Ms. Cowhey did not know she had autism until adulthood. Born in September of 1956, she came along at a time when very little was even known about autism. She describes in detail her obsessive need to rock, a need that stayed with her throughout her life and her social naivete. This naivete led her into relationships with boys. At 18, she gave birth to her daughter Tracy/Trinnie.
One can feel her pain at being betrayed by a neighbor whom she thought was her friend; her sexual harassment at work and the molestation of her daughter. To her credit, she defends her child and ousts the molester who just happens to be the child's stepfather.
Fate intervenes; she is directed to a lawyer who helps her win her case against her boss; a friend directs her to a good therapist. During this period, Ms. Cowhey meets Bill/Barry, whom she later marries. In 1996, their son Brett/Bendon is born.
I like the way she has open discussions with her children about having autism. One can feel her pain at not being more demonstrative and not knowing how to be so. No doubt readers will be moved by this author's honest admission that she wishes she had been demonstrative with her niece and nephew so they would know she loved them. She is demonstrative with her children and describes delight in the window to the neurotypical world they have provided. Barry is a rock of stability, providing her with love and nurturing.
Despite the run-on sentences; typos; misspellings and choppy chapters, some of which are less than one page in length, this is a wonderful book. This author has a lot to say and a good sense of humor. For example, she writes "organism" when she means "orgasm." There are other smile-worthy word plays as well.
A good autobiography about having autism; living with it and having a full life at that. It also speaks to tolerance and the rationale for rocking, which makes perfect sense. A different publishing house could have tightened this and the sequel up into one book. Good editing would have helped as well. You might want to read the sequel, "Going Through the Motions 2."
- Paperback: 160 pages
- Publisher: PublishAmerica (April 18, 2005)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1413763863
- ISBN-13: 978-1413763867
- Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.4 x 8.5 inches
- Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
- Customer Reviews:
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Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
#9,011,292 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #603188 in Biographies
- #1445167 in Textbooks
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