Honest, blunt, rewardingOctober 31, 2008 a friend like henry,written by Nuala Gardner and published by Sourcebooks is a parents' book about autism...with all the fluffy bits removed. Honest, blunt, significant, rewarding. A well written, meaningful and very readable book.
a friend like henry is a book that tells the reader how frustrating, enlightening and magical living with autism can be, both for the person on the spectrum and those that live in the world parallel to ours. I am happy to say that at no time in this book is it ever implied that Dale should be 'cured' of his autism, it is obvious throughout the book that the search is for coping mechanisms and behavioral modification.
One of the things I enjoyed most was that Nuala does not claim that pet therapy is the only solution to the above dilemma but she does openly and honestly share one way of using an autistic child's obsession to their family's best advantage.
One of the things I disliked the most about this book (besides the use of all lower case for the title and author name), was the way it rewired all my emotions and made me cry every few pages. I found that I had to pace myself through this book by reading it in between several others in order to give my emotions a break. I nearly couldn't continue on reading it at the end but I am not going to tell you why, as it will 'ruin' the ending for you. However, I am happy that I did carry on.
After reading this book I am still convinced that our N3S is still the child most likely to be savaged by a dog but I picked up a few tips encouraging on behavioral modification which we will apply through other mediums.
The section where Dale 'speaks' at the end of the book along with Nuala's afterword are nice twists and are the perfect ending to what I feel is a triumph of literary honesty. This is a very special book.
I speak as both an adult Aspie and a mother of an Aspie child when I say that this book will break your heart into several pieces and then show you interesting new ways to put it back together again.
It doesn't get better than this!August 6, 2008 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I couldn't put this book down. It made me laugh out loud and cry to the point of sobbing. I loved the tenacity, love and care of the Mother and I adored the dog. A book that must give hope to parents of children with autism as the progress of her son is impressive. My best book of the year - even my husband read it. I want a sequel!!!!!
A book All parents should readApril 16, 2008 2 out of 2 found this review helpful
As the parent of a Autistic Child the story was nothing new to me but what was the comforting thing is the knowledge that someone else went through the same as me yes i could relate to most of the things in the book and the same feelings of dispair and the wish that my child could be "normal" this is a book that all parents should read as i think that the more understanding there is of the condition can only be for the good and help to dispel fears in relation to MMR and other factors
incredibleMarch 3, 2008 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
an amazing book about an amazing journey this family made. such an honest account of many difficult experiences. read it in one day. made me smile, made me laugh, made me cry. read it!!!
A special taleNovember 12, 2007 4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is the book to read if you think you have had a tough day! What Nuala and her husband went through with their two children is shocking and a real testament to them that they stayed together and kept their family strong. None of it would have been possible without Henry - a dog who you would think had been invented by Disney but really is a wondermutt. A moving and uplifting read
