What does a father do when his two-year-old is diagnosed with a
mysterious illness he knows nothing about?
He learns all there is to know about the illness; he fights so his
child receives the best services and support; and---if you are a
father and a highly regarded anthropologist like Roy Richard
Grinker---you travel abroad studying in other countries/cultures and
develop an improved understand of the illness, and, along the way,
discover a new humility in the face of this challenge.
Roy Richard Grinker will talk and sign copies of
UNSTRANGE MINDS: Remapping the World of Autism
(forthcoming February 1, 2007) in New York City
Monday, February 5 at 7pm.
at
MO PITKIN'S HOUSE OF SATISFACTION/UPSTAIRS
Talk/Signing
34 Avenue A
New York, NY (between 2nd and 3rd Streets)
For more information about Unstrange Minds, see Professor Grinker's website:
www.unstrange.com.
Professor Grinker's recent Q & A with US News and World Report can be read at
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/articles/070107/15autism.htm
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1 comment:
I meant also to include these comments:
“…Persuasive” TIME Magazine, "Is the Autism Epidemic a Myth?"
“ . . . rigorous and compelling. . . Deeper and more provocative than other such memoirs, his work beautifully conveys the fact that Isabel is not her disability; instead she is invested with ‘an inner truth . . . struggling to blossom.’” —People Magazine
“. . .. beautifully written look at autism through the lens of history and culture . .. . [Grinker] marshals an impressive body of research to support his contention. —United Press International
"A unique, extraordinary book that addresses the central questions about autism today with a focus both international and deeply personal, and a stunning set of analytical tools. Every reader - whether scientist, physician, psychologist, parent or teacher-will be moved and inspired."
-Perri Klass, MD, author of A Not Entirely Benign Procedure
"This is a wise and compassionate book, informed by academic rigor, deep personal feeling, and a sensitivity not only to the difference that is autism but also to the variety of human experience across cultures and classes. Grinker’s research is as wide-ranging as it is open-minded, bringing together the precision of social science and the artistry of memoir, balancing the academic and the anecdotal to build polemical arguments about the nature and prevalence of autism. He speaks of how people have responded to the illness, and of how else we might respond, and in doing so challenges us to make a better world.”
—Andrew Solomon, author
of the Noonday Demon
"Roy Richard Grinker, a renowned anthropologist, walks across the roiling, highly charged world of autism and somehow manages to decipher what is real and what is not. The result is this big-hearted, uplifting, fiercely rigorous book-a genuine gift to readers who believe in the power of truth."
- Ron Suskind, Pulitzer-Prizewinning journalist and author of A Hope in the Unseen
"Roy Richard Grinker's excellent book paints a unique biographical picture of his child's experience, conveys deep parental concern, and reminds us of the unmet needs of such children."
- Simon Baron-Cohen, Ph.D., Director of the Autism Center at Cambridge University, and author of The Essential Difference
"Richard Grinker's descriptions of the perceptions of autism in other cultures are fascinating, uplifting, moving, and disturbing."
- Temple Grandin, Ph.D., author of Thinking in Pictures
"Unstrange Minds is not only a compassionate account of the fights parents all over the world wage for their children with autism. It is also a beautifully written history. I still believe there is an increase in new cases of autism worldwide, but Grinker's arguments made me consider afresh exactly what that increase might mean. Unstrange Minds is as compelling as it is heartbreaking and wise."
- Marti Leimbach, author of Daniel Isn't Talking: A Novel
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