LIVING WITH JONATHAN: Lessons in Love, Life and Autism

by Sheila Barton

This is a book we all should read. A remarkable human story, a remarkable piece of writing.' - Jon Snow, journalist and broadcaster 'Compelling, moving, honest' - Dr Michael Fitzpatrick, author of Defeating A Damaging Delusion 'I loved this book. Vivid and lively writing draws a picture of the ups and downs of family life with a child with autism. The overwhelming love she feels for her children and her spirited responses to setbacks are a joy.' - Clare Coombe-Tennant, trustee of TreeHouse Sheila Barton's memoir of autism is inspiring. Finding herself, at thirty years old, with a son with autism and severe learning disabilities, she set about learning how to live a different kind of life and be a different kind of mother. This is the story, told with passion, intelligence and humour, of their journey from darkness into light. It is written out of anguish and anger, but also out of hope and love. The book tells the amazing story of their life together and how they dealt with diagnosis, birth, school, brothers and sisters, travel, therapies, obsessions, grief and sex. Sheila writes movingly of the heartbreak and the joy, the terror and the liberation. This is the story of the triumph of hope and love over pain and sadness, and it is a compelling manifesto for greater understanding of those who are born 'different'. Its ending is one of empowerment and joy.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published September 13, 2012

Reviews

[Lotte · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was really hard to follow. Although it was one of the most honest books that I have ever read. It’s so inspiring to read.

[Laura C · Rating 1 out of 5]

Please do not read this book if you are a parent of a child with autism. You will get nothing out of this book except more anxiety.

I usually give one star only for books that I don’t finish. I didn’t want to finish this book. The only reason I kept reading was in the hope to get something out of this book, even something tiny, that could be of some help. I didn’t. The one star has nothing to do with the authors story itself. It’s her story. It’s apparently the truth. I can’t judge that. But I can judge the way the story was told.

Firstly I think when anyone writes a story about their autistic child it should be to tell a unique story. Perhaps to inform others, to help others or just a story that is different from all others. Maybe about a wonderful therapy or technique. Maybe about the doctors who just wouldn’t listen. Maybe even about the journey through diagnoses, therapies, schooling and finally into adulthood. But this book had nothing of that. Secondly, it was hard to follow. It doesn’t flow. There is no order to the book. There are chapters but even giving those chapters a title was misleading. For instance, there’s a chapters titled “School” which goes for 80 pages. Yes, 80 pages! Do we get to hear about Johnny’s schooling? Nope! He goes to boarding school and is in respite care. So we only hear about the day trips and holidays they take as a family and even those with one family member missing…Johnny. So nothing about how he was helped through his childhood. Actually the entire book was various day trips and holidays in detail. Over and over again. She sometimes mentions Johnny’s age but mostly doesn’t so you’re left trying to work out how old he could be. She writes in detail about what was packed for holidays but stops abruptly for other more interesting things like a death.

The reason I bought the book was because toilet training was mentioned in the blurb and I was hoping a chapter was written about it. The blurb was entirely misleading in many ways. For the toilet training a failed attempt was briefly mentioned and that was it. Probably to leave more room for writing about various holidays.

So it’s a story about Johnny’s behaviour while out in public rather than his help and progress to where he is now. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who does decide to read it but I wish I could unread it.

[Elin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read from mum's kindle on holiday - very readable and interesting but I found it a bit too lost and meandering

[TAMMY CUEVAS · Rating 3 out of 5]

LIVING WITH JONATHAN: Lessons in Love, Life and Autism is Sheila Barton's memoir of the adventures, trials, and lesssons learned in raising her middle child, Jonathan. Ms. Barton spent her sons's childhood and teen years in search of the right school and care for him. She describes his autism and the effects on their family life with honesty and candor, avoiding the sentimentality so often found in books on this subject. The book spans the years between his birth and the present, in his late twenties.

The author's honesty makes this book a good read. She doesn't flinch from telling the truth regarding the effect of his disability on her, his siblings, and her marriage. I really appreciated the fact that her children resented "Rain Man" because it gave the public the wrong idea about autism. Although it has obviously been difficult through the years, the author manages to find humor in situations, which lightens the mood for the reader. The drawback was the author's style of bouncing back and forth between time periods without warning. I often had to go back and reread paragraphs (sometimes pages) to figure out what was going on and when.

I was going to recommend this book to anyone with an autistic child, or to anyone whose friend had an autistic child, but the truth is this book would be very educational to the general public. More people need a clearer understanding of this problem.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Netgalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”