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With the Light: Raising an Autistic Child #4
With the Light: Raising an Autistic Child
When staffing changes at Masato's company get him transferred to a dead-end job in the middle of nowhere, more suffering and despair seem imminent for the Azuma family. However, Masato approaches the situation with aplomb and comes up with new ways to pave the way for Hikaru and those like him to become "cheerful working adults"...with surprising results. Hikaru himself seems to be getting closer, bit by bit, to achieving this goal as the Azumas decide to foster their son's independence in a variety of ways, including getting to and from school on his own. But when Hikaru encounters an old acquaintance on the way home and leads Sachiko to a horrific discovery, will the Azumas be able to return a favor and help out a friend in need?
528 pages, Paperback
Published March 24, 2009
9 people are currently reading
171 people want to read
About the author
Keiko Tobe
27 books38 followersKeiko Tobe (1957-January 28, 2010) was a mangaka who wrote primarily josei manga. She was best known for creating With the Light, which won an Excellence Prize in the Japan Media Arts Festival Awards in 2004 from the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs and inspired a television drama.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 5, 2013
This was so good and sweet. I love these manga. Best things I've read about autism.
Plus it makes all of these points about figuring out how to make sure autistic adults have good jobs so they can be independent and live the best possible life.
Fantastic!
Plus it makes all of these points about figuring out how to make sure autistic adults have good jobs so they can be independent and live the best possible life.
Fantastic!
October 21, 2018
Got Mikey Pence breathin down my fuckin' neck about spending less time reading books and more time signing documents about sticking those Mexican kids in refrigerators or whatever. I told him to just bring me the fuckin' papers and I'll sign wherever I need to, cause I need to know what's gonna happen to that weirdo twerp Hikaru. Sure he acts up every once in a while, but if they stopped shoving nasty vaccines in his blood he could really rebound. If those parents of his got in touch with me I could really set their reality straight.
August 24, 2012
With the Light is the wonderful tale of Sachiko Azuma and her autistic son, Hikaru. Mild spoilers ahead.
Masato's (Hikaru's father) awful boss forces him into a transfer to the boonies. Masato channels some of his wife amazing strength and instead of sitting around bored in a hot room with no air-conditioning he snatches the opportunity to finally get all his ideas down on paper, enabling him to get a promotion out of that dead-end. We also get to enjoy a lot of speculation about Hikaru's future as a 'happy working adult'. This volume also features the return of Oki-kun. I love how Tobe-sama reweaves characters back into the story, like Oki-kun and Tanaka-kun, so you never totally loose touch - just like people in real life.
I recommend this series to lovers of manga, those who wish to try out manga and want to be sure they start with the good stuff and anyone curious as to the story of life with an autistic child.
Masato's (Hikaru's father) awful boss forces him into a transfer to the boonies. Masato channels some of his wife amazing strength and instead of sitting around bored in a hot room with no air-conditioning he snatches the opportunity to finally get all his ideas down on paper, enabling him to get a promotion out of that dead-end. We also get to enjoy a lot of speculation about Hikaru's future as a 'happy working adult'. This volume also features the return of Oki-kun. I love how Tobe-sama reweaves characters back into the story, like Oki-kun and Tanaka-kun, so you never totally loose touch - just like people in real life.
I recommend this series to lovers of manga, those who wish to try out manga and want to be sure they start with the good stuff and anyone curious as to the story of life with an autistic child.
August 23, 2010
In another volume of the already lengthy series about autistic Hikaru, Keiko Tobe continues the story of Hikaru's family and school friends, this time fleshing out incidences of institutional abuse and his father's workplace struggles after exile to a branch office. As always, the series offers wonderful insight into the peculiarities of Japanese workplace, school, and family culture and the struggles those with disabilities face. Despite some topics being reemphasized, the series succeeds at not seeming repetitive as the author covers new ground in the life of the now fifth-grader Hikaru.
August 23, 2022
Remains an interesting slice of life, progressing through the experience of reasoning and autistic child in manga format.
Obviously recommend reading the previous books in the series, but rewarding for anyone who's in for the ride.
Obviously recommend reading the previous books in the series, but rewarding for anyone who's in for the ride.
July 8, 2021
Not only do we get to watch Hikaru grow, we also get to see his classmates (former and current) grow as well!
It kind of makes me feel like they’re my kids *tears*
It kind of makes me feel like they’re my kids *tears*
June 16, 2014
My overall review of the series is with the first volume, here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
In this volume, Hikaru's family begins to think more about his future-- sending him to high school and planning vocational training so that he can earn a living as an adult. The spend some time on the process of testing him for aptitudes and abilities, and give some insight into how autistic skills can vary greatly-- or be viewed very differently-- in different contexts, depending on the observers, the situation, and the accommodations that are in place.
