Thursday, February 4, 2010

The Speed of Dark - A book review (and some clarification)

First off let me clarify from my last post. My hair is NOT completely white and when I said that there is just a little bit of color left in it I meant the color that came from a box. I still have quite a bit of darker hair that is up there with the gray. I WISH I could go straight to white overnight but unfortunately that's not going to happen. Okay now that's out of the way...

I've been reading a bit lately and there's one that I just absolutely loved.

The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon

This book is about an autistic man, Lou Arrendale, who is presented with the chance be "cured" of his Autism. It is set in the future where Autism is cured in the womb and Lou is in a group of the few adult Autists left and the new manager of their area wants them to be part of a test group to see if adults who have Autism can be cured.

As the mother of a child who has Autism this was an amazing read for me. Ms. Moon is able to climb inside the brain of an Autist and presents him in a way that helped me learn more about my own son and others who have this struggle.

There is a part in there where Lou is contemplating the story in the Bible where Jesus heals the man at the Pool of Bethesda. It is insightful, amazing, touching and incredibly thought provoking.

If you have a child that has Autism or if you know someone that has Autism this may be a book you want to pick up.

The last part of the book was incredibly hard for me to read and I was in tears on the last two pages because Lou's story runs very parallel to my own son's and what he wants to do with his life.

I'm sure this book isn't for everyone but I found it an intriguing look into the life of this man and into Autism. I think that you will too.


15 comments:

Jenny said...

My youngest son is Autistic. I will have to pick up this book and read it.

springrose said...

My second daughter has Asspergers, High functioning autism, so do two of my nephews. Hers is less severe then theirs. I think once you have a child with a disablility the world gets smaller, you find more and more people who have to deal with things that are similar! I will have to see if my library has this book! Although I don't like reading books that hit so close to home, it makes it so sad for me to think of what they will have to endure!

annie valentine said...

You read real literature, I am so impressed. If it doesn't have dragons or vampires, I keep walking these days. Tell me I'll grow back into real books...

That Girl said...

Oooooo - I'm always looking for new books. Thanks!

*MARY* said...

I don't think I'd be able to handle this book. I cried last night while watching an insurance commercial.

*MARY* said...

I don't think I'd be able to handle this book. I cried last night while watching an insurance commercial.

Fiauna said...

I will be ordering this just as soon as I finish typing this comment. Thank you for the recommendation!

Jessica said...

My cousin's 4 year old son is autistic. Thanks for the recommendation--I will pick it up and mention it to her.

Jessica G. said...

My nephew is Autistic and just yesterday, my sister was saying that she needed to keep her blog more focused on having a special-needs child. I recommend she read this book!

Omgirl said...

I have a good friend whose son is autistic. He is very severely autistic, though, and almost totally non-communicative. Would you still recommend it?

Amander said...

Sounds like an interesting book. I'll have to check it out.

Sarah said...

My daughter is autistic, and I have often wondered if I would take the chance to do something like this. I think just the fact that it would change her in any way would make me say no. But ask me again when she is sick.

Unknown said...

I just heard about this book somewhere...can't remember the source now. At any rate, I heard it was spectacular. I've taught a few autistic students and have a dear friend with a son around my son's age who is autistic and it's such an eye-opening, inspirational thing that they go through on a day-to-day basis. My students were brilliant, lovely boys. My son's friend is a little wildman whom you just have to adore. I'm looking forward to reading this--thanks for the recommendation.

Unknown said...

I just heard about this book somewhere...can't remember the source now. At any rate, I heard it was spectacular. I've taught a few autistic students and have a dear friend with a son around my son's age who is autistic and it's such an eye-opening, inspirational thing that they go through on a day-to-day basis. My students were brilliant, lovely boys. My son's friend is a little wildman whom you just have to adore. I'm looking forward to reading this--thanks for the recommendation.

Gerb said...

I can't wait to pick this one up. I loved the book 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime' which puts you in the mind of an autistic boy and I was fascinated by it. It did drop a few f-bombs but it was an otherwise fascinating story.

I'm loving the book reviews! Thanks.