommended it in his book, "The Polyphonic Spree." (By the way, Hornby's novel, "How to be Good," though not about autism, is an entertaining read). Hornby has a son affected by autism, so he has insight into the subject.

I don't agree with everything Moore writes, but I found this memoir to be very real and moving. She discusses the CF GF diet, but isn't a zealot about it, which I appreciated. She uses ABA, whereas we use Floortime in our family. She's anti-inclusion, whereas my son attends a school with an inclusion program.

This book shows what it's like to live with autism. The author has a sense of humor, which makes it readable. I could identify with her gradual awakening to the fact that something was wrong. I appreciated her worries about what will happen to her boys after she's gone.

Moore says her sons are "autistic through and through," which is to say, there are not "normal" boys inside, struggling to get out. I think this is an important view to have represented, because there are a lot of miraculous recovery stories out there, and the truth is that sometimes, recovery doesn't happen. Recovery makes for a more dramatic story, and probably sells more books. But there's a place for truthful accounts like this, too. I resonated with it.

Thank you for writing a funny, realistic, non martyr, brave, and accepting account of what it's like to be a parent of an autsitic child.

I loved this book. I have two boys with autism as well, so it was interesting to get another persons point of view.