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May 29, 2009
Boy Alone: A Brother's Memoir
The writer Josh Greenfeld wrote three best selling books from 1976 to 1987 about raising his autistic son Noah. Now Noah's brother, Karl Greenfeld, has written about the experience of being the brother of an autistic child, and it is pretty harrowing.
On the spectrum of autistic disorders, Noah is on the severe end of disturbed behavior. Unable to talk or empathize with others and given to wild tantrums and bizarre behavior, he was the center of the family's attention. The adolescent Karl responded to his feeling marginalized by acting out with drugs and antisocial behavior.
The author makes the point that people tend to think of autism as a disorder of children, but autistic children grow to be autistic adults and elderly people, and Karl is struggling with his responsibilities for his brother as his parents age. Autism both strains and tightens family ties.
Related Link:
- Boy Alone: Brother's Memoir at HarperCollins
Posted by admin at May 29, 2009 02:10 PM