Disability

Not Always Happy by Kari Wagner-Peck

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51sHRGqjqXL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_Not Always Happy

by Kari Wagner-Peck

I stopped reading memoirs about raising a child with Down syndrome awhile back mainly, I think, because they all started seeming the same. Most follow a fairly predictable trajectory: a child is born with Down syndrome, there is much grief, then acceptance, and finally celebration. It’s not that there is anything wrong with this storyline (which, if I’m honest, fits my own storyline with regard to having my own child with Down syndrome), it’s just that after a time, I had read enough of them. So when I saw mention of Not Always Happy – probably on Facebook, I can’t really remember for sure – and that it was funny, my interest was piqued.

Continue reading here.

Supporting Positive Behavior in Children and Teens with Down Syndrome by David Stein, Psy.D.

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51tfcynwrslSupporting Positive Behavior in Children and Teens with Down Syndrome

by David Stein, Psy.D.

I came across this book purely by chance when I saw a friend post a photo of it on Instagram. The title struck me, and I immediately ordered a copy from Amazon.

I’ll start by saying that we have dealt with behavior issues with Finn, our 8-year old son with Ds, for a long time.

Read my review in its entirety here.

From My Mother by Darcy Leech

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3d-book-coverFrom My Mother

by Darcy Leech

When Darcy Leech was three years old, her baby brother was born, and the course of her life and that of her family was changed forever. Dustin was diagnosed with congenital myotonic muscular dystrophy – or MMD – inherited from his and Darcy’s mother, who didn’t know that she had the adult onset kind of MMD until then. MMD is terminal – it causes progressive weakening of the muscles and the body until it can no longer support life, and there is no cure.

Read more, including an interview with the author, here.

Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

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41jSi7C+UcL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_ Fish in a Tree

by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

This book was suggested to me by a commenter on my other blog when I began writing about my daughter’s dyslexia, which we only recently discovered that she has.

Fish in a Tree is a tween book, aimed at the 9 – 12-year old crowd. Narrated by Ally, a sixth-grade girl who has attended seven schools in seven years, because her dad is in the army and the family moves a lot. Ally has always been seen as a trouble maker at school – a girl who is defiant, goofs, off, and seems to prefer being sent to the principal’s office over staying in class and learning. What nobody knows is that this behavior is merely a front. More than anything, Ally wants to get along, she wants to be liked, and she wants to fit in – but she can’t read, and she’ll go to great lengths to keep that secret.

Read the rest here.

The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion

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{62082799-D96C-4CE1-9E8E-72DB51CB811E}Img400The Rosie Effect: A Novel

by Graeme Simsion

The Rosie Effect is the sequel to last year’s bestseller, The Rosie Project, which I reviewed here. In this installment, Don Tillman and Rosie are newlyweds. As the novel opens, Rosie announces that she is pregnant. Which totally throws Don for a loop because it wasn’t part of The Plan, at least not yet. Apparently Rosie decided to throw caution to the wind and get pregnant without telling Don her intentions. Probably not a great thing to do to someone who thrives on rigid structure – plus, Rosie is in the middle of writing her thesis, and frankly, the timing of a pregnancy just in the midst of that seems … er, ill-conceived.

Read the rest of my review here.

The Pleasure of My Company by Steve Martin

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413NZHCSZKL The Pleasure of My Company

by Steve Martin

I first read this novel several years ago. I remember enjoying it immensely, and I remember it being about a guy with Autism – perhaps Asperger’s, although at the time I didn’t yet have a child with a disability and wasn’t yet very informed at all about disability or autism (I can’t say that I am now knowledgeable about autism, but perhaps more so than I was back then, if only by virtue of association with parents of autistic kids and one or two autistic adults).

In any case, as it turns out, upon re-reading The Pleasure of My Company a couple of weeks ago, I discovered that it’s not about a guy with autism, but rather, it’s about a guy with OCD.

Read the rest of my review here.

The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards

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Memory_Keepers_Daughter The Memory Keeper’s Daughter: A Novel

by Kim Edwards

It’s hard to believe that this novel was originally published ten years ago already. The first time I read it was in 2006 or 2007 – I can’t remember which, but I was pregnant at the time with my sixth baby who, unbeknownst to me at the time, would be born in the summer of 2008 with Down syndrome. I’ve wanted to reread it ever since Finn was born, wondering how my take on the story might be changed by my own personal experiences …

Read the rest here.

The North Side of Down by Nancy Bailey and Amanda Bailey

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Unknown The North Side of Down: A True Story of Two Sisters

by Nancy Bailey and Amanda Bailey

Memoirs written by parents about raising children with Down syndrome are not hard to come by. This memoir offers a unique perspective, as it’s written by a sibling rather than a parent, and it centers around an adult with Down syndrome rather than the usual stories about babies and kids with Down syndrome . . .

Read more here.