Rating: 
Summary: Highly recommended reading for any parent of an autistic
Review: A Different Kind Of Boy: A Father's Memoir About Raising A Gifted Child with Autism is the personal memoir of Daniel Mont, the father of an autistic boy. Daniel's fourth grade son Alex has difficulty interacting with the world and other people, is prone to anxiety, and has no real friends. But Alex is an amazing child prodigy in math, and one of seven fourth graders in the United States to ace the National Math Olympiad. A Different Kind Of Boy is a heartfelt, candid, and ultimately inspiring tale of the struggle of a father to teach his gifted child the awareness the boy needs to survive and connect with others, while making the most of his prodigious talents. A Different Kind Of Boy is highly recommended reading for any parent of an autistic or specially gifted child.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding insights
Review: A unique book with extraordinary insights. The author draws on some very personal experience and takes you into the mind of an autistic child. A great book to better understand how to approach an autistic child, and, more importantly, how an autistic child approaches others. A great and easy read.
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Summary: I had Math class with Alex
Review: At Montgomery Village Middle School, in Montgomery County, Maryland, I was priviledged enough to have the opportunity to have Algebra 1 class with Alex, in 1999. To this day, those in that class still remember him, for how brilliant he obviously was and is. At times, he had to correct our teacher, one who had been teaching algebra for thirty years. He would finish his work and begin working on trigonometry and calculus problems, at least four years ahead of most other student's pace. Not only was he exceedingly bright, he was an honest and trustworthy student. Never would Alex let anyone even take a peek at his paper. And, on top of that, he would sometimes attempt to tell us jokes or tell us about his favorite sports teams. Everyone in the class knew he was autistic, or at the least was not "normal." Howver, he was the most liked student in the class. I have not read this book, but plan to. I just wanted to tell some people of my own experiences with this exceptional person. I wish Alex the best of luck, though, knowing him, I'm sure he would attempt to disprove any theories relating to luck altogether.
Rating:
Summary: I had Math class with Alex
Review: At Montgomery Village Middle School, in Montgomery County, Maryland, I was priviledged enough to have the opportunity to have Algebra 1 class with Alex, in 1999. To this day, those in that class still remember him, for how brilliant he obviously was and is. At times, he had to correct our teacher, one who had been teaching algebra for thirty years. He would finish his work and begin working on trigonometry and calculus problems, at least four years ahead of most other student's pace. Not only was he exceedingly bright, he was an honest and trustworthy student. Never would Alex let anyone even take a peek at his paper. And, on top of that, he would sometimes attempt to tell us jokes or tell us about his favorite sports teams. Everyone in the class knew he was autistic, or at the least was not "normal." Howver, he was the most liked student in the class. I have not read this book, but plan to. I just wanted to tell some people of my own experiences with this exceptional person. I wish Alex the best of luck, though, knowing him, I'm sure he would attempt to disprove any theories relating to luck altogether.
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Summary: Author's synopsis
Review: Here is the back cover blurb of my book. If you have thoughts or questions on the book, let me know.A little nine-year-old boy looks down at the gymnasium floor. The room is filled with children who like and respect him, but he has no real friends. He can barely name anyone in his class, and has trouble with the simplest things - recognizing people, pretending, and knowing when people are happy or angry or sad. Much of his life has been filled with anxiety. He is out of step with the world, which to him is mostly a whirlwind that must be actively decoded and put into order. Yet he was one of seven fourth-graders in the United States to ace the National Math Olympiad. In fifth grade he finished second in a national math talent search. That boy is autistic. He is also loving, brilliant and resilient. In this volume, his father writes about the joys, fears, frustration, exhilaration and exhaustion involved in raising his son. He writes about the impact on his family, the travails of navigating the educational system, and the lessons he has learned about life, what it means to connect with people, and how one builds a life that suits oneself.
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Summary: Moving and Heartwarming
Review: I read this book on a long plane ride, and the hours, well, FLEW by. The book is touching, poignant, searing, heartfelt, informative, and FUNNY. On one page I'd be tearing up; on the next I'd be laughing out loud (on the plane, remember). The book lets us all understand what it feels like to be the parent of an autistic child. Unlike many memoir writers, Mont shares his emotions without being maudlin. He vividly depicts the dismissiveness and lack of understanding on the part of other parents, the pain, fear and uncertainty of new parents trying to cope with and understand their child, the lack of knowledge even among experts, and the difference a caring adult or friend can make. The book is filled with great analogies and pithy, often humorous, insights. The book made me wish that all parents cared this much about their children.
