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Sam's Best Shot: A father and son’s life-changing journey through autism, adolescence and Africa
A father and son's life-changing journey through Autism, adolescence and Africa. Inspiring, entertaining and a beacon of hope for those touched by autism.
Life with a teenage boy on the autism spectrum has its challenges. Fourteen-year-old Sam is a world authority on Harry Potter but can't get to the corner store on his own.
Sam's parents Dr James Best and Benison O'Reilly decide to think radically to help their son. They sell the family home to finance a six-month-long trip to Africa for James and Sam, in the hope that it will have far-reaching and life-changing results for Sam.
Their plan is to take Sam a long way out of his comfort zone, so that he has to face new challenges and learn to navigate the completely unexpected - and that the exposure of all of these new experiences will help Sam grow emotionally and conversationally to achieve what he hasn't been able to in a familiar environment.
The results were extraordinary and will give hope to many families dealing with autism.
Sam's Best Shot is the moving and inspiring account of the amazing journey James and Sam took through the teeming cities and stunning landscapes of ten African countries - nerve-wracking and hugely challenging, but also transformative, fulfilling and entertaining. This is a father and son story like no other.
'James Best and his son travel across Africa in the search for nothing other than randomness and unpredictability. It presents as a travelogue with autism as a sub-plot but, in fact, it is a divine love story of a father and son who are bound together in the adventure of their lifetime.' Nicole Rogerson, CEO Autism Awareness Australia
Life with a teenage boy on the autism spectrum has its challenges. Fourteen-year-old Sam is a world authority on Harry Potter but can't get to the corner store on his own.
Sam's parents Dr James Best and Benison O'Reilly decide to think radically to help their son. They sell the family home to finance a six-month-long trip to Africa for James and Sam, in the hope that it will have far-reaching and life-changing results for Sam.
Their plan is to take Sam a long way out of his comfort zone, so that he has to face new challenges and learn to navigate the completely unexpected - and that the exposure of all of these new experiences will help Sam grow emotionally and conversationally to achieve what he hasn't been able to in a familiar environment.
The results were extraordinary and will give hope to many families dealing with autism.
Sam's Best Shot is the moving and inspiring account of the amazing journey James and Sam took through the teeming cities and stunning landscapes of ten African countries - nerve-wracking and hugely challenging, but also transformative, fulfilling and entertaining. This is a father and son story like no other.
'James Best and his son travel across Africa in the search for nothing other than randomness and unpredictability. It presents as a travelogue with autism as a sub-plot but, in fact, it is a divine love story of a father and son who are bound together in the adventure of their lifetime.' Nicole Rogerson, CEO Autism Awareness Australia
304 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 26, 2017
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55 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 22, 2018
In 2015 Dr. James Best traveled across Africa with his 14-year old son Sam, who is on the autism spectrum. Spending six months in a country with not only a 14 year old but a 14 year old with autism and a country teeming with corruption, pirates, horrible epidemics and famine is a remarkable feat.
I loved this book. A fascinating read and a real eye-opener.
I loved this book. A fascinating read and a real eye-opener.
October 8, 2017
Fantastic book. What an incredible father James Best is! He takes six months off his job and takes his austistic son Sam out of school and they travel through Africa. Stunning book! Highly recommend it to particularly those who have children who need to come out of their shells! Sam certainly came out of his shell thanks to his African trip with his father. For my longer review check out https://bookbloggernz.blogspot.co.nz/...
October 30, 2018
This was such a great read. It's a great mix of travel stories, family, and autism. I really appreciated the 'realness' of James' ongoing struggle with the difficulty of making things work with Sam. It's very raw. And because of that, very relatable. Also just appreciated reading all the things James tried to do in an ongoing way with Sam to help him grow.
Great story. Great family. Very entertaining and moving. Loved it.
Great story. Great family. Very entertaining and moving. Loved it.
