Reasonable People: A Memoir of Autism & Adoption

Ralph James Savarese

ISBN 10: 1590511298 / ISBN 13: 9781590511299

Published by Other Press, 2007

About this Item

First edition, 1st printing. Bright, clean & tight copy, unread, in AS NEW condition. "'Why would someone adopt a badly abused, nonspeaking, six-year-old from foster care?' So the author was asked at the outset of his adoption-as-a-first-resort adventure. Part love story, part political manifesto about 'living with conviction in a cynical time,' the memoir traces the development of DJ, a boy written off as profoundly retarded and now, six years later, earning all 'A's at a regular school. Neither a typical saga of autism nor simply a challenge to expert opinion, REASONABLE PEOPLE illuminates the belated emergence of a self in language. And it does so using DJ's own words, expressed through the once discredited but now resurgent technique of facilitated communication (FC). In this emotional page-turner, DJ reconnects with the sister from whom he was separated, begins to type independently, and explores his experience of disability, poverty, abandonment, and sexual abuse. 'Try to remember my life,' he says on his talking computer, and remember he does in the most extraordinarily perceptive and lyrical way." [publisher copy] "This is a book about transformative love. It is a critique of who we are, and a promise of who we might be, and it is written with both passion and eloquence."--Andrew Solomon. "Through the methodical, careful teaching of the meaning of language, DJ, a non-verbal person with autism, was able to successfully communicate his shocking family history. This book will be exceedingly valuable for all parents and teachers who are working with non-verbal individuals."--Temple Grandin. Pristine hardcover w/sharp corners & crisp edges, a square & tight binding; quite presentable.

Seller Inventory # RUB2244

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Reasonable People: A Memoir of Autism & Adoption
• Publisher: Other Press
• Publication Date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1590511298
• ISBN 13: 9781590511299
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: As New
• Dust Jacket Condition: As New

About this title

Synopsis

A testament to uncommon devotion and common possibilities.

"Why would someone adopt a badly abused, nonspeaking, six-year-old from foster care?" So the author was asked at the outset of his adoption-as-a-first-resort adventure. Part love story, part political manifesto about "living with conviction in a cynical time," the memoir traces the development of DJ, a boy written off as profoundly retarded and now, six years later, earning all "A's" at a regular school. Neither a typical saga of autism nor simply a challenge to expert opinion, Reasonable People illuminates the belated emergence of a self in language. And it does so using DJ's own words, expressed through the once discredited but now resurgent technique of facilitated communication. In this emotional page-turner, DJ reconnects with the sister from whom he was separated, begins to type independently, and explores his experience of disability, poverty, abandonment, and sexual abuse. "Try to remember my life," he says on his talking computer, and remember he does in the most extraordinarily perceptive and lyrical way.

Asking difficult questions about the nature of family, the demise of social obligation, and the meaning of neurological difference, Savarese argues for a reasonable commitment to human possibility and caring.

About the Author

Poet, essayist, translator, and scholar, Ralph James Savarese teaches American literature and creative writing at Grinnell College. He lives in Grinnell, Iowa.