Gravity Pulls You in: Perspectives on Parenting Children on the Autism Spectrum (Paperback)

~ Kyra Anderson (Author, Editor), Vicki Forman (Author, Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Review

According to the Autism Society of America, autism spectrum disorders are the fastest growing developmental disability; soon no family will remain untouched. While the numbers may be bleak, the personal stories and poems in Gravity Pulls You In: Perspectives on Parenting Children on the Autism Spectrum are wonderfully hopeful and authentic. You'll find no false sincerity in these accounts; the writers lay bare their mistakes, their triumphs, their despair and their hope. Their courage is evident on the page. --ForeWord Magazine, March 2010

John Elder Robison says it best in the introduction to this powerful book, '...the autistic condition is really the human condition.' With approximately 1 in 100 children on the autistic spectrum, isn't it time that we, as a community, educate ourselves on the entire range of what having Autism Spectrum Disorder really looks like? Gravity Pulls You In takes all of us, not just those of us with autistic children of our own, through the challenging experience of living and fiercely loving these children. It is chock-full of extremely moving and personal stories dealing with everything from adopting a special needs child to a mother caring for her dying thirty-four-year-old son. Uplifting and heart wrenching--just like life. - --Monica Holloway, author of Cowboy & Wills: A Love Story

Product Description

View the universe of autism--its marvels, chaos, and life-changing impacts--through the eyes of the contributors to Gravity Pulls You In. In 33 essays and poems, mothers and fathers raising children on the autism spectrum explore their lives in the context of autism's own special gravity, discovering what's important and what they find centering.<P> Editors Kyra Anderson and Vicki Forman, both parents and writers, have crafted this anthology to encourage a sense of connection among parents and transcend divisive autism politics. The creative group of contributors are accomplished writers, and many also hold day jobs as scientists, professors, teachers, actors, advocates, and therapists. Their slice-of-life depictions are a refreshing departure from the usual diagnosis/grief/acceptance arc of many autism accounts, and serve as a reminder that life is lived in the many small, everyday moments. <P> Readers are invited into contributors' lives where they're sure to find an attitude, a circumstance, an epiphany they can relate to. Within these accounts of fierce love and keen regard for their unique children, lie moments of exceptional clarity and transformation, such as one mother s story about her full circle reconciliation to a home movie depicting her son's perseverative behavior and another's appreciation for her daughter just as she is or will be. Or the poem about well-meaning but intrusive people who offer advice on how to correct a child with autism and a father's account of a hilarious outing to Hooters with his hip-hop adult son. These pieces are sure to resonate with parents, caregivers, and anyone who's interested in the world of autism.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 174 pages
• Publisher: Woodbine House (February 8, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1606130021
• ISBN-13: 978-1606130025
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #50,991 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A remarkable anthology of essays by parents of children with autism-spectrum diagnoses, March 9, 2010

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

"Gravity Pulls You In" is a remarkable anthology of essays by parents of children with autism-spectrum diagnoses. Written by parents for parents, "Gravity Pulls You In" has a special resonance and immediacy that frequently read like poetry and even music. Each child described is unique, with a particular poignancy to the uniqueness. Part of being a parent to such a child seems to include a journey towards a totally different experience of the world. Being able to empathize with your child can open you to new worlds and new experiences. "Gravity Pulls You In" is well worth reading for all educators and child development related professions, as well as other parent. Here is one quotation that is both typical and striking in its originality: "Living with Jacob is about more than allowing the language of his mind to erase the chalk lines of my own patterns. It is about unexpected intersections, the willingness to walk blind, to discern shadows in the lay of the land. It is about the painful unburdening that comes when the mind expands to see anew (p.91)."

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must-read for autism parents, any and all., March 5, 2010

By	Squid Rosenberg (Bay Area, Baby) - See all my reviews

Gravity Pulls You In is the book I can finally point to and say, "Yes, this here -- this will give you a sense of what autism is really about, why 'autism' has no one meaning, how our families' and children's joys, pain, love, sorrow, realities feel. Yes. This will help you understand. And if you're a parent new to the world of autism, this will light your way."

I have to warn you -- Gravity Pulls You In is an emotional neutron star. It turned me inside out, had me weeping in both awe and anguish, and I quickly learned not to read it in public. While I mooned over Drama Mama's, Carolyn Walker's, and Emily Willingham's love letters to their children, even the stories that wrung me dry, like Maggie Kast's No Pity, or Ralph James Savarese's You're Adopting Whom? exude love, pride -- and such grace. As contributor Cheri Brackett came to write about herself, Gravity Pulls You In is a testament to parents "valiant and remarkably dedicated."

(Excerpted from my interview with editor Kyra Anderson on [...])

-Shannon Des Roches Rosa