cover image Planet A: A Mother’s Memoir of Autism Spectrum Disorder

Planet A: A Mother’s Memoir of Autism Spectrum Disorder

Diane Mayer Christiansen. Diane Mayer Christiansen, $9.99 trade paper (204p) ISBN 978-0-692-79202-5

After her son, Jackie, was diagnosed with autism, Christiansen became a special-needs advocate to help others understand the “alternate planet” that children on the autism spectrum reside on and to demonstrate how close that planet is to our own lives, if we are willing to be patient and kind. She makes her experiences personally relatable by offering an honest account of motherhood, revealing her fears and imperfections in the process. Despite the difficulties parenting presents, Christiansen’s account does have moments of comedy—usually in her knee-jerk reactions to her son’s extreme honesty. Parents, especially those of special-needs children, will sympathize with Christiansen’s fight for the acceptance of her child’s—and by extension all children’s—differences. However, the book might have benefitted from including scientific research or articles Christiansen came across while trying to figure things out, or from presenting the coping mechanisms she used along the way. It also lacks a strong sense of structure. Readers follow Jackie, who grows from prepubescent to young adolescent, at odd intervals, making it difficult to draw conclusions on the parenting lessons Christiansen learned. The final section is an interview with Jackie, and while his answers are impactful, the questions seem random. Overall, the final section feels short and misplaced. While life and parenthood are constantly evolving processes and so can’t offer solid resolutions, Christiansen’s memoir is in want of one. (BookLife)