Mother Warriors: A Nation of Parents Healing Autism Against All Odds

by Jenny McCarthy

Overview

Stories of hope and recovery from a nation of parents of autistic children, by the high-profile, bestselling author of Louder Than Words. When Jenny McCarthy published Louder Than Words, the story of her successful efforts to save her son, Evan, from autism, the response was tremendous. It hit #3 on the New York Times bestseller list; and Jenny and Evan were featured on the covers of several magazines, including People. But what she hadn’t anticipated was the overwhelming response from other parents of autistic children, who sought her out to share their stories. No two autistic children heal in exactly the same way. And in her new book, Jenny expands her message to share recovery stories from parents across the country. Mother Warriors, shows how each parent fought to find her own child’s perfect “remedy of interventions” and teaches parents how to navigate safely through the many autism therapies. Along the way, Jenny shares her own journey as an autism advocate and mother as well as the progress of her son, Evan. Emotional and genuinely practical, Mother Warriors will inspire a generation of parents with hope.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781440633584
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	09/23/2008
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	847,359
File size:	1 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Jenny McCarthy is the New York Times bestselling author of Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth About Pregnancy and Childbirth, Baby Laughs: The Naked Truth About the First Year of Mommyhood, Life Laughs: The Naked Truth about Motherhood, Marriage, and Moving On, Louder Than Words: A Mother's Journey in Healing Autism, Healing and Preventing Autism: A Complete Guide, and Stirring the Pot: My Recipe for Getting What You Want Out of Life.

Table of Contents

Foreword xiii

Part 1 The Time is Now

1 Opening the Can of Worms 3

2 Imagine 20

3 "I'm Not Crazy!" 23

4 Diane Sawyer Rocks! 26

5 Stan the Man 29

6 Nothing Can Stop Me-Not Even Barbara Walters 40

7 Home Sweet Home 47

8 The Magnitude of Pain 49

9 Speaking of the Devil 54

10 At This Moment in Time, the American Academy of Pediatrics Sucks 57

Part 2 Strength in Numbers

11 Michelle Woods: Mother Warrior to Kevin 61

12 Canaries in the Coal Mine 75

13 Amazing Maisie 77

14 Lisa Ackerman: Mother Warrior to Jeff 86

15 Siblings 103

16 What a "Trip" 105

17 Becky Behnan: Mother Warrior to Jack 109

18 My Autism Whisperer 125

19 Katie Wright: Mother Warrior to Christian 129

20 The Power of Believing 140

21 Samantha Gray: Mother Warrior to Zach 143

22 God Help Us 158

23 Stan Kurtz: Warrior Dad of Ethan 160

24 Committing 182

25 Branson's Miracle 184

26 Barbara Walters Is Not So Scary After All! 190

27 Gina Tembenis: Mother Warrior to Elias 192

28 Guardian Angel 204

29 Collective Awakening 214

30 A Mother Warrior Is... 216

Generation Rescue 219

Resources 221

Biomedical Doctor Directory 223

Acknowledgments 249

Editorial Reviews

In Louder than Words, celebrity mom Jenny McCarthy told the heartening story of her efforts to save her son from the isolation of autism. This deeply optimistic book inspired thousands of other parents of autistic children to reach out and tell their stories of recovery. Now McCarthy incorporates dozens of stories about parents who found the therapies and interventions that best helped their child. A call to arms for a new breed of warriors against autism.

Comedic actress turned autism activist, McCarthy returns with another emotional and personal book that details other parents' struggles to heal their children with autism. McCarthy explains to doubters that no two children heal the same way and offers plenty of evidence to prove her point. Tavia Gilbert gives an inspired reading that brings a human face to the amazing recovery stories. Never editorializing or overly emotional, Gilbert relates these stories without sounding manufactured. The stories speak for themselves, and Gilbert is the perfect conduit to relate the complex medical language that pops up throughout. A Dutton hardcover. (Oct.)

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Publishers Weekly

Another emotional and personal book that details other parents' struggles to heal their children with autism. McCarthy explains to doubters that no two children heal the same way and offers plenty of evidence to prove her point… The stories speak for themselves.”—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

Tavia Gilbert's urgent reading captures the complexity of this controversial polemic on the causes of autism and strategies to overcome it. Sometimes her militant tone sounds out of sync with her otherwise attractive vocal range, but it's a good match for the same kind of conflicting energies in Jenny McCarthy's writing. The author explains that autistic symptoms can improve with medical treatments and that the medical establishment is blind to these treatments and to the environmental causes of the disorder. She makes her case with anecdotal evidence and relentless faith in her beliefs. The tasteful, appealing balance in Gilbert’s narration—ultimately more personal and convincing than argumentative—makes listeners want to believe in McCarthy’s position. T.W. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

MARCH 2010 - AudioFile