I Bought The Book!

Exactly what book am I referring to, you ask?

Why, this one, my friend:



In case you can't see the title quite clearly, it's called Wit and Wisdom from the Parents of Special Needs Kids: Mostly True Stories of Life on the Spectrum.

I haven't had a chance to start the book yet, so I was going to put the Amazon review here for you but I found one I liked better so here goes (and I hope this isn't plagiarism or something illegal):

This review is written by Bobbi Sheahan who gave it a 5 of 5 rating.

What a great idea for a book, and well done! Editor Lynn Hudoba brought together dozens of bloggers who are parents of kids with autism and turned them loose. Reading Wit and Wisdom was like settling down with a cup of coffee and a roomful of friends. It was also a great introduction to some really great writing. I can tell I'm going to be addicted to some new blogs.

I am a fast reader, and I thought I'd get through it in a night. I was wrong. It took me several days to read because I had to stop and savor so many of the chapters. It would be impossible to pick out a fave, but I'm going to mention some of the ones that really hit me straight in the heart. I'm sure I'll miss mentioning some excellent ones, but here are a few that have stayed with me:

Jenny Herman made me cry with "The Gift." 

Ashley Pooser made me cry with "Sleep Tight." 

"Stick to the Script" by Amanda Broadfoot and "Blending In" by Karen Asplund Veled made me smile. 

I saw my family in "Like Mother, Like Son," by Amanda Griffiths. 

In "Familiar" by spectrummymummy, a mom finds one of her own tribe in the park. 

I wish I'd read Kathy Kresin's "What, No Instructions?" and "The Third Degree" by Dawn Hentrich five years ago. 

And Kara Wilson's "Welcome to Asperger's Island" is something I'll re-read on the days when I need a laugh. So is "My Kid is on the Spectrum, but Your Kid is Just Wierd," by Flannery Sullivan. 

My favorite just might be "Mompetition," by Heather St. Clair. You just have to read it.

The essays are bite-sized -- not one of them is over four pages -- and the authors make it look easy to pack so much meaning, warmth, humor, and information into the pages of this book. There wasn't a bad one in the bunch, I tell ya. I could list every single chapter in the book this way, and I probably should, but you get the idea. Now get the book. Yes, stop reading this review and get the book. And a nice, big cup of coffee to go with it.

Now doesn't that make you want to read it??

I'm looking forward to spending some time in the pages of it this weekend.  What will make it even more fun for me is that I've gotten to know several of the contributors through their personal blogs.  It'll be fun to see my online friends in real print!

And it's always nice to spend some time with people who just "get it", even if it's only through the pages of a book.  Knowing you're not alone is a good feeling.

One more thing - if you haven't visited the Favorites page lately, you should give it a look.  I've added some more blogs to it.  Eventually, I'm going to need to put those blogs in categories.  But not today!

Enjoy your weekend!