Jodi Picoult
I first read Jodi Picoult many years ago. It was the book Nineteen Minutes. It got me. School shootings were just starting to be a "thing" that we would hear about but couldn't fathom. And the book gripped me. Since then, I've read quite a few others written by her, but not for a while. In November, I took a long weekend trip to Milwaukee to visit my best friend, Christi. At the Milwaukee airport, they have this crazy little crowded book store with tons of old books. I buy something there every time, (I should see if they will buy the books I've finished on my trip...hmm.) Anyway, on my last visit, I picked up this book.
"I've met so many parents of the kids who are on the low end of the autism spectrum, kids who are diametrically opposed to Jacob, with his Asperger's. They tell me I'm lucky to have a son who's verbal, who is blisteringly intelligent, who can take apart the broken microwave and have it working again an hour later. They think there is no greater hell than having a son who is locked in his own world, unaware that there's a wider one to explore. But try having a son who is locked in his own world and still wants to make a connection. A son who tries to be like everyone else but truly doesn't know how."
So, what did I think?
4 out of 5 Stars
Jacob is an 18 year old with Asperger's. He is brilliant, literal, and loving in the way that he knows how to be. Jacob has been working with a tutor, a friend, to help him learn how to communicate with others in a way that is socially acceptable. His mother, Emma, has devoted her life to trying to give Jacob the best life that he can have. She has made sacrifices 100 times over...including when it comes to Jacob's younger brother, Theo. Theo has had to learn to be, "the kid who's brother has Asperger's." A terrible tragedy occurs, taking over the lives of the Hunt family. Will they be able to get through it, without their whole world tumbling down?
As a mother, parts of this book were absolutely heart wrenching for me. Jodi Picoult definitely has a "type" when it comes to writing. Her stories always focus on getting to know her characters deeply. I thought she did a wonderful job of portraying what it would be like to be living in a family like theirs. How does a child with Asperger's think, feel, react, express themselves? How does a mother protect her son, and try to get others to understand Asperger's? How does it feel to grow up in a household where you have always had to come second to Asperger's? I would recommend this book. I think it could be very eye opening to see how a life so different from what you perceive yours to be, could have things in common with you. And, it might get you thinking about how you can be a more compassionate human being. Would that really be such a bad thing?
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