cover image The Only Boy in the World: On Having a Son with Autism

The Only Boy in the World: On Having a Son with Autism

Michael Blastland, . . Marlow, $14.95 (214pp) ISBN 978-1-56924-291-9

BBC Radio journalist Blastland offers the heartfelt and honest story of his 10-year-old autistic son, Joe. Unlike some memoirs, which tend to focus on diet changes and medication trials and caretaker failures, Blastland uses each chapter to raise broad philosophical issues that define what it means to be human—such as intention, innocence, self-consciousness—in order to evaluate where Joe stands. Does Joe consider himself the "only boy in the world," with everyone else—even his dad—more like some "universal vending machine" that he pokes repeatedly to get what he needs? How does Joe think about himself, if he has so little awareness of others, and no capacity for imaginary play? What is it like to live completely in the literal world—with no fantasy, no jokes, no lies? At times, Blastland comes to profoundly sad conclusions. With Joe craving the familiar to the point of obsession, it's difficult for him to learn anything, since learning involves novelty. In the end, though the big philosophical issues remain unclear, Blastland knows he's learned a lot from trying to understand his son. (Sept.)