Customer Reviews

Raising Blaze: A Mother and Son's Long, Strange Journey into Autism

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3 star:		(1)
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I am a retired elementary school teacher. I've had many mainstreamed children in my classes. Teachers should read this book. It gives the parent's point of view, what iep meetings seem like to her and how frustrating it is for the parent to be faced with a lot of experts who think they know more about her son than she does. That said, I imagine that having Blaze in a regular classroom situation with 24 or so other students would be very hard for the teacher and her students because he might interupt the learning of the other students.Disruptive behavior always takes something away from those students who are trying to do their work. Blaze did his best in the special education class during 5th. and 6th. grades. I'm sorry he wasn't placed with another teacher who understood him. This is an honest book. I didn't always agree with Blaze's mother, but she certainly tells it as she sees it. I must add that I wondered why she provided no playmates for Blaze until he entered his horrible year in Kindergarten. If you are a teacher this is a must read book.

I read this book as part of a book club.

I enjoyed this book. It was an easy, and fast read. I was very impressed by Debra Ginsberg's writing skill, especially considering this is just her second work. She is extremely talented at putting her thoughts and feelings into words.

One of the first things that occurred to me, actually toward the end of the book, was that I didn't really feel like I *knew* Blaze. I definitely felt as if I knew Debra, and in fact a good portion of her family, but she gave very little description of what day-to-day life was like with Blaze. In fact, the only descriptions of Blaze's life were his school days, and even those only came second-hand, as they were recounted to Debra through his teachers and school staff. I really longed to read more about how he interacted with his mom when they were alone, and to read about random things such as trips to the grocery store, or to the pediatrician.

Also, and this is not a criticism of the book, but I found myself wondering over and over again, if, even though Debra obviously had Blaze's best interests in mind, she and he would have been better off if she had ultimately decided to place Blaze in a "special" school early on. It seems to me that the constant struggles that both of them endured by Blaze's attempts to "fit in" and be "normal" in a regular classroom would have been detrimental to Blaze. He is obviously a very bright child, and I felt that he would have performed better in a learning environment with more individualized instruction. These thoughts made me wonder about Debra's motives - why was it so important to her that Blaze attend "regular" classes in a "regular" public school (other than the financial expense of a private school) rather than consider other options? It seemed obvious, after he was in the sixth grade, that he was not getting much out of his schooling, and the staff and other students were suffering as a result of the distraction.

You may or may not agree with the choices Debra makes in raising her disabled son, but since she's written a book about it, you should at least be able to understand WHY she has made the choices she's made. I didn't get it.

WHY was it SO important to Debra that Blaze be mainstreamed? He was clearly disruptive and distracting to other students, he was clearly not learning as much as he possibly could have in other environments ---- Debra's motives are just not explained.

I believe that all children with disabilities should have the right and the opportunity to mainstream at school, and as a result into society. But at what cost? Do non-disabled children have a right to attend classes that are not regularly (daily!) disrupted?

It's a difficult issue to decide. I just wish that Debra had explained her motives.

The author of this book truly is an amazing woman. Her son, to his teachers and non-family members, is spoiled, stubborn and behaves inappropriately. He won't stand in line with the other children unless the teacher gives him a cracker, he won't color inside the lines (practically a criminal activity according to his kindergarten teacher) and lacks motor skills that most children his age have mastered. Blaze is a child that would rather starve to death than take one bite of a sandwich because "he doesn't like sandwiches." Not that he's ever tried one - he just knows he doesn't like them. It was only after reading about how the author tried to forcefeed him a cheese sandwich, that I truly understood what she was going through with her son, whom she loves more than anyone else in the world.

Because of Ms. Ginsberg's somewhat unconventional upbringing, she was raised to mistrust and dislike doctors. If she had been brought up in a more mainstream way, she might have immediately sued the pants off the hospital and doctors for failing to give her a C-section (which might have prevented her son from being born without enough oxygen to his brain). However, her family is incredibly unique and interesting and supportive of each other. It's a shame that all families are not like that.

In her own way, Debra Ginsberg is as stubborn as Blaze. When a teacher at school tells her that Blaze responds positively to getting M&M's, she instructs the teacher to stop giving him sugar. When more than one professional suggests trying Ritalin, she reacts as if she were asked to give her son cyanide. When a 2nd grade teacher again suggests that Blaze needs to be in Special Ed because his behavior is just too inappropriate for the rest of the class, she's upset because one teacher with 25 kids in a class doesn't have time to give her son the personal attention he demands. Ms. Ginsberg does not portray herself sympathetically in the book. (At times, while reading the book, I wanted to ask her "Who is the parent here? You or your son?" For example, Blaze gives her a list of words that she can and cannot say - does she say to him - you're 9 years old - I'm the parent, you're the child and you cannot tell me what words I'm allowed to say - No - she tries not to say any of words - which include, among others, NO and VERY and NONFICTION).

What she does do is fight tooth and nail for her son and I do give her a lot of credit for that.

