Tilt: Every Family Spins on It's Own Axis (Beeler Large Print Series)

Rating:
Summary: I loved this book
Review: Beautiful, engaging, every sentence is to be savored.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful book!
Review: I absolutely loved this book. It made me laugh and cry and I can't wait for her second novel! I used to work with autistic children and it was heartwrenching to see what it is like for the family of an autistic child. I learned so much even though I've been a special ed teacher for over twenty years. Really a wonderful novel.

Rating:
Summary: Good but too dramatic
Review: I think Ms. Burns wrote a great first novel. She is a very petic writer, has a great technique, and the novel was very carrying. However, as a parent of an autistic child, I honestly was looking forward to something that would be somewhat of a simpatico with me and this was not. I felt that the perspective of the autistic child was a cliche that is what others perceive an autistic child is. I don't feel like the author truly researched the field. More was written about the other psychiatric illnesses than what a true autistic relationship would have been. The stereotypees were just too general and contrived. I couldn't get past my upset after a certain point that this just wasn't real life.

Maybe I am being too harsh but again, as a parent living and breathing with an autistic daughter, I didn't feel like it was real. I finished the book but in anger. Besides, in present day culture, a state will not let a person commit their child long term unless a parent signs over parental control, thereby giving up all capabilities to be a part of a child's treatment team. It is basically unheard of so I felt like the story jumped the shark, so to speak.

Rating:
Summary: Courage
Review: This beautifully written narrative is an absolute must read for anyone who wants to better understand both family life with a child with a disability, and the devastation of mental illness. As the mother of a special needs child, I can attest to the fact that Elizabeth Burns completely captures the roller coaster ride of despair, denial and hope we go through with our "less than typical" children. It often seems there is not enough of the right kind of help for our children and our families, and it is easy to feel the despair that leads the heroine to the depths of depression. The author shows great courage in disclosing what I suspect is some personal experience with the issues in the book.

Rating:
Summary: A Story Well - Spun
Review: We have all come into contact with autistic children and their beleaguered parents. We have all empathized with them. This book, however, REALLY delves into the nitty-gritty behavior of the autistic child and the candid emotions of the caretaker. The additional stress of the bipolar husband sinks the reader into the same depth of depression as the overwhelmed heroine. Pair Tilt with Mark Haddon's excellent book, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, and you will have a better sense of what autism is like.