Saving Deets!: A Family's Journey with Autism

by Zack Gonzalez

SAVING DEETS! is a book all about love and devotion. Narrated from a teenage-brother's point of view, Zack tells us the stories from within his family's journey of accepting and healing his brother, Ethan (Deets). Zack shares the triumphs, the hardships, the family feuds, the embarrassing, yet relatable, tales, and the truth that lies hidden from the world around us. Whether it's talking about breaking down in tears of frustration, dishing on the ignorance that manifests outside the autism community, or joking about when his brother barges into the occupied bathroom of a special guest, Zack really knows how to use his charm to keep the readers' eyes glued to the pages of the hilarious, empathetic, and award-winning novel. He uses his sarcasm and wit to touch on topics most other activists shy away from.

173 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2009

Reviews

[Chrissy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I applaud the author of this book, because he wrote it when he was 15, in order to educate others about autism (his younger brother is autistic). However, I really feel like he needed a better editor. So many misspellings (i.e., "bazaar" when the word "bizarre" was intended), so many grammatical errors, and often missing or repeated words (i.e., "Everything thing would be ok" or "We went to the to get a test done"). It made for very distracted reading. Also, this young man is clearly very anti-doctor. I'm fine if that's his opinion. The danger is, if a parent of a newly diagnosed child reads this book, they may not choose a good path for their child as a result. Definitely not the best book I've read about autism, but it wasn't the worst, either.

[Alison · Rating 2 out of 5]

pulls mostly toward their opinions on vaccines vs disabilities. Would have liked to have read more sinarios on autism vs life challenges.

[Kirin Long · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book about author's autistic sibling. Poor family has the "don't accept autism" mindset and as a spectrum mama, that made me feel sad.