With the Light: Raising an Autistic Child, Vol. 1

Potentially one of the most significant mangas in years, this engrossing book is certainly one of the most unusual: a long, realistically drawn narrative about a young couple coping with the discovery that their infant son is autistic. Masato and Saachiko Azuma need time to realize that their beautiful little boy, Hikaru, is unable to communicate personally. The official diagnosis of autism confuses and devastates the parents. Masato dives headlong into his career to avoid home; Sachiko is angry at Hikaru’s behavior, but also tormented by guilt that she’s somehow to blame. As they learn and experience more, they become closer to Hikaru and each other. They meet helpful allies, collide with ignorant hostility and savor glimpses through cracks in Hikaru’s shell. They become a family. As this volume ends, the three of them are adjusting to a new family member—Hikaru’s normal little sister. The story works as a comic. too; fluid layout keeps the action moving through pages of talking-head conversations, and the childish innocence of manga characters has never been more appropriate. Just as Tom Batiuk used breast cancer as a basis for his outstanding Lisa’s Story , so With the Light also offers a moving, artistically successful experience. (Sept.)