Rating: 
Summary: A Testament to the Power of Love and Language
Review: "Absolute attention is prayer," Simone Weil once said. Patricia Stacey and her husband, Cliff, gave absolute attention to their little boy, Walker, who showed early signs of autism, and the results, narrated in this beautifully written memoir, are breathtaking. As an infant, Walker did not smile, laugh, or even cry, now he talks, reads, plays soccer, and attends school.
But THE BOY WHO LOVED WINDOWS is not only about about the power of parental devotion, it's also about the magic of language, about what happens when a writer takes her calling seriously and pays absolute attention to words. Patricia Stacey has made a lasting contribution--not only to psychology and child development but also to autobiography and memoir. THE BOY WHO LOVED WINDOWS is a classic and deserves every major writing award it's sure to receive.
Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary Story, Beautifully Told
Review: From the moment I started this book I couldn't put it down. Patricia Stacey writes with exquisite detail, honesty and humor about the desperate journey she and her family began upon the birth of her son Walker. As I read of her race to uncover what was at the root of Walker's diffficulties, and to help him connect with her and the world at large, I too felt panic, chaos, exhilaration and hope. The book does an extraordinary job of making sensory integration understandable, and provides great detail about the specific therapies, especially Floortime, that enabled Walker to blossom. But this book is not only for parents of children with autism, or clinicians. Ms. Stacey puts beautiful words to larger thoughts and questions about how we all connect to each other that will linger long after finishing the book.
Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary Story, Beautifully Told
Review: From the moment I started this book I couldn't put it down. Patricia Stacey writes with exquisite detail, honesty and humor about the desperate journey she and her family began upon the birth of her son Walker. As I read of her race to uncover what was at the root of Walker's diffficulties, and to help him connect with her and the world at large, I too felt panic, chaos, exhilaration and hope. The book does an extraordinary job of making sensory integration understandable, and provides great detail about the specific therapies, especially Floortime, that enabled Walker to blossom. But this book is not only for parents of children with autism, or clinicians. Ms. Stacey puts beautiful words to larger thoughts and questions about how we all connect to each other that will linger long after finishing the book.
Rating:
Summary: Stacey is a writer to watch
Review: I became interested in this book after reading the Atlantic Monthly article by the author, Patricia Stacey,on this subject. The article describes the therapy known as "Floor Time" which Stacey and her husband spent countless hours administering to their son, who was displaying early signs of autism. It describes the process of "rewiring" the child's brain by way of this therapy, and the remarkable results.The book, however, surpasses the expectations raised by the article. While I discovered a great deal about current thinking on autism and the brain, I also found myself reading a gripping account of this couple's experience--that of investigating all possibilities, advocating for their son, at times fighting doctors and the system tooth and nail, giving their all to their child at great personal cost--and then seeing him benefit in a life-changing way. The book is extremely candid, absorbing, lyrical and profound--not quite like any book I've read in this vein. It rises above the rest, probably because the author has a unique sensibility and is able to describe this harrowing yet deeply rewarding experience with so much style, humor and intelligence. It's a beautiful book. Stacey is a writer of prodigious talents, and her contribution to the field is significant.
Rating:
Summary: A Welcome New Voice in Literary Nonfiction
Review: I inhaled this book in two days. Patricia Stacey's breathtaking style, as she relates gripping family drama one minute and ponders the philosophical intricacies of the mind-body connection the next, weaves together the strands of raw gold that form her story, gold that might have emerged heavy and tarnished in the hands of a lesser writer. Like another reviewer, I recommend it to anyone who loves a child, who is interested in developmental psychology, to the many parents who struggle for the confidence to raise their children according to their own instincts in the face of a society that relentlessly questions them--but more than anything else, this is a book for anyone who is interested in reading about the mysteries that are the human condition. For in telling us her story, Pat illuminates all stories, especially family stories. An avid reader, much of what I read comes and goes; this book will stay with me and I am grateful Pat has written it.
