|
Louder Than Words: A Mother's Journey in Healing Autism | 
 enlarge | Author: Jenny Mccarthy
Publisher: Plume
Category: Book
List Price: $14.00
Buy New: $7.00
You Save: $7.00 (50%)
New (37) Used (10) from $6.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  266 reviews
Sales Rank: 1402
Media: Paperback
Edition: Reprint
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 224
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.6
ISBN: 0452289807
Dewey Decimal Number: 618.92858820092
EAN: 9780452289802
ASIN: 0452289807
Publication Date: August 26, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
|
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
The New York Times bestseller that is an inspiring story of hope (People) for parents of autistic children
One morning Jenny McCarthy was having a cup of coffee when she sensed something was wrong. She ran into her two-year-old son Evans room and found him having a seizure. Doctor after doctor misdiagnosed Evan untilafter many harrowing, life-threatening episodesone good doctor discovered that Evan is autistic.
With a foreword from Dr. David Feinberg, medical director of the Resnick Neuro-psychiatric Hospital at UCLA, and an introduction by Jerry J. Kartzinel, a top pediatric autism specialist, Louder Than Words follows Jenny as she discovered an intense combination of behavioral therapy, diet, and supplements that became the key to saving Evan from autism. Her story sheds much-needed light on autism through her own heartbreak, struggle, and ultimately hopeful example of how a parent can shape a childs life and happiness.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 261 more reviews...
 Overall, an inspiring story of a mother's deep love for her child October 12, 2008
Jenny says at the end of her story, "I hope you have figured out by now that this isn't a story about autism, it's a story about faith". If you buy this book understanding that, then you will not be disappointed. This is an emotional, authentic story about a woman with a compelling, love-inspired drive to heal her son. Throughout her quest to find answers for her son she is transformed by the depth of her love and commitment to him. And to Jenny's credit, her experience was harrowing. Her son had what sounds to me like a moderate case of autism complicated by severe, difficult to control epilepsy that resulted in cardiac arrest. It is truly miraculous that Evan recovered so fully within two years of beginning therapies.
Throughout the book, Jenny's authenticity shines through. Her forcefulness will inspire some readers, and alienate others. It's true, her language is less than classy. And yet, Jenny's focus is so deeply inspiring, the langauge is only minimally detracting. The f-bombs convey Jenny's intensity and drive in a flawed yet simple way.
I am somewhat bemused at the shrill defense of the "medical profession" by some. Some reviewers are shocked that any mother would scream at a nurse or doctor while their child hovers near death, having seizure after seizure. These reviewers' awe for anyone with a medical degree is apparently unimpeachable.
I'm not a doctor-worshipper myself, so I read this account of Jenny's experience without the need to take a break to gasp at her audacity. In Jenny's defense, it is not reasonable for a child having seizures as severely as her son was having them to be treated by staff Interns for two days before seeing a neurologist. It is also pretty incredible that her original neurologist was completely blind to very clear symptoms of autism.
(I really do wish that the general public would find an antidote for doctor-worshipping. It is a sick practice, and it prevents doctors from being held accountable.)
Having said that, there are more sophisticated and mature ways of dealing with incompetent medical personnel who will not accept your input than screaming profanity.
For all of the true passion that Jenny brings to her story, and for all of her autheticity and her discovery, this book has its flaws. First, it could have used some good editing, especially in the last few chapters. There are some errors that just jump out. For example, Catholics will recognize immediately her misspelling of Medjugorje in one of the first chapters of the book. Second, when Jenny slips out of simply telling her story and begins to offer political and medical perspectives, she sounds like someone on the subway who you've just decided to strike up a random conversation with. She doesn't have a clear, organized rhetorical position, and she could have used an advisor on this book to get her there.
For those without expectations higher than a quick, emotional read, this book is a great way to feel connected to another Autism Mother.
 A Must Read Book!!! October 9, 2008
I bought this book as I have two grandchildren who are considered special needs students. One is a high functioning autistic and the other is in the spectrum. Before I was able to read it, my husband decided to beat me to it. He was fascinated! (Due to a reading comprehension problem, he had only read books he was forced to read.) Needless to say, he loved it and do did I! If you know anyone who has a child dealing with this, please do yourself a favor and buy the book and read it. Ms. McCarthy writes in a down-to-earth fashion that keeps you spellbound. I cannot wait for her to write more.
This is a good book October 9, 2008
This book tells an important story. It's important because it's not just one mother's story or one child's story. One out of every 150 children now has a dx of autism. As the mom of an autistic 11 year old boy whose descent into autism followed his vaccine schedule, I am grateful to Jenny McCarthy for telling it like it is. I hope this book leads parents of autistic kids to her book Mother Warriors.
 Rimland's Classic book on Autism October 7, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Psychologist using Rimland's critera for autism know there are modifications one can make regarding the children's behavior. However, there is no cure. By definition, if your child is cured from autism, your child did not have autism.
 Jenny Frakking McCarthy wrote a Frakking Book on Frakking Autism October 3, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I'm not going to spend a lot of time on this review, so in short, here are the two things that hack the rating down for me from 3.5 to 2:
* Repeated use of the F word in conversation is semi-acceptable among those you know well, but repeated use in a book on Mothering and Autism is an indicator of crudeness. There is no need to drag the culture down any further than necessary, particularly in a book on Autism and a Mother's love. (I was in the military and I can swear with the best of them, thank you.)
* Jenny McCarthy seems to think that ONLY mother's care about children with autism. Listen Blondie, just because your husband couldn't take it, and the ladies at the UCLA medical center hung out there all day long, doesn't mean that most Men don't take an active role in caring for their children's autism. I'm the one that does the majority of the active work for my son, and I take great offense at the remarks about men not being involved.
As for the rest of it? It's always enlightening to hear about another parent's struggles with Autism, but her son's condition is certainly out of the norm for most kids on the spectrum, both in terms of the original symptoms appearing after massive seizures and in the amount of money she was able to plow into treatment. I'm glad her son is doing better, but a lot of the material in this book simply isn't useful for the average parent.
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
