Customer Reviews

With the Light: Raising an Autistic Child, Vol. 6

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This stellar masterpiece of a book makes me think of the 1968 George Harrison song, "The Inner Light" and the spiritual "This Little Light of Mine (I'm Gonna Let it Shine)." This book might make you cry. This book is the 6th in a series about Hikaru Azuma, a child with autism.

Since this book was written in the Japanese manga style, readers are also treated to Japanese literary culture. The book's story sequence is from right to left, which is the opposite of most Western languages. A glossary of Japanese words and a list of Japanese holidays and description of services for people with autism are provided as well. Readers are engaging in a form of cultural sharing with this book.

Sachiko and Masato Azuma's first child, Hikaru, now 12 and in junior high* has severe autism. Hikaru is a linking of cultures as well. Masato's mother is Western and his late father was plainly Japanese. Sachiko is not Asian. Hikaru is more Asian in appearance. There are other non-Asian and even Eurasian characters as well as one Afro-Asian character in an earlier volume, which provides a "diverse" look at Japan and Japanese culture.

Readers are treated to aspects of Japanese culture, such as foods and sources of entertainment. Honorific titles and expressions are explained as well. Readers get a good, clear picture of Japanese culture and services. The book also includes useful websites about autism and can also be seen as a good resource tool.

Hikaru is making steady progress commuting daily by city bus. Sachiko rides with Hikaru as he is likely to have a meltdown if someone else pushes the stop button to depart the bus before he does. He also has a habit of touching women's hair, which resulted in some very embarrassing scenes and repercussions.

Readers are treated to the kind peers who befriended Hikaru since their days in day care. Moe-chan, ever Hikaru's protector now has a boyfriend. Nobuaki, the bright outspoken former day care classmate is now socially active in his junior high. Their fair-minded, logical friend, Tanaka-kun is a popular star and attends their school when he is not touring. Eri-chan, a girl who has known Hikaru since infancy is having challenges of her own in private school and living in a household with domestic violence.

Hikaru, like many with autism has language processing issues. Marginally verbal, Hikaru can read and is quite adept at figuring out how to plan things. He does not respond when people greets him. His younger sister Kanon, now 5 is a nursery school graduate and ready to take on the "big kids'" world.

And take it on she does. Kanon still defends her brother to her peers. Their paternal grandmother is partial to Kanon and Kanon's cousin Noa-chan because they are not autistic. Sachiko chafes at this and insists that her mother-in-law keep Hikaru for the day while Kanon goes out for her graduation dinner. She even sends a list with Hikaru along with some of his favorite games to ward off possible meltdowns.

Hikaru's visit with his paternal grandmother does have its funny moments. When a nosy neighbor grills Hikaru's grandmother about her suitor, Hikaru is scoping out the refrigerator, checking out the food to see if it smelled good and was potentially palatable. He sees a pitcher of something he mistakes as tea. When he discovers it is a soup he doesn't like, he wastes no time in pouring it out! Readers will remember Hikaru's aversion for the mushrooms and his sensitivity to the way they smelled from an earlier installment. When Hikaru runs across this same brand of mushrooms in that refrigerator, his adverse reaction to them is quite funny.

Serious topics are addressed sensitively and realistically. Sachiko's mother suffers from a stroke and has to be hospitalized. The Azumas hit a rough spot in their marriage when the fear of infidelity rears its ugly head. Hikaru, now on the threshhold of puberty has to be taught that certain behaviors are not socially acceptable in front of others. Now as tall as Sachiko, Hikaru has to confront his own physical development and ever changing view of the world.

The illustrations are nothing short of phenomenal and the character development vivid brilliant. Kanon, Hikaru's sister is by now enrolled in day care and has the same outstanding teacher Hikaru, Moe and the others had just a few years earlier. Bright and high spirited, she continues giving her brother crash courses in interaction.

Hikaru's former elementary school classmates make guest appearnces in this book and provide good insight and continuity to the story. Many of them, Hikaru included are learning English. One illustration shows Hikaru writing Aa, Bb, Cc. Eri-chan, as readers learned from an earlier installment is taking English in private school. Sachiko encounters some of the playground and classroom mothers from the days when Hikaru and Kanon were small. Two had girls Kanon's age and recalled all too vividly Hikaru's behavior at a Girls' Day party one mother hosted.

The drawings are magnificent and the characters are very appealing and believable. The rich diversity of characters makes a good thing better.

At times, one can easily forget that this is a novel. Serious topics such as death, marital issues and aging are realistically and sensitively included in this sixth installment. This book has a preface about people in Japan who have autism. It is very interesting to learn about autism services in other countries. The Japanese character for "autism" is "closed off" or "cloistered self." The irony of the Japanese character for autism is that Hikaru is part of a very integrated community and, thanks to Moe and his wonderful teacher is anything but cloistered.

Keiko Tobe has unified people from all over the world with this stellar book. She wisely included explanations and descriptions of Japanese culture and mores as well as some humor. I like the way she talks about people who have influenced this book. While Tobe does not go into great detail about autism, her story and the magnificent drawings clearly depict severely autistic behavior and how it impacts others.

This is a delightful book that will remain a bright light in the hearts of all who read it. It is a form of cultural sharing as many readers unfamiliar with manga have learned a lot about this form of art thanks to this stellar series. I was delighted to learn that this will be a continuing series! I'm already looking forward to the next installment!

*Hoda Jr. High in Volume 5 and 6; "Hota" during the latter part of Volume 6