Rating:
Summary: A Welcome New Voice in Literary Nonfiction
Review: I inhaled this book in two days. Patricia Stacey's breathtaking style, as she relates gripping family drama one minute and ponders the philosophical intricacies of the mind-body connection the next, weaves together the strands of raw gold that form her story, gold that might have emerged heavy and tarnished in the hands of a lesser writer. Like another reviewer, I recommend it to anyone who loves a child, who is interested in developmental psychology, to the many parents who struggle for the confidence to raise their children according to their own instincts in the face of a society that relentlessly questions them--but more than anything else, this is a book for anyone who is interested in reading about the mysteries that are the human condition. For in telling us her story, Pat illuminates all stories, especially family stories. An avid reader, much of what I read comes and goes; this book will stay with me and I am grateful Pat has written it.
Rating:
Summary: An Extraordinary Journey
Review: I love The Boy Who Loved Windows: Opening the Heart and Mind of a Child Threaten By Autism. Its a remarkable book because it explores this family's journey at so many levels. Pat Stacey describes the painful emotional roller coaster ride of suspecting your child has a serious challenge ... to confronting it but not knowing how to help him...to engaging in an exhausting, all encompassing effort to rescue him (floortime) ...and succeeding but still never being done and still needing to rebuild that which has been diminished by focussing all your efforts on your child. She also informs the reader: she introduces Dr. Greenspan's Floortime approach to a larger audience; she discusses sensory processing in a way that is understandable to all readers; and she provides some fascinating historical insight into psychological constructs: from Freud, to Bettelheim, to Skinner, to Greenspan. It is also a treat to read.
Rating:
Summary: An Extraordinary Journey
Review: I love The Boy Who Loved Windows: Opening the Heart and Mind of a Child Threaten By Autism. Its a remarkable book because it explores this family's journey at so many levels. Pat Stacey describes the painful emotional roller coaster ride of suspecting your child has a serious challenge ... to confronting it but not knowing how to help him...to engaging in an exhausting, all encompassing effort to rescue him (floortime) ...and succeeding but still never being done and still needing to rebuild that which has been diminished by focussing all your efforts on your child. She also informs the reader: she introduces Dr. Greenspan's Floortime approach to a larger audience; she discusses sensory processing in a way that is understandable to all readers; and she provides some fascinating historical insight into psychological constructs: from Freud, to Bettelheim, to Skinner, to Greenspan. It is also a treat to read.
Rating:
Summary: I Couldn't Have Asked For More
Review: I loved this book! Despite caring for three children and having an incredibly busy life- I finished reading The Boy who loved Windows in less than a week. I felt as if I couldn't put it down simultaneously feeling a need to put it down to process the books' emotional intensity and amazing amount of information pertaining to brain development, sensory integration issues and other developmental challenges.
This book is an extremely engaging personal story, which from its' beginning draws the reader in, to care deeply for the main character and his family. However, in addition to being just a "good read", including a plot full of suspense and surprises, this book succeeds in being a three tiered success. As well as being a scholarly study of areas including brain research, early childhood developmental challenges, including allergies, sensory integration issues and autism, throughout the book the author is continually looking at research and to what is happening to her child through a philosophical perspective.
This third way of writing encouraged me to think in a new way about the many ways I view my children and the world as a whole. Not having a child with such severe early challenges, did not make a difference to how I related to this story. Despite the authors' unique experience, she expertly wrote about her experience in a universal way, where any reader could relate to her story.
When I finished the last page, I cried for a good half hour. To be that moved by a book is rare and I knew the author had succeeded in opening my heart and expanding my vision. I couldn't have asked for more.
Rating:
Summary: A page-turner
Review: I was sucked into this book by the end of the first page, and couldn't put it down until I finished. Pat Stacey's biographical account of her son Walker and the oft-times heroic efforts that she and those around her put into the first four years of his development and education is simply terrific.
I loved it on several levels. First, the story is so compelling, and it is so well written, that even if you think you have no interest in the subject, you will still be drawn into Walker's tale. In addition, I learned all sorts of fascinating facts about human development, both psychological and biological, and for days after finishing the book, found myself pondering them in regard to my own life and that of my family and friends. Finally, the story is truely inspiring. The incredible amount of effort and time dedicated to Walker, and the love he inspired in all those around him, gave me great hope about human nature, and brought me to tears on several occasions. In sum, I highly recommend this gripping tale to all. You will be glad you read it!
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