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Summary: an excellent humane book for anyone interested in difference
Review: I second the emotions of other five-star-awarding readers. I've bought several copies of this book and shared it with journalists, editors, teachers, and family members who have recently had a loved one get the Asperger's diagnosis. Engaging, well-written, well-paced, funny--but to me the best thing about this book is the very modest Daniel Mont himself, and the attitude that he and his wife demonstrate to the rest of us: he accepts his son for who he is, he wants for him what every decent parent wants: happiness, the ability to connect, the ability to make a contribution. The Monts are wise enough to understand that this will only happen on Alex's own terms. The book also has many fascinating details that help a reader understand, in practical terms, what a person with Asperger's might see or understand differently from someone else, and why. And because Daniel accepts those differences, we do, too. I have a brother (one among 3 of them) with mental retardation and autism, so our families are alike in some ways, different in others, but I can testify that this wonderful, unassuming, entertaining memoir tells it like it is. Read it yourself or do someone the favor of giving it to them as a gift. This would be a great gift for a teenager, in my bookish opinion. It really opens your mind and airs it out.
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Summary: I Laughed, I Cried
Review: I stayed up until 1:30 am last night finishing this book. The Monts' story is moving and engrossing, filled with unexpected and often hilarious delightful surprises. I never laugh out loud when reading, but I did so while reading this one, many times. Alex's back and forth with his dad about the economics of grocery stores and amusement parks, his utter inability to comprehend why Jackie Robinson wasn't welcomed by every major league team ("But why, he was a great player, right?"), and his endless fascination and facility for games (tic-tac-toe with gravity, so that you can't put a symbol in any square that isn't on top of another symbol or at the bottom of the grid - try it!) are particularly memorable. This first-time author displays a strong, clear writing voice, particularly in the last two-thirds of the book, when it seemed like he really locked into a narrative comfort zone that made the book flow extremely well, not to mention impossible to put down. His use of snippets of quoted dialog throughout the book is particularly striking and effective. Perhaps more important, the book opens up and explains the world of autism in a way that really allows the reader to understand and feel the nature of the condition. In the course of recounting observations and scenes from his own life and experiences with Alex, he manages to illustrate the various facets of autism and view them from a number of different directions. I found it both fascinating and even mind-blowing in many ways. I highly recommend this book. For people like me, who are relatively uneducated about the world of autism, it will make you think about people in a new way.
Rating:
Summary: Engrossing, Funny, and Eye-Opening
Review: I stayed up until 1:30 am last night finishing this book. The Monts' story is moving and engrossing, filled with unexpected and often hilarious delightful surprises. I never laugh out loud when reading, but I did so while reading this one, many times. Alex's back and forth with his dad about the economics of grocery stores and amusement parks, his utter inability to comprehend why Jackie Robinson wasn't welcomed by every major league team ("But why, he was a great player, right?"), and his endless fascination and facility for games (tic-tac-toe with gravity, so that you can't put a symbol in any square that isn't on top of another symbol or at the bottom of the grid - try it!) are particularly memorable. This first-time author displays a strong, clear writing voice, particularly in the last two-thirds of the book, when it seemed like he really locked into a narrative comfort zone that made the book flow extremely well, not to mention impossible to put down. His use of snippets of quoted dialog throughout the book is particularly striking and effective. Perhaps more important, the book opens up and explains the world of autism in a way that really allows the reader to understand and feel the nature of the condition. In the course of recounting observations and scenes from his own life and experiences with Alex, he manages to illustrate the various facets of autism and view them from a number of different directions. I found it both fascinating and even mind-blowing in many ways. I highly recommend this book. For people like me, who are relatively uneducated about the world of autism, it will make you think about people in a new way.
Rating:
Summary: I Laughed, I Cried
Review: I, too, have a high-functioning very smart son with autism about the same age as the boy in this book, so I ordered "A Different Kind of Boy" as soon as I heard about it. I loved it. The way the author showed the events in his family's life and the evolution of his and his wife's perspective was wonderful. I identified with most of the author's experiences, especially those involving interactions with schools and teachers. Besides my autistic son, I have two other sons with different disorders. The frustrations the author in had dealing with trying to get the world to "get it" applies to all three of my sons' situations. I highly recommend this terrific book for teachers, medical professionals, and especially for parents of children with any special needs.
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