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I Dream He Talks to Me: A Memoir of Learning How to Listen
When Allison’s son, John Henry, stopped using his growing vocabulary just before his second birthday, she knew in her bones that something was shifting. In the years since his autism diagnosis, Allison and John Henry have embarked on an intense journey filled with the adventure, joy, heartbreak, confusion, and powerful love lessons that are the hallmarks of a quest for understanding.
In I Dream He Talks to Me , Allison details the meltdowns and the moments of grace, and how the mundane expectations of a parent turn into extraordinary achievements. The saying goes, “If you know one person with autism, you know one person with autism”; no two stories are alike, and yet there are universal truths that apply to all parent-child relationships. With gorgeous prose, Allison shares her and John Henry’s experience while also creating a riveting narrative that will speak to anyone who parents—and who has questioned their own ability to do so. An exploration of resilience and compassion—both for ourselves and for others— I Dream He Talks to Me is also a moving meditation on our place in the world and how we get there; what words mean, what they don’t; and, ultimately, how we truly express ourselves and truly know those whom we love.
In I Dream He Talks to Me , Allison details the meltdowns and the moments of grace, and how the mundane expectations of a parent turn into extraordinary achievements. The saying goes, “If you know one person with autism, you know one person with autism”; no two stories are alike, and yet there are universal truths that apply to all parent-child relationships. With gorgeous prose, Allison shares her and John Henry’s experience while also creating a riveting narrative that will speak to anyone who parents—and who has questioned their own ability to do so. An exploration of resilience and compassion—both for ourselves and for others— I Dream He Talks to Me is also a moving meditation on our place in the world and how we get there; what words mean, what they don’t; and, ultimately, how we truly express ourselves and truly know those whom we love.
240 pages, Hardcover
Published October 12, 2021
24 people are currently reading
1408 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
December 31, 2021
I can identify with many of the challenges, fears, hopes, and joys the author presents in this book. I, too, have a child with special needs and who is completely nonverbal.
Allison writes beautifully and paints a very realistic picture of the high highs and low lows of parenting a person with special needs. While she is vulnerable in sharing the pain points, she also encourages the reader, by example, to take the hand you’ve been dealt, surrender the life you thought you wanted, and create a beautiful, far from perfect, yet completely magical and hope-filled reality.
Allison writes beautifully and paints a very realistic picture of the high highs and low lows of parenting a person with special needs. While she is vulnerable in sharing the pain points, she also encourages the reader, by example, to take the hand you’ve been dealt, surrender the life you thought you wanted, and create a beautiful, far from perfect, yet completely magical and hope-filled reality.
April 25, 2024
For autism awareness month, I picked up this memoir about a mom and her nonverbal autistic son, John Henry. This was a beautifully written memoir dedicated to the many thoughts and emotions of a special needs mom, and it resonated with my experiences with my son. I have seen a few critiques regarding whether John Henry would like this novel, but I think he would want his artist/writer mom to express herself. This book helped me feel not alone in my struggles.
March 4, 2022
It's clear throughout this memoir that Moorer deeply loves her son. You can feel the emotions scream through the text. Every child is unique, and that still applies to children with autism. It's hard to say how John Henry would feel about this book and his description, but the story was clearly written with good intentions.
December 4, 2021
This is a Goodreads book win and I must tell you that Allison Moorer wrote about her struggles, love, and day to day experience in raising her son with autism. I could not read this in one sitting since it was heartbreaking as a parent showing the daily challenges of raising a child with special needs. We all want the best for our children and sometimes allowing them to show us who they really are is a gift in itself.
July 6, 2025
Excellent. Moorer is such a great writer. Lovely insights into her life with an autistic boy. Snippets of Steve Earle and Hayes Carrl. Twist when Justin Townes Earle takes his own life but we are spared details. Lovely book to help understand life with an autistic child. Thank you Allison for another amazing book.
December 26, 2021
Allison Moorer sure can write. This book is about raising her autistic son, and it holds universal truths about life for all of us. I found my self nodding and agreeing in some of her reflective moments. I am currently doing my best with two teenage boys, trying to walk that line between oversight and independence. I read this quotation:
“It isn’t up to me to try to alter his life according to my will; it is only up to me to respect him and help him on his path, and I can only pray that I use my best judgement and the most empathy, respect, compassion and love to guide him in the right direction.”
