Rating: 
Summary: Perhaps I am a Martian, too
Review: This book was so good I am thinking about re-reading it--and I just read it this month! It's about a gay man who has "father hunger" and decides to adopt a child. As it turns out, he has to get a special-needs kid (perhaps better classified as SUPER special-needs), an 8-year-old boy who truly thinks he's from Mars.
Does that mean you need to be a sci-fi fan to read this book? I don't think so at all. Sci-fi fans will like it, I think, but parents will especially love it. However, anyone who has ever fallen in love will find it resonates with them too--even if they don't have children in their lives.
"The Martian Child" is chock full of surprises. I can easily predict a storyline (since I'm a writer) but this one constantly took me in all different directions. I expected the boy, once he got home, to tear the house apart and create a living hell. Instead, he created a living heaven. But it doesn't stop there--most twists and turns happen, and even the fact that the kid thinks he's a Martian, and the result, turns out to be a refreshing, intelligent surprise.
Apparently this is based on the author's own true story. It's a gripping book I certainly recommend.
Rating:
Summary: How to love a child
Review: Though labeled a "novel", this is substantially the story of Gerrold's adoption of a troubled 8-year-old boy, Dennis, who thinks he's a Martian.
Gerrold a single gay male, finds himself drawn to the boy's photo, and, after meeting with the usual caseworker types, is given permission to adopt.
Dennis suffers from ADHD, fetal alcohol syndrome, was physically abused in a couple of foster placements, and, as a result, is generally a mess, as you would expect.
Gerrold is a science-fiction writer, which is probably a good thing, as he's used to fantasy, although at one point he begins to think that perhaps Dennis really is a Martian. (And maybe, just maybe, he is!)
He works very hard to overcome Dennis' problems and to cope with his behavior. Things seem to be going well until an earthquake and the death of a beloved pet dog occur on the same day. Worse, they happen at a time when Dennis and Gerrold have been together almost two years, just about the time Dennis would have been moved from a placement, and this threatens to undo their relationship.
It is Gerrold's recognition of this trigger and his understanding of how his son's mind works -- his real empathy -- that saves the day.
Rating:
Summary: A Sentimental & Beautiful Story!
Review: What a sentimental and beautifully told story. A semi-autobiographical novel about a single man, who is a fiction writer, and adopts an 8 year-old boy named Dennis. Dennis, who was abandoned by his mother, and listed by the adoption agency as "hard to place", is an unwanted child of many foster homes, who believes his real home is the planet Mars. The story is based upon Gerrold's own experience as a single, gay, adoptive father. However, Gerrold puts all the "gay" and "single" problems in the background, and focuses on the struggles, disappointments and obstacles, that make becoming & being an adoptive parent so difficult. It's a wonder that any of these unfortunate, abandoned children ever get adopted, with all the red-tape and processing that one has to go through before adopting. Gerrold finds Dennis more than a hand-full, with some difficult issues to resolve, but his perseverance, love, and dedication to his new son are stronger than any hardships he may have to endure.
I found I got so involved in this story, I could not put it down, and finished the book in one night. You will find yourself drawn into the emotional turmoil and heartache that the author faces, and celebrate in the joy that he finally realizes in sharing his love, home and happiness with his son. As a single gay parent, Gerrold adds his name to the list of many gay men and lesbians who are helping to redefine family by giving these troubled and abused children an opportunity to live a life of love, happiness, and stability. Three cheers for David Gerrold! A caring and dedicated father.
Joe Hanssen
|
