The New York Times - Judith Warner
Mr. Suskind's honesty is striking and deeply admirable. He is careful to respect his family's dignity, but can be merciless when it comes to self-revelation, particularly when laying out the contours of his double life: the contrast between his professional standing as a member of Washington's journalistic elite and his personal status as the father of a child, whom he himself, as a child, would have dismissed as "damaged goods"…[a] stellar book.
From the Publisher
"Mr. Suskind displays virtuosity in capturing the intimate realities of life in a household dominated by autism, where the disorder shapes the life of every family member."—Judith Warner, The New York Times
"Life, Animated is the author's amazing memoir of his family's 20-year, struggle to connect with their autistic son. This is the book that readers who have no one in their lives affected by autism and who would otherwise never it pick up should definitely read. Eyes will tear. Hearts will cheer. In these pages, Owen is every reader's son."—Don Oldenburg, USA Today
"Ron Suskind's "Life, Animated" is an extraordinary saga of an exceptional boy from a remarkable family and their compelling journey through autism."—David Royko, Chicago Tribune
The book by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ron Suskind is a fierce love story. It is also one of those fascinating medical stories that show doctors have no monopoly on knowledge.—Mark Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Reading Suskind's factual yet moving account of the devotion, love and energy put into helping Owen will leave readers wondering if they could do the same. This is a wonderful book, whether or not you know a person with autism.—Amanda St. Amand, St. Louis Post Dispatch
Kirkus Reviews
2014-03-26
A deeply felt, movingly written account of raising an autistic son. As a best-selling author and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Suskind has earned his renown with deeply reported, big-picture stories of domestic policies (Confidence Men, 2011) and international affairs (The Way of the World, 2008). His latest is more tightly focused and intimate in tone, as it deals with two decades of struggles and triumphs of a family trying to do whatever is best for their younger son, Owen, who has somehow been able to make emotional connections through Disney movies that so many with autism never can. The investigative reporter in Suskind might be a little suspicious of a book that depends so heavily on Disney products, and includes visits with its actors and animators and is published through a Disney imprint, even as he insists that Disney "agreed to exert no influence whatsoever over the content of this book." It details the experience of having a seemingly normal toddler who "vanished" into what was subsequently diagnosed as autism. Early on, they figure, "[i]t's just a matter of reaching him, of figuring out what caused this storm to envelop him, so we can clear away the clouds and let the light back in." Nothing was that simple, of course, as frustration at the inadequacies of educational options and conflicting therapeutic strategies, at expenses that run toward $100,000 per year, set in. Disney proved to be the way in, as Owen deeply identified with the sidekicks and misfits of the videos he watched repeatedly, memorized whole scripts and began drawing; he now wants to become an animator. Owen's obsession has aided his emotional and intellectual development, as he made friends, graduated from high school and enjoyed his first kiss as much as the next romantic teenager. The Disney effect may be distinctive to this experience, but the family dynamic should resonate with a much wider readership. A master journalistic storyteller tells his family's own story.< BR>★