And I reflected on how this applies to my current thoughts on parenting as well. Beyond these moments, Moorer paints vivid details of her experience that will stay within readers and also offers some fabulous dry commentary on the truth of daily life and parenting. She ably captures those lessons parenting teaches you when you find yourself one diaper short on the cross-country flight or managing on your last nerve in the checkout line with your child. Written in short, accessible vignettes, anyone who picks this up will enjoy it.
“It isn’t up to me to try to alter his life according to my will; it is only up to me to respect him and help him on his path, and I can only pray that I use my best judgement and the most empathy, respect, compassion and love to guide him in the right direction.”
And I reflected on how this applies to my current thoughts on parenting as well. Beyond these moments, Moorer paints vivid details of her experience that will stay within readers and also offers some fabulous dry commentary on the truth of daily life and parenting. She ably captures those lessons parenting teaches you when you find yourself one diaper short on the cross-country flight or managing on your last nerve in the checkout line with your child. Written in short, accessible vignettes, anyone who picks this up will enjoy it.
November 10, 2021
Courageous
A mother’s tale of raising a severely autistic son. It will break your heart and bring gladness as well. Kudos
A mother’s tale of raising a severely autistic son. It will break your heart and bring gladness as well. Kudos
January 20, 2022
For some reason I did not realize going into this book that it was _that_ Allison Moorer who'd written it. I picked up I Dream He Talks To Me because I have friends and family members who have children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), so over the years I've made it a point to learn more about such so as to be of whatever support I can to them.
Once it clicked with me who the boy's daddy was, all I could do was keep hearing in my head the child's late half-brother Justin Townes Earle singing his song, "They Killed John Henry." And remembering what nice things JTE said about his stepmother at the first concert of his we went to, right before he had a complete and total breakdown. He was on fire. Magic electric.
So, of course, in retrospect I wonder about where he was on The Spectrum, and where Steve Earle is. (FTR: Thanks for the soundtrack your music provided to so many good times over the years, man.)
I also wound up remembering the time we walked out of a show by Shelby Lynne (aka "Sissy," Ms Moorer's sister). Still can count on one hand and have three fingers left over the number of times we've walked out on music.
So. I've got a lot going on in my head about that extended family, and that's without _even_ getting into Allison and Shelby's family of origin. Which, of course, colored how I perceived this book. As did the fact that Ms Moorer and her editors chose not to use a comma before the word too. :-(
Other than that, the writing was great. Five stars. The emotional wringer the author put herself, and her readers, through? Man, that was tough. Can't say I enjoyed it. Did appreciate it. Did find myself questioning, over and over, the "ethics" of telling someone else's story when they don't have agency.
And then I remembered something a friend shared with me, just very recently, in relation to that whole ethics of telling your child's story, in part or in whole, as you tell yours. Here it is:
------
But then, there is this quote from Ijeoma Oluo, author of the books, “So You Want to Talk About Race” and “Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America,” from a piece she recently published on her Substack site entitled, “Whose Story Is It To Tell? Behind the Book: The Ethics of Writing About Real People.” She observed:
“Not once can I remember a cis, straight white man come to me struggling with the ethics of telling his story. It is important that we be aware of this, not because I think we all need to be abandoning the important work of considering how our work impacts others - as many white man seem to do - but because when we see such disproportionate pressure on marginalized people to not share their stories we must be aware that a good portion of this pressure is constructed for the benefit of oppressive power structures. We must continuously ask who our silence really benefits, even as we talk about how we must care for others impacted by our stories. Our stories must be told.”
------
I guess all of this comes out in the wash as a 3-star rating I don't feel good about. Because it's not as if I actually liked the book, but it was more than OK, and yet at the same time in many ways I most definitely did not like it. While concurrently recognizing its power and worth.
Sigh.
Let's just say I wouldn't recommend it to most folks.
Once it clicked with me who the boy's daddy was, all I could do was keep hearing in my head the child's late half-brother Justin Townes Earle singing his song, "They Killed John Henry." And remembering what nice things JTE said about his stepmother at the first concert of his we went to, right before he had a complete and total breakdown. He was on fire. Magic electric.
So, of course, in retrospect I wonder about where he was on The Spectrum, and where Steve Earle is. (FTR: Thanks for the soundtrack your music provided to so many good times over the years, man.)
I also wound up remembering the time we walked out of a show by Shelby Lynne (aka "Sissy," Ms Moorer's sister). Still can count on one hand and have three fingers left over the number of times we've walked out on music.
