What About the Boy?: A Father's Pledge to His Disabled Son [Paperback]

Stephen Gallup (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2011

What About the Boy? is a memoir about parents who become dissenters, albeit in the cause of achieving normal life, for themselves and their child. The characters in the story are protesting a medical protocol that, in their view, offered nothing to a baby who was obviously in great distress. The family explores the offerings of alternative medicine and witnesses startling achievements. They also discover that their course of action has significant costs.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A story of intermingled triumph and tragedy, What About the Boy? will touch not only those who have dealt with autism or any other disability but also those who have been spared those agonies. In life, agony comes to most of us, but Gallup's book is a testament to living.
- Richmond, VA Times-Dispatch

What About the Boy? is an homage to parental love and sacrifice. ... It is socially relevant, exposing gaps in American medicine and underscoring the need for all parents to be vocal and vigilant when it comes to their children. What About the Boy? is a challenging book, filled with tragedy and determination.
- New York Journal of Books

From the Back Cover

Nobody knew what hurt little Joseph. Perhaps some toxin had invaded his mother's body before his birth. Perhaps it was the difficult birth itself. Or maybe the origin of his disabilities was genetic. Whatever the cause, something had gone terribly wrong — but no one was offering solutions or reasonable guidance.

He cried most of the time, and thrashed about as if in great pain. He wasn't learning how to crawl, talk, or interact normally. His parents sought medical help and were told at first not to worry so much. Later, the professionals recommended counseling to help the parents accept reality. Nothing could help their son, and the quality of their own lives was at risk.

Refusal to accept that advice launched an improbable journey that changed their lives forever.

What About the Boy? A Father's Pledge to His Disabled Son chronicles a family's rejection of hopelessness and their pursuit of a normal life.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 376 pages
• Publisher: Lestrygonian Books (September 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0615431534
• ISBN-13: 978-0615431536
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,651,580 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stephen Gallup grew up in North Carolina and Virginia. He studied at NC State University, earning a bachelor's degree in the life sciences, and then at the University of Virginia, where he received a master's in English.

Although he remains a Southerner at heart, he now lives in California with his family.

Beginning in 1977, he worked in various roles in technical communication in the aerospace and wireless telecommunications industries, with projects ranging from proposals for satellite launches and feasibility studies of space missions, to user guides for trendy new cell phones. In the early years, he wrote occasional short fiction on the side, and features for newspapers.

Gallup's life changed dramatically with the birth of his son Joseph in 1985. Upon learning that there was a problem, he applied his energies to a pursuit of answers that he felt certain must exist. After a year of consulting with physicians to no effect, he located other resources. For the next four years, he and his wife Judy implemented an intensive two-pronged treatment campaign that resulted in dramatic improvements in Joseph's condition.

His memoir What About the Boy? A Father's Pledge to His Disabled Son shows what the family did, and what happened next. The book has twice won "Best Memoir" in the San Diego Book Awards competitions, once in the Unpublished category (2007) and again following publication in 2011. In 2013, the story was adapted to a screenplay, which is now in preproduction.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars No one will love your child as much as you do September 1, 2011

By A. Chambers

Format:Paperback

I expected this book to make me cry. I did not expect it to make me mad. As I read about the Gallup's struggle to find answers for their son, I was so disgusted by the mainstream medical world's refusal to, at first, acknowledge anything was wrong, then later, to acknowledge that someone somewhere might know something they didn't.

This is a book about being your child's advocate. It's about pushing past all the "experts" who are basically telling you, "We don't have the answers, so you're not allowed to have questions." It's about parents who were so desperate to help their son that they humbled themselves and asked for help from people they didn't even know. It is not about Super-Parents. Steve is very transparent about just how human they are.

One thing that Steve and I agree on is that every child should be allowed to reach his full potential. He mentions one father who told him that if he had to choose between his child being low-functioning but full of the understanding that she was loved completely, or a "normal" child who didn't feel loved, he'd choose the low-functioning. Steve (and I) wondered why the two were mutually exclusive. We're not talking about making a child feel like he is less of a person or that he is damaged goods. We're just talking about making the effort to do what we can to help our children function at as high a level as they are capable of.

I found it interesting that back in 1989, the program that the Gallups used to help Joseph reach his full potential used some of the same methods I've seen in "alternative" programs in use today. Alternative programs that are working. As Steve says, "We'd seen enough to know that the answer for one kid may be unrelated to what works for another, that very seldom is any answer complete, and that there's no escape from guesswork. The only feature the various success stories shared was a willingness of each family to reject experts who would not help."

I did cry three times while reading the book. The first time was reading about all the amazing volunteers who had stepped up to help with Joseph's program, almost all of whom were complete strangers at the time. The second was when an Institutes staff member told the Gallups that the whole staff went out for ice cream to celebrate when they got the call telling them that Joseph was walking. At that meeting, the staff member also told them, "Joseph deserves to be told how great he is." (I'm quite sure Joseph was getting message loud and clear from his parents.) I also cried at the end of the book, but you'll have to read it to see why.

This is the story of an amazing family. Parents who were willing to make great sacrifices for their son, and a son who was strong enough to do what the "experts" said he couldn't do. I won't say it's an easy read because there is some emotion involved, but it's well-paced and well-written. I highly recommend this book to everyone, especially parents.

I received this book from the author in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read! January 6, 2012

By The Paperback Pursuer

Format:Paperback

Description:

What About the Boy? is the true story of Joseph Gallup, born on March 5th, 1985, to parents Stephen and Judy after a long and stressful delivery. He had all ten fingers and toes, and looked like a normal, healthy baby boy, but something seemed odd about the newborn, and it was quickly discovered that Joseph was born with an underdeveloped brain and, according to doctors, would be disabled for the rest of his life. Even after being told countless times that nothing could be done for Joseph's condition, Stephen and Judy refused to accept the advice of the medical community and pledged to find anyone/anything who could help their son have the best life that he possibly could- pediatricians, medical professionals, therapists, alternative treatment centers, counseling, etc; all in pursuit of a "normal" life for their son and their family.

Review:

When the author contacted me about this book, I knew that I had to read it. I have personal experience with special needs/ disabled children and I was very interested in his experiences with his son, as well as with all of the people involved in Joseph's life. I expected that what his family went through would be heartbreaking, and that it would change their lives forever, but I did not expect to read about the attitudes of the medical community. I am part of a medical community now, and I am ashamed to see how Joseph's care was handled back then. The doctors and their medical opinions about Joseph annoyed me to no end, and I can definitely understand how Stephen and Judy felt about the entire situation. Stephen Gallup's memoir is an amazing and inspiring story of one family's struggle for an answer, for help, and for a normal life. His writing style is easy-to-read, flows at a good pace, maintains a good level of detail, and makes the reader feel like they are part of his story; I laughed, cried, and sympathized with the family's constant ups and downs as I read, and was completely taken in. What I got from this book: love does conquer all, and What About the Boy is proof. I recommend this book to everyone - teens, adults, families, and reading groups.

Rating: Clean Getaway (5/5)

*** I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Hope and Beyond October 13, 2011

By Julia Pitau

Format:Paperback

Intense and tearful! Just a few words to describe how I felt as I read this story. The parents' dedication to their son left me wondering if I, as a parent, would ever have the patience and dedication to give my child as they did. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about real-life experiences; this one is a roller-coaster of emotions.