January 26, 2018
There are many guides and textbooks about autism, this is not what this book is. It’s a book about hope and dignity set against the backdrop of Africa.
Sam’s best shot is partly an insight into autism and a families desire to give their son new opportunities, partly a coming of age story and part travelogue.
At times events and feelings are presented with raw honesty, sharing a parents fears, frustrations and fatigue, which makes you celebrate the wins and achievements even more.
I was gifted this book and I’m glad that I was as I may have foolishly missed it otherwise.
Good on you Sam!
Sam’s best shot is partly an insight into autism and a families desire to give their son new opportunities, partly a coming of age story and part travelogue.
At times events and feelings are presented with raw honesty, sharing a parents fears, frustrations and fatigue, which makes you celebrate the wins and achievements even more.
I was gifted this book and I’m glad that I was as I may have foolishly missed it otherwise.
Good on you Sam!
September 6, 2017
Thank you Beauty and Lace and Allen & Unwin for the opportunity to read and review Sam's Best Shot. I have always enjoyed autobiographical/biographical works so had no hesitation applying for the opportunity to read and review this book. The fact that it also dealt with the ups and downs of a having a child on the autism spectrum just made it more appealing.
Although the book is about his son Sam, the opening pages are about the death of Dr James Best's 17 year old younger brother Matthew in a camping accident in 1985; and the guilt he still carries for not having protected his brother and preventing the accident.. It is this guilt that makes James so determined to take steps to enable Sam to survive in a world that often makes no sense to him.
James Best and his wife Benison have 3 sons, Sam is the youngest and in 2004 at age 3 he is diagnosed as sitting on the Autism spectrum. The spectrum ranges from those who are severely disabled, unable to speak or care for themselves to the often socially inept geeks who populate industries such as IT and everything in between. Sam falls somewhere in the middle.
After much research James and Benison determine that the answer to assisting a child with autism is intensive early intervention, or as James describes it "bloody hard work and bucketloads of money." How this early intervention works and the progress made by Sam are dealt with, as is the unpredictability and fearless recklessness so often displayed by children on the spectrum, in the early chapters of the book.
As Sam approaches adolescence James and Benison make the decision to further challenge Sam by taking him completely out of his comfort zone to places where no internet would be available and he would have to deal with novel and challenging experiences. So the decision is made to sell the family home to finance a seven month trip across nine countries from South to East Africa for James and Sam.
The rest of the book chronicles that journey, the highs, the lows, the differences of each country, their experiences, the things James manages to lose along the way, the way Sam is treated by the people he meets, the skills he attains, the strange things he says and does that make you laugh, as well as his developing interest in young women. As well as the travel James continues to work with Sam on his school work, as well as various neuroplasticity (brain training) exercises including chess, and boxing., and challenges such as ordering and purchasing his own lunch, striking up conversations with others etc.
While I understand the value of the various neuroplasticity exercises that James chose to work on with Sam, I was surprised by the choice of boxing as the risk was always there that as Sam gained skills in this area he could use them inappropriately when angered. I accept that it may have been difficult to come up with another exercise that used both sides of the brain, both sides of the body and both upper and lower limbs and was able to be performed wherever they were.
I loved the descriptions of the places they went and the people they met, and was impressed that James did not try to make it all roses and sunshine but documented the bad times also, including the times that he showed his humanity by responding inappropriately to Sam, his concerns of the impact on his two other sons, and how much he missed his wife.
Clearly what James and Sam did is not the ultimate panacea for Autism. Every person is different and every person will respond differently. Few of us have the money to provide the level of intervention that James and Benison provided in the early years of Sam's life or are able to sell our home to finance an extensive trip overseas. However there is no doubt in my mind that the experience assisted Sam and the book provides food for thought in considering useful interventions for other children with autism.
Sam's best shot has been made into a documentary and Sam's progress has also been analysed by autism researcher Dr David Trembath at Griffith University. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would recommend it for reading by anyone who enjoys a good biographical work, a story of love between father and son, or a greater insight into the puzzling world of Autism.