So. I've got a lot going on in my head about that extended family, and that's without _even_ getting into Allison and Shelby's family of origin. Which, of course, colored how I perceived this book. As did the fact that Ms Moorer and her editors chose not to use a comma before the word too. :-(
Other than that, the writing was great. Five stars. The emotional wringer the author put herself, and her readers, through? Man, that was tough. Can't say I enjoyed it. Did appreciate it. Did find myself questioning, over and over, the "ethics" of telling someone else's story when they don't have agency.
And then I remembered something a friend shared with me, just very recently, in relation to that whole ethics of telling your child's story, in part or in whole, as you tell yours. Here it is:
------
But then, there is this quote from Ijeoma Oluo, author of the books, “So You Want to Talk About Race” and “Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America,” from a piece she recently published on her Substack site entitled, “Whose Story Is It To Tell? Behind the Book: The Ethics of Writing About Real People.” She observed:
“Not once can I remember a cis, straight white man come to me struggling with the ethics of telling his story. It is important that we be aware of this, not because I think we all need to be abandoning the important work of considering how our work impacts others - as many white man seem to do - but because when we see such disproportionate pressure on marginalized people to not share their stories we must be aware that a good portion of this pressure is constructed for the benefit of oppressive power structures. We must continuously ask who our silence really benefits, even as we talk about how we must care for others impacted by our stories. Our stories must be told.”
------
I guess all of this comes out in the wash as a 3-star rating I don't feel good about. Because it's not as if I actually liked the book, but it was more than OK, and yet at the same time in many ways I most definitely did not like it. While concurrently recognizing its power and worth.
Sigh.
Let's just say I wouldn't recommend it to most folks.
June 30, 2024
This book is not about the science or the strategies or the theories on Autism; it’s a momma’s look into life with a child with autism. She writes so beautifully and her heart is felt deeply within her words. I cried through so many portions of this book (and laughed at times in solidarity) and although every child with autism has their own struggles and unique characteristics -so often our momma’s hearts are still struggling in the same way; our fears; our questions, the same. She gave words to things my heart feels regularly but cannot always express or is brave enough to share. I highly recommend this book not only to other special needs parents, but also those interested in trying to gain some perspective into what the day to day might look like.
October 18, 2021
Yesterday I consumed this book of fear and love in one sitting. It hits me like a perfect prayer. Allison's first book BLOOD about her and her sister Shelby Lynn's childhood affected me similarly. (Their father murdered their mother and shot himself when Allison was 14 and Shelby 17. The girls were in the house at the time.) Anybody with any challenges can learn from Allison's life lessons. Her only child John Henry, born in 2008 to her and Steve Earle, has Level 3 autism. John Henry might speak a word and she will realize it has been two years since the last time that happened. No doubt I will purchase the Audible version of this book, too, so I can hear Allison narrate her story of hope.
June 8, 2024
I was in the midst of trying to write the story of our journey with my son’s autism when I decided to listen to this. (Listen, if you can, I implore you.) During the first quarter of the book, I cried and I laughed and I said “Yes, exactly!” I thought, “I don’t need to write our story, she has captured everything perfectly.”
She relates her raw feelings and explains beautifully her worries, the love and the work and the struggle, and the acceptance of autism. But I realized by the end, that her story is her story. Your story is yours. And my story is mine.
We need them all. Thank you so much, Ms. Moorer, for sharing your story, and your son’s. I’ll be thinking of you.
She relates her raw feelings and explains beautifully her worries, the love and the work and the struggle, and the acceptance of autism. But I realized by the end, that her story is her story. Your story is yours. And my story is mine.
We need them all. Thank you so much, Ms. Moorer, for sharing your story, and your son’s. I’ll be thinking of you.
December 5, 2021
I won this memoir in a Goodreads giveaway about Allison Moorer's daily struggle with raising her son who has Level 3 Autism.
I enjoyed this beautifully but heartbreaking story and learned alot about this disease.
One of my favorite chapters was her steps on "A Guide to Getting Through". In particular I liked both "Grow elephant-sized balls" and "Learn how to swim through snake oil" as it demonstrated her ability to keep her sense of humor despite everything.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning more about Autism or who is a parent raising an Autistic child.
I enjoyed this beautifully but heartbreaking story and learned alot about this disease.
One of my favorite chapters was her steps on "A Guide to Getting Through". In particular I liked both "Grow elephant-sized balls" and "Learn how to swim through snake oil" as it demonstrated her ability to keep her sense of humor despite everything.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning more about Autism or who is a parent raising an Autistic child.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
November 7, 2021Started but did not finish. Well written, moderately engaging, but could not compete with the other books I have in rotation and was due back at the library.
