 |
| Review by Coll 4 Stars |
So because I don’t already have enough books to read, I
joined the Book of the Month Club (I blame Tiina). Quick rundown on how it works:
each month there are five judges who each pick a new book and you choose one to
be sent to you. There is later a discussion you can join with others who have chosen
the same book, where you can talk about your thoughts and opinions on it. Very cool
and affordable, so I figured why not. Each month we plan on posting a feature
review on the book I chose for that particular month. So without further ado,
onto my review for my July Book of the Month, Love That Boy: What Two Presidents, Eight Road Trips, and My Son Taught
Me About a Parent's Expectations by Ron Fournier.
Not going to lie, this is not a book I would have sought out on my own. I wanted to choose it, however, (not only because I
already read my top book choice on the panel) but because I thought this was a
good opportunity to step outside my comfort zone. Love That Boy is about a father who takes his son, Tyler, on a
series of road trips to meet presidents and visit presidential libraries as a
bonding and learning experience. The learning experience aspect was more for the father than the son though, because it was an attempt to learn
more about coping with Tyler’s recently diagnosed Asperger’s Syndrome (also
known as high-functioning Autism). Fournier previously worked as a journalist who traveled with several presidents, so he was lucky enough to
have the capability to plan such trips. He wanted to do something that he knew
his son would be responsive to (he loves history and presidents) to show that
he not only cared about his son’s interests, but that he wanted to make him
happy and learn from him.
Now this sounds, from the title, that it would be a book
targeted towards parents, but it is actually good for those without children
too. I do not have kids, nor do I want any, yet the book still affected me.
Fournier opens the book by discussing many of the unrealistic expectations and
pressures that parents put on children and the hopes each mother and/or father
has that their child will be “perfect”. He is not saying every parent does
this, but many do, and it is was he did with each of his children. As Tyler
started to grow, they noticed something was different about him. He was incredibly
smart and perceptive but also not good in social situations, he could not gauge
other people’s emotions and seemed to speak out and say the wrong things at the
very wrong times (all signs of Asperger’s). By the time he was diagnosed as
having the syndrome he was eleven years old, and his parents realized they
needed to start understanding him and his expectations instead of focusing on
their own.
Love That Boy is incredibly well-written and very
informative. It gives a concise explanation of what Asperger’s is and what it is like for both those suffering from it and their loved ones. The book also includes background and
statistics on children’s education and mental health trends, and information on schooling systems in general. On a personal level for Fournier, the book details his journey to understand his son and accept him for who he is. It is very clinical and
explanatory but I just found myself wishing for more detailed accounts from the
father/son experiences as they did each of their road trips. What was included
about their meetings with certain presidents though was very interesting and
entertaining, and I found those moments to be some of my favorite parts and would have enjoyed more.
What this book did most for me was it made me really think
about my childhood and my parents, and wonder for the first time what their
expectations of me were. It also made me realize that I was fortunate enough to
have parents who did not force me or my sister to play sports against our will,
or dance if we didn’t want to, or decide what colleges they wanted us to attend or what careers they wanted us to pursue. I remember my parents encouraged me to try new things, but did not push me too hard if I was unwilling,
and listened to what MY interests and desires were and
encouraged me to follow my own heart and mind. This book left me wanting to hug
my parents and thank them, and also curious as to what they had hoped for me
when I was young (maybe one day I will even ask about that). So I thank Ron
Fournier for opening my eyes to this.
Overall I really enjoyed Love That Boy a lot and I am so happy I
chose it. It was a fast and informative read and also quite emotional. Fournier
does many things in this book. Not only does he educate the reader on Asperger’s
but he also sparks thought on our education system, core curriculum, parent and
child expectations, empathy, and that quite often it is the parents who end up
learning from their children.
If you want to check out the Book of the Month website and see if you are interested in it just visit their website: https://www.bookofthemonth.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment