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Chris Will - The Story of a Boy and Autism Unawareness
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Beatriz
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Jul 07, 2013 02:33PM
By Beatriz Fox
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"message 5: by Beatriz Jul 07, 2013 10:25am
Beatriz Fox (Meant2Bea) | 8 commentsChris Will... The Story of a Boy and Autism Unawareness
Would anyone be interested in reading/reviewing my book, "Chris Will - The Story of a Boy and Autism Unawareness?)
message 6: by Savannah Nicole Jul 07, 2013 02:15pm
Savannah Nicole Logsdon-Breakstone (nicocoer) | 30 comments Beatriz, could you make a thread for it in the book threads?
I read and review books, but I can't guarantee you'll *like* what I and others have to say.
message 7: by Beatriz Jul 07, 2013 02:21pm
Beatriz Fox (Meant2Bea) | 8 comments Savannah,
That would be great. I want an honest opinion, and if you don't care for it, I respect your honest opinion... And, I will look for how to add to book threads, thank you!
message 8: by Beatriz Jul 07, 2013 02:35pm
Beatriz Fox (Meant2Bea) | 8 comments My book is free on the Kindle reader tomorrow or you can send me info on where to email or mail you one.
message 9: by Michael Jul 08, 2013 08:54am
Michael Jr. (mmonjejr) | 11 comments I'll read it for review, too.
message 10: by Michael Jul 08, 2013 08:56am
Michael Jr. (mmonjejr) | 11 comments Also, not seeing the free giveaway, but I'm on Prime. Get ready to get an extra $2 for being my "borrowed" book for July.
message 11: by Beatriz Jul 08, 2013 08:58am
Beatriz Fox (Meant2Bea) | 8 comments Thanks, Michael. Let me know if you're going to get it on Kindle or if you want me to send a copy.
message 12: by Beatriz Jul 08, 2013 08:58am
Beatriz Fox (Meant2Bea) | 8 comments Thanks for letting me know... I'll look into why they don't have it free.
message 13: by Michael Jul 08, 2013 09:02am
Michael Jr. (mmonjejr) | 11 comments Let me know if you ever want to talk marketing stuff. I'm currently self-pubbing, but I'm working on launching a small house where I'll be able to distribute work from others and publish anthologies.
message 14: by Beatriz Jul 08, 2013 09:09am
Beatriz Fox (Meant2Bea) | 8 comments Sounds great! I'll let you know. And, if you haven't already purchased my book, it should be up tomorrow through 7/10.
message 15: by Michael Jul 08, 2013 10:03am
Michael Jr. (mmonjejr) | 11 comments Just nabbed it through the Lending Library program for Prime members. I'm looking forward to the read--just waiting for the device to charge after being neglected for a few weeks while I read paper books.
message 16: by Alyssa (new) 3 hours, 21 min ago
Alyssa (Baozhale) | 7 comments I grabbed it when it was free. I've got 4 academic things in progress, 3 of which I know where they are getting published with one having a draft due this week so it might be a month or so, but I will review. (No guarantee you'll like what I have to say, but I'll do it.)
message 17: by Beatriz (new) 2 hours, 59 min ago
Beatriz Fox (Meant2Bea) | 8 comments Alyssa,
Thanks. So long as it's constructive criticism, and not a personal attack on me, I'm appreciate. I received recent reviews from Michael and Beth which insulted me as a person and a writer. I feel you can dislike my work without trashing my views of my life even if they are contrary to your personal beliefs with autism and vaccinations.
message 18: by Savannah Nicole (new) 20 minutes ago
Savannah Nicole Logsdon-Breakstone (nicocoer) | 30 comments THen perhaps you should have read the group rules better, Beatriz. We are an expressly anti-cure, not ok with anti-vax rhetoric. I assumed you had read the rules both when you posted and when I said that you might not like the responses you get.
Additionally, keep in mind that many of the people in this group are either autistic or people with other disabilities. Some of us can be extraordinarily blunt at the best of times, and when some have read things they've disliked, they will tell you. Some of them will not buy in to social conventions telling people to just be nice, to give white lies to sooth your ego, or to cut you a break because of your circumstances. Some will, but others will not.
Not that you are a bad person, but if your content is misinforming the public than it's a moral responsibility to many here to make sure people know that. You can be anti-vax for political reasons, sure- I've met a few- but if you are backing it up with bad science, than this is a group that *will* call you on it.
Critiquing your writing is not a personal attack. I talked to Michael, who teaches creative writing classes among others. Even aside from the content, he was unimpressed by your writing skills. That isn't insulting you as a writer, it's telling you his honest opinion. When he and I chatted, this was apart from his opinion of your content. So no, the critique of your writing is not a personal attack.
I have yet to read it- Right now, I'm on a romance novel in my queue- but I will be, and I will be honest about what I think. I plan on having the review in different sections to be clear what is about your writing, and what is about your content. I hope I have a better opinion of your writing than those who read it already, because I do want to have something nice to say and I know that I won't like your opinions.
message 19: by Beth (new) 0 minutes ago
Beth Ryan | 1 comments Your content and writing were reviewed. So happens that your content opened the door to commentary on your character. Don't want your character critiqued? Don't write a book of a personal nature--especially one filled with dangerous misinformation. And then SEEK out reviews from people who are obviously going to take exception. Complaining about it is childish and annoying.
message 20: by Michael (new) Jul 14, 2013 12:04pm
Michael Jr. (mmonjejr) | 11 comments If you're the kind of writer that honestly thinks your offering is up to a professional level, then you deserve to be insulted, because you have a grossly unrealistic view of professional writing.
That being said, if you're feeling personally attacked, then maybe you should think about the way you present yourself in that book. I don't know you as a person, but the narrator of that book is obviously looking for pity and/or sympathy, and is exploiting her son's condition to get it by using elevated emotional language, vague cliches, and a "just-so" tone about what she thinks her son might be feeling that just leaves me feeling disgusting inside. I've had people like that try to use me to make themselves feel better. It's not something I want other people to feel.
If that's not you, then you misrepresented yourself in your book, and you did yourself a disservice. Workshopping it and especially working on the language you use to discuss your son's disability would have helped. Taking the emphasis off how difficult your life has become would have helped more.
If that book is honestly who you are, though, then I really don't care how much I insult you, because the narrator of your book made herself look like a false ally and a terrible parent.
I made no personal attacks. All of what I said was justified by the content of the book. If you can't face that, then maybe you shouldn't be publishing your personal life for public consumption. "
You can see all these comments, barring the deletion of them by the individuals, at: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...
Pulled off other thread and deleted (after savannah said to move discussion). And by the way, whining about negative reviews on your Facebook page and then sending your mob to defend you is really unprofessional and speaks to your character...as does writing a phony review under your daughter's name to bolster your ratings. I don't feel bad about anything I wrote and I think I was spot in about your character.
Mod
"message 23: by Beatriz (new) 44 minutes ago
Beatriz Fox (Meant2Bea) Michael, sound (to me) like you are blaming me for whatever abuse other people inflicted upon you. First, I have a degree in writing and was an honor student at a notable University. Whatever you think of my writing will never hold more credence than the years I spent studying and working in school.
If you read my intro it clearly states, this is a STORY of a boy based on a blog. It is not a full narrative, but rather a glimpse into some of the things my son, daughter and I have experienced. My son has been in intense therapies since age 3, up to 7 days a week. Though my son has limited speech, NO ONE knows him better. He has been with me every day of his life and as a family we could not be closer.
The story is based on a blog which later turned into a group in which I had a couple thousand people. They enjoyed my writing and asked for a compilation. These are MY feelings, my daughter and son's feelings on OUR life and has nothing to do with any other person's experience with autism. I am sorry that you connect our life to yours, but it is a book about us! "
Beth, thank you for moving your comment, I appreciate it.
Mod
Michael Jr. (mmonjejr) | 12 comments Well, it's a book about you. I didn't see much about anyone else in it. And objectively, it's poorly edited, filled with vague cliches, and it uses dehumanizing language. You can move the goalposts all you want, calling it a story or whatever. It's bad prose, and there's no mistaking it. I'm glad you have readers, but I stand by what I said--by choosing to make the book about yourself, by confusing autism and its co-morbid conditions, by advocating for a dangerous and life-threatening point of view (anti-vaccination), and by refusing to render out any kind of scenes in detail, you have written an objectively terrible book.
As far as your university credentials go, who cares? The product is what it is. If you have to fall back on your diploma, then even you know that the writing you put forward is weak. Writing either speaks for itself, or it doesn't. Yours does, and I'm done replying to your non-defenses. Keep making excuses for yourself, but you'll get no more attention from me. "
THIS COMMENT HAS BEEN DELETED FROM ORIGINAL THREAD AS IT WAS OFF TOPIC.