December 3, 2023
A mother's writing of accepting the realities of parenting an autistic child, with recall of her grief. Messages written for other parents. I just found some bits redundant at times.
November 17, 2021
I dream he talks to you too. This is a beautifully written love story about a mother and son and their journey. There are a lot of lessons in Allison Moorer's story for parents and others. A good read.
November 16, 2021
I learned so much from this mother’s unique peek into the life she shares with her son. Her hope and love are inspiring.
October 23, 2021
The second offering from the wholly human Allison Moorer managed quite quickly to swallow me up as fast as her first - Blood : A Memoir did. Allison writes entirely from her head and even more so from her heart, in thoughts and feelings so easily recognized. With profound lyrical beauty, Allison manages to ring one's heart dry in compassion for all the struggles life deals, yet softens each blow with wisdom, with grace and always with love.
Suffice it to say Allison Moorer has been delivered a beautiful, beautiful heart and the great ability through her words to bring its strength as well as its softness to the world, all the while reminding us that we are all just doing the best we can, when we open ourselves to love.
Suffice it to say Allison Moorer has been delivered a beautiful, beautiful heart and the great ability through her words to bring its strength as well as its softness to the world, all the while reminding us that we are all just doing the best we can, when we open ourselves to love.
Read
September 18, 2022This was my first non-fiction read of 2022! As a special education teacher who works primarily with nonverbal students, I was excited to read this memoir about a mother who has a nonverbal son with autism.
This was a light-hearted read in which Allison shares stories about her son John Henry. The anecdotes she shared ranged from emotional to comical, and she also provided her own “guide to getting through”, which I could imagine would be beneficial to any parent of a child with autism.
There were several parts throughout the memoir that resonated with me, such as her explanation of why John Henry prefers to take his shoes off. Several of my students take their shoes off, which may seem like an inconvenience, especially since they typically need help putting them back on, but now I understand that it is just their way of exploring the space around them.
Up until now, I was always aware that individuals with autism will never know how neurotypical individuals view the world. However, Allison pointed out that the same goes for the other way around — neurotypical individuals will never know how individuals with autism view the world. I thought this was very insightful and I will keep this in mind throughout my career.
I recommend this book to anyone who works with individuals with autism!
This was a light-hearted read in which Allison shares stories about her son John Henry. The anecdotes she shared ranged from emotional to comical, and she also provided her own “guide to getting through”, which I could imagine would be beneficial to any parent of a child with autism.
There were several parts throughout the memoir that resonated with me, such as her explanation of why John Henry prefers to take his shoes off. Several of my students take their shoes off, which may seem like an inconvenience, especially since they typically need help putting them back on, but now I understand that it is just their way of exploring the space around them.
Up until now, I was always aware that individuals with autism will never know how neurotypical individuals view the world. However, Allison pointed out that the same goes for the other way around — neurotypical individuals will never know how individuals with autism view the world. I thought this was very insightful and I will keep this in mind throughout my career.
I recommend this book to anyone who works with individuals with autism!
June 8, 2021
Autism. Level 3. Your son. Those are words no mother wants to hear. There are other words too. Angry complaints from neighbors. Comments from strangers. Allison Moorer negotiates a path for her and her son John Henry through all these words with grace and love, patience and joy. John Henry, born in 2008, was diagnosed with nonverbal autism before the age of two. Songwriter Moorer uses her gift for storytelling and poetry to share her experiences. From boring long days spent with a child who wants only frequent baths and popsicles, to handling his headbutting anger, to the frustration she feels for not being able to fix things for her son. She balances this with solutions, those suggested by others and her own personal success stories. Throughout this memoir, her love for her son, her ”shining star”, radiates. Her words are beautiful, as is her philosophy: ”Acceptance is being here, right now, instead of looking ahead to the day when this will all be over. It isn’t going to be over…Today is the day. Today can always be the day that all of this changes if I change the way I see it.” I Dream He Talks to Me is a beautifully written jewel that will appeal to anyone facing challenges. 5 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Books and Allison Moorer for this ARC.
Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Books and Allison Moorer for this ARC.
