Raising Henry: A Memoir of Motherhood, Disability, and Discovery
In this moving, literary book, Adams, a professor of English and American studies at Columbia University, shares the story of her second son, Henry, born with Down syndrome. Though she was pushing 40, she did not get amniocentesis when she was pregnant, and she doesn’t regret it, either. “The amnio reveals the genetic makeup of your fetus. That’s all,” she says. “It certainly can’t tell prospective parents what it will be like to raise a child with a disability or anything about the person that baby will become.” As she notes, “everyone came away charmed by Henry.” The book is filled with wonderful anecdotes portraying Henry in all his lovability. And it raises important questions about now-routine genetic testing to identify chromosomal abnormalities. Adams writes, “Down syndrome isn’t a disease that needs to be cured. The problem is with the world not our kids. I want to change the way other people think. I want to change the world.” This book is a step in that direction. --Karen Springen