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

Jenny McCarthy is the former host of the enormously popular MTV dating show "Singled Out." She has starred in many films, including Dirty Love, the Sundance 2005 film that she also wrote. She is the author of several New York Times bestselling books such as Baby Laughs: The Naked Truth About the First Year of Mommyhood and Louder Than Words: A Motheras Journey Healing Autism. In 2002, McCarthy and her director ex-husband John Asher had their first child, Evan.

When Jenny McCarthy published her story of her successful efforts to save her son from autism, the response was tremendous, including a number-three rank on the New York Times best-seller list. What she hadn't anticipated was the overwhelming response from other parents of autistic children who wanted to share their own stories of success.

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, showing how each parent fought to find her own child's perfect "remedy of interventions." Along the way, Jenny shares her own journey as an autism advocate and mother, as well as the continuing progress of her son, Evan. Emotional and genuinely practical, Mother Warriors will inspire a generation of parents with hope.

Publishers Weekly

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.)

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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