August 8, 2021
This Memoir is insightful and thought provoking. It is filled with happy moments and daily struggling's, that parents of children with Autism go through. It had me crying at times and overcome with joy from others. The writing was well done, but some parts I felt were a bit too long and so took me out of the story. Reading about these small moments that seem insignificant to others on the outside, gives them a small glimpse into the daily life of families with Autism. But to parents who know, reading about the joy of a hug or small amount of eye contact and what that means the world to us and it feels like your heart is going to burst. As a parent, who also has a child with Autism, I completely relate to a number of topics that were mentioned and others I could not, but I enjoyed the perspective and hearing another parents experience, it is still eye opening. I would highly recommend this book to anyone!
I received this advanced ebook, via Netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion.
I received this advanced ebook, via Netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion.
October 11, 2021
This book gave me all the feels and made me happy cry at the end. But not in an everything is perfect kind of way.
Yes, I am a parent dealing with autism so I connected with this book in a fierce way.
No, you don't have to be personally touched by autism to need this book in your life. It's for anyone who is human living in this world who loves, is challenged and has hope.
Allison writes about life with her son John Henry, who stopped talking just before his second birthday. It is a beautiful portrait of that life -- from tantrums to moments of grace, living through COVID and trying to make the "right" choices. Her prose is beautiful, which is not surprising given her background as a singer-songwriter.
Pages 213-233. I'm speechless and still welling up with tears skimming them even though I finished the book several days ago. The ARC is not enough form me; I need the final.
Yes, I am a parent dealing with autism so I connected with this book in a fierce way.
No, you don't have to be personally touched by autism to need this book in your life. It's for anyone who is human living in this world who loves, is challenged and has hope.
Allison writes about life with her son John Henry, who stopped talking just before his second birthday. It is a beautiful portrait of that life -- from tantrums to moments of grace, living through COVID and trying to make the "right" choices. Her prose is beautiful, which is not surprising given her background as a singer-songwriter.
Pages 213-233. I'm speechless and still welling up with tears skimming them even though I finished the book several days ago. The ARC is not enough form me; I need the final.
October 18, 2021
This giveaway was filled with much heartache but very heartwarming at the same time. The author tells of her daily struggles of raising her severely autistic son ,revealing her deep emotional journey through a life of hyper vigilance and holding onto those times where her son responds to her in an affectionate manner. Since he is not able to speak, She learns how to read and assess all of John Henrys signals to meet his daily needs. Through her dreams, he is able to speak to her and she treasures these moments in her dreams, and whatever speck of his positive response in her daily life. I enjoyed reading this and got caught up in her emotional upheaval but also was able to see the hectic life that a mother of an autistic child lives and how she deals with each moment. At times her life became unmanageable but through the grace of God she would find a way.
October 30, 2021
This book gives excellent insight into the lives of one family whose son has Autism. I found this book to send me through the full circle of emotions. As a mother myself of a child with high functioning autism, I am thankful for all of the ABA therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and support that families need day to day. 27 years ago when I asked the pediatrician why my child was not performing tasks like his peers, I was told, “You just can’t handle a normal boy!” For a long time, I thought I was a horrible parent while my husband went on several back to back deployments and my son and I were alone together. This book brings back similar memories.
Allison, congratulations for being the mom that you are. Your book will surely inspire others as they walk in your footsteps.
Thank you for the advanced reader copy of this book.
Allison, congratulations for being the mom that you are. Your book will surely inspire others as they walk in your footsteps.
Thank you for the advanced reader copy of this book.
May 8, 2022
First, I am a parent of a soon-to-be 28/y/o daughter on the autism spectrum. It'd been probably a decade or more since I'd picked up an autism parent biography to read. I used to read them when our journey began a quarter century ago. I'd read them to learn, to find understanding and community between the pages of titles that read like novels but gave me a view of another's coping and reflected my own.
I am a fan of the artist since hearing her NPR interview and music after the release of her first memoir. Allison Moorer is a strong woman. I felt that my life story with autism ebbed and flowed with hers, as told through these pages, now and again. Her son has more support needs than my daughter, who, still, required considerable supports.
The rawest of raw emotion the author poetically expresses reminded me of author Robert Rummel's autobiography about his daughter's significant language disorder, Schuyler's Monster: A Father's Journey with his Wordless Daughter. (A title *every* speech language pathologist should read!) Both authors twist and turn the bedsheets of words in turmoil, and I ached along with their angst.
Both authors come to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Especially Moorer. The redemption came as she saw the grander picture of life and perspective. The beauty amid the pain.
I am a fan of the artist since hearing her NPR interview and music after the release of her first memoir. Allison Moorer is a strong woman. I felt that my life story with autism ebbed and flowed with hers, as told through these pages, now and again. Her son has more support needs than my daughter, who, still, required considerable supports.
