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Boy Alone: A Brother's Memoir (2009)

by Karl Taro Greenfeld(Favorite Author)

3.63 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0061136662 (ISBN13: 9780061136665)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Harper

review 1: Having read a plethora of uplifting fairytale stories of hope, perseverance, and the ultimate family triumph in my exploration of autism-related memoirs and literature, at first glance this book seemed incredibly, undeniably depressing.A slap in the face, really, for a girl who spends her days engaging those whom society has deemed inherently aloof; teaching and befriending a unique and wonderful group of individuals; redirecting aggressive bites, scratches, globs of flying spit, and innumerable other unsavory behaviors to more effective ways of communicating. I do all of this because I honestly believe, for most families, there is hope for happiness. There are strengths. There is potential. It may take a shift in perspective, but there is always light at the end of the tu... morennel, if I may be so cliche. As I finish this astonishingly honest memoir, I actually find myself somewhat refreshed having undergone a perspective shift of my own. Greenfeld offers not your typical fairytale or story of traditional success, but a powerful and moving portrayal of a different kind of happy ending— one that, for me, highlights the enormous breadth of family dynamics, needs, and ultimate state of functioning. I would even call Karl and Noah’s story beautiful in that painful, dark, life-is-messy-and-often-unresolved, sort of way. Interesting that the “boy alone" is not actually a reference to the author’s younger brother (who has suffered from profound autism for all of his life), but rather to himself as an isolated, over-burdened brother without (from his own perspective) a brother. This book was a stark reminder that every story is uniquely its own, and we have far less control over our lives and our destinies than we would like to believe. We can try, we can hope, we can plan and problem solve and dole out all the love and lesson that we can possibly muster. But ultimately, in our imperfect and unpredictable human existence, we are subject to realities external to ourselves. Anticipated or otherwise, we must cope with and come to an understanding of the world that allows us to find peace in whatever form we can.
review 2: I had a hard time with this one, but am glad I read it. A group of nurses were reading it at a conference I attended, and I thought it sounded good.Overall, the subject matter of growing up with an autistic brother in the 60's and 70's was clearly addressed and I did empathize with his parents and the family as a whole. The review of child development and psychology was also interesting, but read very much like a text book.It easily could have been 100 pages shorter and still got the story and points across.I did not like the section that went from fact to fiction without telling the reader until afterwards. And, too many long trailing on portions that didn't fit well into the story. Those parts read more like a teenagers journal than a memoir. less

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