Book review, Not Stupid by Anna Kennedy

Sep 07, 2010 17:13

Book review, "Not Stupid" by Anna Kennedy

A parent's-eye-view from the woman who sorted a lack of educational provision for her two autistic boys by starting a charity, buying a disused school, and doing it herself.

Actually quite an interesting story, rather let down by the fact it has the clammy hand of a ghostwriter all over it. It feels as if many of the details and particularities have been somewhat smoothed out, and it feels more like the last book I read with a ghostwriter than specific to Anna Kennedy herself. Other parents' memoirs I've read recently like Asperger's in Pink and Stand Up for Autism give more of a view of an autie child as a small, sometimes-inconvenient, rather fierce person than this does. I could have wished she'd left the bits about Esther Rantzen out and put in more detail about her kids, but it seems clear to me that the celeb-focused bits are essentially publisher-related marketing ('Quick, sell product! Mention a celebrity!') rather than 'about' Anna Kennedy and her sons. Not that I have anything against Esther Rantzen as such, but I'd have been more interested if the book had felt more personal.

One particular detail that is quite moving is that she longs for the conversations she may never have with her autistic son Angelo. This doesn't come across as wishing she could have found a real child hidden behind 'The Autism ' the way some parents do. Rather, her Aspie son Patrick has given her a view of how the autistic spectrum looks with better communication skills. Her Aspie son will never be other then differently-wired, but using words lets her see the world from where he is. By comparison, any communication with Angelo is delayed, difficult and pretty much limited to single words.

I don't feel I've got as clear a view of Patrick and Angelo as of autie children in various other memoirs; the book is actually rather more focused on their mum and the community doing stuff for them than on them themselves. Maybe this book would suit parents more than fervent self-advocates. It's also aimed firmly at the people who like to read 'heart warming' Triumph over Tragedy memoirs, so if you hate reading those don't read this. Science-friendly readers may also grit their teeth at the uncritical spouting of vaccine-related pseudo-science and alternative-to-medicine therapy, although these don't take up much of the book.

In conclusion, if you like this sort of book this is you may well like it. Otherwise it's not a must-read.

username: si - sp, books, parenting

Previous post Next post
Up