The rawest of raw emotion the author poetically expresses reminded me of author Robert Rummel's autobiography about his daughter's significant language disorder, Schuyler's Monster: A Father's Journey with his Wordless Daughter. (A title *every* speech language pathologist should read!) Both authors twist and turn the bedsheets of words in turmoil, and I ached along with their angst.
Both authors come to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Especially Moorer. The redemption came as she saw the grander picture of life and perspective. The beauty amid the pain.
November 15, 2021
I received a complimentary copy of this book through a Goodreads Giveaway, a special thanks to the author and Hatchette Books for providing me with this opportunity to read and review. My review is given as a courtesy and was not required as a condition of the giveaway.
In this very moving memoir, Allison Moorer shares with us the highs and lows, joys and fears that she experiences as a mother of a child with Level 3 autism. Brutally honest, and heartbreaking at times, the strength and resiliency of Allison, and John Henry, truly shine through in the words, and lack thereof, shared with us in this story. Very well done and relatable to even those who are not parents of children with autism.
In this very moving memoir, Allison Moorer shares with us the highs and lows, joys and fears that she experiences as a mother of a child with Level 3 autism. Brutally honest, and heartbreaking at times, the strength and resiliency of Allison, and John Henry, truly shine through in the words, and lack thereof, shared with us in this story. Very well done and relatable to even those who are not parents of children with autism.
January 9, 2022
I'm a big fan of Allison Moorer's music, and was aware of her journey with her son who has autism. But this book goes into the nitty gritty details of what it is like to be a divorced parent of a child with severe level 3 autism. From her accounts of trying to taking a shower to the many steps she must take to fly with her son, readers will gain a new appreciation of, and perhaps greater compassion for, those who are parenting children with autism. She shares her fears, anxieties, and triumphs in a kind of stream of consciousness that may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it is a brave and honest account.
May 2, 2022
Type of read: Commuter Read.
What made me pick it up: I have absolutely no idea how this one ended up on my TBR, probably a suggested list somewhere?
Overall rating: 'I Dream He Talks to Me' is a very real and raw look at parenting a neurotypical individual. There is some explicit language, but nothing horribly vulgar (honestly, it was right up my alley). I don't have children of my own; however, one of my godchildren is neurotypical. The stories, reminders, and grace that Moorer discusses in this book were helpful to how I can best listen, no matter who I'm interacting with or what they are going through.
What made me pick it up: I have absolutely no idea how this one ended up on my TBR, probably a suggested list somewhere?
Overall rating: 'I Dream He Talks to Me' is a very real and raw look at parenting a neurotypical individual. There is some explicit language, but nothing horribly vulgar (honestly, it was right up my alley). I don't have children of my own; however, one of my godchildren is neurotypical. The stories, reminders, and grace that Moorer discusses in this book were helpful to how I can best listen, no matter who I'm interacting with or what they are going through.
June 30, 2022
An honest day to day account by a parent who loves her child who has autism. I was one of those teachers who tried to help families with children with autism. In the school setting we had experts who plan out the therapies and wrote the goals to measure progress but I always wondered what it was like for the parents as they tried to do the ordinary things that other parents do in the evenings and on weekends. How do they take vacation and navigate airports or grocery stores. Thank you Allison for giving me a glimpse of your life. And thank you for loving your child and going on this life journey with him. I hope I remember all the things I learned from your story.
December 5, 2021
A devastatingly real memoir, entwined with never-ending strands of hope and joy. This should touch every parent on an elemental level, regardless of who your child is or how that child relates to the world. Moorer lies bare herself and her motherhood in bringing to light all the insecurities, fears, and strength that comes with being a Mama, and she does it in a lyrical and melodic way, never shying away from feelings, negative or positive. Her own focus and love for her son comes through first and foremost while she, like all parents, does the best to give him all she can.
July 14, 2022
This was a sweet story (albeit a sad one) about a mom's hopes and dreams for her autistic and non-verbal world. It made me reflect a bit on my Dad's Sister, Blondie, and her youngest of 6 kids (my cousins) Steve. I remember hearing that at one time they thought his not being able to speak was due to the fact that his dad died a tragic death early in her pregnancy.
Her patience and persistence pays off in many ways for helping her deal/fight/protect her son from the looks and comments that no doubt came during some tough times in John Henry's life.
Her patience and persistence pays off in many ways for helping her deal/fight/protect her son from the looks and comments that no doubt came during some tough times in John Henry's life.
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