The story Heather tells, her own as the
mother of several autistic children, who stumbled through trial and error to find
ways that would help them develop on normal paths, is riveting and very
important. She tells it with lucidity, suspense, narrative momentum and
compassion, balancing the individual moments about her children, which are
intensely observed, with helpful pullbacks that give the reader the larger
picture of autism and its treatment in this country. While doing so, she
manages to evade the pitfalls of sentimentality, myopia, excessive rage, and
self-righteousness. It is difficult for me to separate her courage and
integrity as a human being from her achievement as a writer; so let us say that
both strands are inextricably intertwined.
Phillip Lopate (http://www.philliplopate.com),
the author of Against Joie de Vivre, Bachelorhood, Being with
Children, Portrait of My Body, and Totally, Tenderly, Tragically,
and the novels The Rug Merchant and Confessions of a Summer.
Heather's goal is nothing less than
to change the way autism is understood, diagnosed and treated in this country.
By telling her story eloquently and honestly, Heather calls for new ways to
deal with this devastating and increasingly common condition. Using her
authority as a mother who lived through everything she writes about, Heather draws the reader into a new way of seeing the world.
Susan Cheever (http://www.susancheever.com),
the author of My Name is Bill, Note Found in a Bottle, Home
Before Dark, and Desire.
Heather doesn’t ever sound desperate or
hysterical, quite the opposite, in fact; she has an intelligence and a kind of
reserve that really serves this particular story. My admiration is two-fold:
first, for Heather and her husband Mike – such courage, strength of character,
commitment to their kids and each other; second for the telling itself – it’s a
complicated tale and her prose is clear, absorbing, compelling, even
suspenseful.
Dinah Lenney (http://www.dinahlenney.com),
the author of Bigger than Life
Heather’s stunning memoir describes the
autism of her children and her fight as a mother to help them recover. I love
Heather’s work, and reading this memoir, I would often find myself holding my
breath with the beauty of her words. Heather has a focus and discipline toward
her work which is extraordinary.
Kerry Madden (http://www.kerrymadden.com),
the author of the book Offsides, Gentle’s Holler, Louisiana’s
Song, Jessie’s Mountain and Up Close: Harper Lee
Small Animals First recounts unexpected events
as one woman endures a turbulent pregnancy, the unexpected joy of motherhood,
and the emotional and practical challenges that befall many mothers. It incorporates up-to-date research and,
perhaps more importantly, the personal experience and recapitulation of the
perseverance of a family that refused to give up or accept a single or
convenient answer. This is an
informative tale, but it is not limited by the perils and unique joys of
understanding autism; this is also a story about the nature of family and hope,
and one woman’s journey as a mother who would do anything to help her children
recover.
Jen Knox (http://www.jenknox.com), the
author of Musical Chairs