Does this book make you think? Yes. Does this book make you understand more fully what it's like to raise a "different" type of child? Absolutely. Is it worth reading? Without question.

What would the world be like if we all didn't want to stand in line, sit on our name at circle time, or refuse to eat sandwiches? I imagine that there would be some chaos in the world, but I don't think that the world would come to an end.

This is the story of a little boy who walked to the beat of a different drummer, and his mother's struggle with the school teachers and personnel to hear the beautiful song that he was playing.

The book gives plenty of insight on what it's like to be Debra, but we don't get much insight on what it's like to be Blaze. Of course, Debra wrote the book so it's only logical that we would know her better. I would have liked to have heard more about Blaze outside of school. What did he like to do at home, what kind of conversations did they have? Most of all, what is he doing now? Is he in high school, or being home-schooled? I'll just have to wait for the sequel.

As a teacher in a public school, I feel "Raising Blaze", is a must read for new teachers as well as any teacher who believes in life long learning. This book allowed me to reflect on my profession and on myself as a teacher. Seeing through the eyes and emotions of a parent who is struggling to come to terms with a "different" child is powerful. More powerful though is seeing through the eyes of the different child while he tries to learn his way through the maze of educational "red tape" while trying to maintain a sense of self worth. This book is a must read if you care about changing the lives of children and students. What we do and say in the classroom room can have both negative and positive ramifications for years to come. This book will remind you how powerful teachers are and how it is most important to never allow this power to be abused.

This book is a must-read for all moms of "extraordinary" kids everywhere! It is also a great book for family members and teachers of kids on the PDD/Autism spectrum, to help them understand what we go through as moms, and the frequent confusion/uncertainty of any diagnosis.
I was encouraged and inspired by her bravery in standing up to the "system", her willingness to sacrifice for her son, and moved to tears many times by their struggles. I admire her honesty in revealing parts of her life she must have known many would judge or be critical of. The result is a book we can truly relate to, written by a mom who is imperfect (like the rest of us), who simply wants what is best for her son.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I think it accurately portrays the sad state of the American educational mindset. Every child (and later, every adult) has to fit, and woe for those square pegs that don't fit. These teachers and professionals, because of the nature of their jobs, were mainly unable to appreciate Blaze for who he is, and modify their teaching to fit him. No matter how you try, when teaching a room full of students, the teaching has to be geared toward the "average". Too bad so few of us are average. Blaze is blessed to have a mother who is willing to sacrifice her own goals and desires in order to commit herself to him. Many parents would take the path of less resistance and accept labels, medications, whatever the "experts" provided. We are programmed to believe the experts, and to distrust our own instincts. Ms. Ginsburg places incredible emphasis on Blaze "fitting in", even though she recognizes what an exceptional person he is. Of course, "fitting in" is safer and more comfortable, and who doesn't want that for their children. Perhaps since she never fit in, she desires it even more for her son.

Speaking as a square peg who has tried to fit in, I am homeschooling my three boys, each of whom I find extraordinary in their own way. Ms. Ginsburg's honest, heartbreaking, and often joyous book makes me feel like I know her, and that we are kindred spirits.

After reading "Waiting", Deborah Ginsburg's memoir of her life as a waitress I expected "Raising Blaze" to be a light hearted, funny little book. It's not. Blaze is the author's son, he's the sweet baby she had at the end of "Waiting". Blaze is different and his teachers and school psychologists have called him everything from retarded to autistic to having attention deficit disorder. This book is about Ginsburg's fight to save her son from being labeled and stuck away in special ed classes. The book is about love, Ginsburg's family is still in her corner and it's about hope, there is still no telling what Blaze will be like when he grows up. The book is emotional, it's upsetting and several points I wanted to yell at the teachers and at Ginsburg herself. I wish Ms. Ginsburg and her special son the best and I look forward to her next book.

Debra Ginsberg has accomplished the near-impossible: she's written a book about one of the most difficult human experiences there is--raising a child who is troubled and troubling--and managed to make the reading experience not only uplifting but enlightening. Raising Blaze is disturbing, beautiful, poignant, and moving. It's also a call to action. We don't need to accept mistreatment of our children by a system that devalues them, as Ginsberg shows us so poetically. The best book I've read on the topic, and the best memoir to come along in a long time.

Debra Ginsberg doesn't like labels, that may be the main theme of the book.

I do like lables. I have one, I am autistic, I have another, I have Asperger's syndrome.

I would say that Debra's son probably could get an AS diagnosis and may have one by now. So in spite of her view of labels, I think it's a good book to read if you have AS yourself or have a child with AS.

The descriptions of good, bad, indifferent and truly hideous school district staff and teachers are great. I had forgotten about the power that teachers can have over families and the visciousness that they can dump onto parents and kids. That all came back to me in reading this book. It's post traumatic IEP syndrome. (yes, some teachers are fabulous)

I'm glad she gave such a detailed view of her extended family and I'm very glad that she and Blaze had them for support.

I hope Blaze is doing well.