Review
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
Editors Anderson and Forman, both writers and parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), have compiled an anthology of essays and verse detailing experiences with ASD either as parents, teachers, advocates, or therapists. The contributors are experienced writers and parents of ASD children and candidly share their journeys and life-changing experiences. In an enlightening foreword, John Elder Robison (Look Me in the Eye) adds his unique insight as a person with ASD and the parent of a child with the disorder. The contributors also discuss how having ASD as a part of your life can make you reevaluate what is really important.
Verdict: A support group that's always in session, minus the autism politics and competition, at your fingertips! What parents of children with ASD can gain from this volume is a feeling of not being alone and a situation or circumstance that they can relate to as they navigate the world of ASD. Professionals can gain a better understanding of what their clients/patients (and their parents) deal with on a daily basis. An excellent addition to any public library collection. --Library Journal Xpress Review, June 24, 2010
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
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
GRAVITY PULLS YOU IN is a recipient of the prestigious Mom's Choice Award. The Mom's Choice Awards honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others. A sampling of the panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, Ten-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times Best-Selling Author; LeAnn Thieman, Motivational speaker and coauthor of seven Chicken Soup For The Soul books; and Tara Paterson, --Mom's Choice Awards
What makes this volume stand out, in addition to the superlative writing and honest sharing, are its themes of connection and humanity. While the individuals profiled in the selections do fall somewhere on the autism spectrum, readers will come away from the anthology realizing that, more importantly, all of us, autistic or not, share a common humanity. --Disability Resources Online
About the Author
Kyra Anderson chronicles life as a homeschooling mom and writer on her blog, thismom.com. Her work has appeared in Tiny Lights, Bust Out, and 100 Hats, among other small presses. Her memoir, How My Son's Asperger's Saved My Ass, is not yet published. She lives in New England with her son and children's book writer/illustrator husband, David Milgrim. Vicki Forman is the author of This Lovely Life: A Memoir of Premature Motherhood (Houghton Mifflin/Mariner, 2009), winner of the Bread Loaf Writers Conference Bakeless Prize. Her work has appeared in the Seneca Review, the Santa Monica Review, and the anthologies Love You to Pieces: Creative Writers on Raising a Child with Special Needs and Literary Mama: Reading for the Maternally Inclined. She lives outside of Los Angeles with her husband and daughter. She blogs at vickiforman.com