I appreciate the positive attitude they have, not only towards his potential, but towards the idea that everyone ought to be proud to do the best work they can wherever they end up. The lesson is mirrored in the experiences of Hikaru's father, Masato, who is transfered to a lousy position by a spiteful supervisor in the hopes that he will quit. Instead, Masato remains determined to see the bright side and turn his setback into a success. In doing so, he inspires others as well.
The endnotes briefly go into the social and legal aspects of work for the disabled in Japan, with an emphasis on autism and other neurodiverse conditions. It is interesting to note that, as of the time of writing (early 2000s), an autism diagnosis was not sufficient for Japanese citizens to receive disability status-- only one accompanied by a diagnosis of intellectual disability as well.
Japanese law requires companies to hire a certain percentage of disabled workers, which is a good thing. It seems that many such companies form subsidiaries solely to employ these workers, which disturbs me a little-- it sounds a bit like the "sheltered workshops" in America that draw so much criticism from disability rights groups for poor treatment and underpayment of their workers.
It seems that other companies, though, are making great strides. Reporting on one such case, Yasuaki Matsui (from an autism support center) writes: "For example, we have learned that it is possible for a disabled individual to engage in high-level work as long as management takes the time and care to teach and support the employee. If a disabled individual works alongside a non-disabled person, they learn more, and their motivation increases. If there is something the disabled individual cannot handle, the non-disabled employee can cover for him or her. By doing so, work flows more smoothly... And when [disabled people] start making a living, their life motivation increases, which manifests, for example, in personal hobbies and suchlike." (p 511) and "In order to foster self-reliance in the disabled, we cannot just take care of their employment. It is important that we support their lifestyles as well. Recently, we sent out a questionnaire in Kashiwa City asking what autistic people do with their weekends and their free time..." (p 513)
In this volume, Hikaru's family begins to think more about his future-- sending him to high school and planning vocational training so that he can earn a living as an adult. The spend some time on the process of testing him for aptitudes and abilities, and give some insight into how autistic skills can vary greatly-- or be viewed very differently-- in different contexts, depending on the observers, the situation, and the accommodations that are in place.
I appreciate the positive attitude they have, not only towards his potential, but towards the idea that everyone ought to be proud to do the best work they can wherever they end up. The lesson is mirrored in the experiences of Hikaru's father, Masato, who is transfered to a lousy position by a spiteful supervisor in the hopes that he will quit. Instead, Masato remains determined to see the bright side and turn his setback into a success. In doing so, he inspires others as well.
The endnotes briefly go into the social and legal aspects of work for the disabled in Japan, with an emphasis on autism and other neurodiverse conditions. It is interesting to note that, as of the time of writing (early 2000s), an autism diagnosis was not sufficient for Japanese citizens to receive disability status-- only one accompanied by a diagnosis of intellectual disability as well.
Japanese law requires companies to hire a certain percentage of disabled workers, which is a good thing. It seems that many such companies form subsidiaries solely to employ these workers, which disturbs me a little-- it sounds a bit like the "sheltered workshops" in America that draw so much criticism from disability rights groups for poor treatment and underpayment of their workers.
It seems that other companies, though, are making great strides. Reporting on one such case, Yasuaki Matsui (from an autism support center) writes: "For example, we have learned that it is possible for a disabled individual to engage in high-level work as long as management takes the time and care to teach and support the employee. If a disabled individual works alongside a non-disabled person, they learn more, and their motivation increases. If there is something the disabled individual cannot handle, the non-disabled employee can cover for him or her. By doing so, work flows more smoothly... And when [disabled people] start making a living, their life motivation increases, which manifests, for example, in personal hobbies and suchlike." (p 511) and "In order to foster self-reliance in the disabled, we cannot just take care of their employment. It is important that we support their lifestyles as well. Recently, we sent out a questionnaire in Kashiwa City asking what autistic people do with their weekends and their free time..." (p 513)
January 5, 2012
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1813975...
Next in the series of manga volumes about bringing up a child with autism. Apart from the main story line about Hikaru and his mother Sachiko, there is a sub-plot (bolstered by appendices) about Hikaru's father Masato setting up a factory which will employ people with disabilities, and a couple of disturbing threads about children being abused in residential care. The book ends with Hikaru preparing to leave elementary school, the next stage of his education not at all clear. Beautifully illustrated as ever.
Next in the series of manga volumes about bringing up a child with autism. Apart from the main story line about Hikaru and his mother Sachiko, there is a sub-plot (bolstered by appendices) about Hikaru's father Masato setting up a factory which will employ people with disabilities, and a couple of disturbing threads about children being abused in residential care. The book ends with Hikaru preparing to leave elementary school, the next stage of his education not at all clear. Beautifully illustrated as ever.
June 25, 2016
This series! I wish every parent could read it. It parallels so much of my experience as a parent of a child with Autism. I feel recharged, empowered, and hopeful when I read these books. It not only explains how the parents and caregivers feel, it actually gives thoughtful and practical advice on how to navigate situations with child with ASD.
February 18, 2012
good wikipedia page on this series
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews