All I Can Handle: I'm No Mother Teresa: A Life Raising Three Daughters with Autism
In this passionate, funny memoir, Stagliano reveals what it’s like to be the mom of three daughters with autism. She jokes about the advantages of having teen girls with the disorder (they can’t text naked photos of themselves to a boy), her daughters’ initial diagnosis of global developmental delay (which sounded like a bad day on Continental Airlines), and crapisodes (autistic kids smearing feces everywhere). Many parents of kids diagnosed with the disorder will snap up this book, which is full of surprising, and controversial observations. Stagliano makes her husband out to be a good-looking saint (except for his golfing habit). Yet in 19 years, he goes through seven jobs. Also, despite the recent discreditation of Dr. Andrew Wakefield’s 1998 paper in The Lancet that led many parents to believe vaccines caused autism, Stagliano stands by him, and against much of mainstream medicine. Still, if readers can navigate her vendettas (she hates vaccine-developing scientist Paul Offit and takes issue with the American Psychiatric Association), they will enjoy a far-from-boring book. --Karen Springen--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.