Although the book is about his son Sam, the opening pages are about the death of Dr James Best's 17 year old younger brother Matthew in a camping accident in 1985; and the guilt he still carries for not having protected his brother and preventing the accident.. It is this guilt that makes James so determined to take steps to enable Sam to survive in a world that often makes no sense to him.
James Best and his wife Benison have 3 sons, Sam is the youngest and in 2004 at age 3 he is diagnosed as sitting on the Autism spectrum. The spectrum ranges from those who are severely disabled, unable to speak or care for themselves to the often socially inept geeks who populate industries such as IT and everything in between. Sam falls somewhere in the middle.
After much research James and Benison determine that the answer to assisting a child with autism is intensive early intervention, or as James describes it "bloody hard work and bucketloads of money." How this early intervention works and the progress made by Sam are dealt with, as is the unpredictability and fearless recklessness so often displayed by children on the spectrum, in the early chapters of the book.
As Sam approaches adolescence James and Benison make the decision to further challenge Sam by taking him completely out of his comfort zone to places where no internet would be available and he would have to deal with novel and challenging experiences. So the decision is made to sell the family home to finance a seven month trip across nine countries from South to East Africa for James and Sam.
The rest of the book chronicles that journey, the highs, the lows, the differences of each country, their experiences, the things James manages to lose along the way, the way Sam is treated by the people he meets, the skills he attains, the strange things he says and does that make you laugh, as well as his developing interest in young women. As well as the travel James continues to work with Sam on his school work, as well as various neuroplasticity (brain training) exercises including chess, and boxing., and challenges such as ordering and purchasing his own lunch, striking up conversations with others etc.
While I understand the value of the various neuroplasticity exercises that James chose to work on with Sam, I was surprised by the choice of boxing as the risk was always there that as Sam gained skills in this area he could use them inappropriately when angered. I accept that it may have been difficult to come up with another exercise that used both sides of the brain, both sides of the body and both upper and lower limbs and was able to be performed wherever they were.
I loved the descriptions of the places they went and the people they met, and was impressed that James did not try to make it all roses and sunshine but documented the bad times also, including the times that he showed his humanity by responding inappropriately to Sam, his concerns of the impact on his two other sons, and how much he missed his wife.
Clearly what James and Sam did is not the ultimate panacea for Autism. Every person is different and every person will respond differently. Few of us have the money to provide the level of intervention that James and Benison provided in the early years of Sam's life or are able to sell our home to finance an extensive trip overseas. However there is no doubt in my mind that the experience assisted Sam and the book provides food for thought in considering useful interventions for other children with autism.
Sam's best shot has been made into a documentary and Sam's progress has also been analysed by autism researcher Dr David Trembath at Griffith University. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would recommend it for reading by anyone who enjoys a good biographical work, a story of love between father and son, or a greater insight into the puzzling world of Autism.
October 20, 2017
Thank you Beauty & Lace Book Club and Allen & Unwin for the opportunity to read Sam's Best Shot. http://bookgirl.beautyandlace.net/
I found Sam’s Best Shot to be a difficult but ultimately an enjoyable read. I am not very familiar with the diagnosis of autism and the trials and tribulations experienced, so to read of the many emotional, physical and ethical dilemmas faced by this family was a real eye-opener.
I appreciated learning of the many life events this family has experienced. From the initial recognition of ‘something is different with my child’, the shock at an autism diagnosis, the research and attempts to understand this condition and then learning to live with the daily difficulties, this must have been very difficult for a young family to deal with. Sam’s parents have delved deep to do the very best they can for him, to work with his abilities, to provide him with the best support system they can and to help him grow and ultimately to live his life to the full.
