Based on detailed research and a lifetime of personal experience, James Wilson recounts his personal journey as the primary companion of his now twenty-six-year-old autistic son, Sam. This realistic, irreverent account of an autistic young man and his misadventures while transitioning to adulthood provides enlightening truths as well as sardonic humor. Formally seen as a neurological disorder, autism is increasingly being looked upon as simply a form of neurodiversity. Rejecting mainstream attitudes, Wilson explores this modern view of autism through his own experience as well as quotes from autistic people and bloggers, some of whom are the most vocal proponents of this viewpoint. A detailed bibliography accompanies this engaging memoir of a father and son's experience negotiating the slippery slopes of normality.

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This book is about the life of a loving and responsible father who has lost his relationships with his adult children. This circumstance provides the background for a captivating, human story which will ring true for a soberingly large number of loving parents to whom a loss of this nature has occurred. Such readers will have a strong frame of reference from which to relate to the story. For others who are simply students of the human condition, this well-crafted excursion into the life of another everyman is thoroughly worth the undertaking. The book takes us from one recollection to another, be they light- hearted and uplifting or stark and powerful, with deftness and brevity. The way in which the tragic loss of cherished children is transformed into a joyful life of purpose and love is an uplifting story which makes a worthwhile and gratifying read. A set of principles is offered as a recipe to help those for whom personal loss creates continuing pain. This provides a positive and effective means to help readers gain, even in the face of tragedy, the same kind of life success which has been experienced by the man about whom this story is written.

This book is about the life of a loving and responsible father who has lost his relationships with his adult children. This circumstance provides the background for a captivating, human story which will ring true for a soberingly large number of loving parents to whom a loss of this nature has occurred. Such readers will have a strong frame of reference from which to relate to the story. For others who are simply students of the human condition, this well-crafted excursion into the life of another everyman is thoroughly worth the undertaking. The book takes us from one recollection to another, be they light- hearted and uplifting or stark and powerful, with deftness and brevity. The way in which the tragic loss of cherished children is transformed into a joyful life of purpose and love is an uplifting story which makes a worthwhile and gratifying read. A set of principles is offered as a recipe to help those for whom personal loss creates continuing pain. This provides a positive and effective means to help readers gain, even in the face of tragedy, the same kind of life success which has been experienced by the man about whom this story is written.

Presenting thirteen essays, editors James C. Wilson and Cynthia Lewiecki-Wilson unite the fields of disability studies and rhetoric to examine connections between disability, education, language, and cultural practices.

The contributors span a range of academic fields including English, education, history, and sociology. Several contributors are themselves disabled or have disabled family members. While some essays included in this volume analyze the ways that representations of disability construct identity and attitudes toward the disabled, other essays use disability as a critical modality to rethink economic theory, educational practices, and everyday interactions. Among the disabilities discussed are various physical disabilities, mental illness, learning disabilities, deafness, blindness, and diseases such as multiple sclerosis and AIDS.