Steven C. (SteveTheDM) - , reviewed on 10/29/2012 + 204 more book reviews

I picked this book up on the recommendation of my daughter, who had the book assigned as a class project for her 2011 summer program. I think she liked it better than I did.

So in a nutshell, this is a first-person narrative, whose narrator is a (probably) teenager with Ausberger Syndrome. The writing of this perspective seems well-crafted, though it can be tiring from time to time. The thought process is decidedly different than typical, and to be able to actually tell a whole story using it demonstrates real writing skill.

But did I enjoy the book? Hm. Perhaps obviously, the story grows beyond the situation described by the book's title. And it just winds up being really about the difficulty of parenting, especially with kids who require special handling. And the parents here don't demonstrate anything commendable or really worth learning from.

At the end of the story, I just kind of felt depressed (from the "Gee, parenting can sure require sacrifices" vibe), as well as grateful that my own children are high-functioning and quite independent when they need to be.

3 of 5 stars.

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