Memoirs are not usually a genre I would choose and I found that I struggled to sink myself into the book, particularly when about a third of the way through. I kept reading and the pace did improve and I was able to better enjoy the book. I found the honesty of Dr Best’s writing, whether about Sam’s difficulties in a situation or bad behaviour, to his own critique of his parenting skills, emotional well-being and coping abilities to be very interesting and humbling; this is a father trying to do the very best for his child.
I would have liked to have heard more about the other family members, particularly the two boys at home in Sydney. The brothers were barely mentioned and I assume having their father absent from their lives for six months would have been tremendously difficult for them. I wonder how such a great focus on Sam would affect the lives of these two boys and what plans were put in place to also take care of Sam’s siblings as they were growing up; did they receive special time with their parents, how did the parents focus on their development as well as Sam’s higher needs? I wonder if any parents of autistic children would benefit from learning of how this family coped with the needs of all family members.
Overall I found this to be an interesting read and I have certainly learned a lot more about the autism spectrum and the impact of this on children and families
I found Sam’s Best Shot to be a difficult but ultimately an enjoyable read. I am not very familiar with the diagnosis of autism and the trials and tribulations experienced, so to read of the many emotional, physical and ethical dilemmas faced by this family was a real eye-opener.
I appreciated learning of the many life events this family has experienced. From the initial recognition of ‘something is different with my child’, the shock at an autism diagnosis, the research and attempts to understand this condition and then learning to live with the daily difficulties, this must have been very difficult for a young family to deal with. Sam’s parents have delved deep to do the very best they can for him, to work with his abilities, to provide him with the best support system they can and to help him grow and ultimately to live his life to the full.
Memoirs are not usually a genre I would choose and I found that I struggled to sink myself into the book, particularly when about a third of the way through. I kept reading and the pace did improve and I was able to better enjoy the book. I found the honesty of Dr Best’s writing, whether about Sam’s difficulties in a situation or bad behaviour, to his own critique of his parenting skills, emotional well-being and coping abilities to be very interesting and humbling; this is a father trying to do the very best for his child.
I would have liked to have heard more about the other family members, particularly the two boys at home in Sydney. The brothers were barely mentioned and I assume having their father absent from their lives for six months would have been tremendously difficult for them. I wonder how such a great focus on Sam would affect the lives of these two boys and what plans were put in place to also take care of Sam’s siblings as they were growing up; did they receive special time with their parents, how did the parents focus on their development as well as Sam’s higher needs? I wonder if any parents of autistic children would benefit from learning of how this family coped with the needs of all family members.
Overall I found this to be an interesting read and I have certainly learned a lot more about the autism spectrum and the impact of this on children and families
March 23, 2021
This was a fantastic read! For James to take 6 months off work to take his autistic son, Sam, on a far-reaching travelling adventure through Africa was truly amazing. James was raw and honest about his struggles. He showed tenacity and courage when it would have been tempting to opt out.... he had a faith in his son that helped to bring out the best in him.
Certainly a book I would recommend to any parent who needs inspiration in helping their child to grow and expand their horizons.
Certainly a book I would recommend to any parent who needs inspiration in helping their child to grow and expand their horizons.
June 20, 2024
Loved this book from start to finish! I feel like I was there, travelling through Africa alongside Sam and James! I loved the humour and the many relatable moments, as well as being inspired by Sam's transformation! His parents are absolutely incredible to provide him with this experience.
Would recommend this book to anyone who's interested in travelling Africa off the "beaten path" or who wants to expose themselves to the reality of autism. Inspiring and eye-opening!
Would recommend this book to anyone who's interested in travelling Africa off the "beaten path" or who wants to expose themselves to the reality of autism. Inspiring and eye-opening!
July 22, 2021
So insightfully written, not only about travels, but also about autism. I felt a bit tearful by the end reading about the growth shown by Sam from the six months. It also made me desperately want to travel Africa!
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August 31, 2021This is a great read. Gives a different insight into the person with autism - and what can be helpful.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews