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Boy Alone: A Brother's Memoir Paperback – Large Print, May 12, 2009
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“Extraordinary… Greenfeld details what it is like to grow up next to a ‘beautiful’ boy with whom he can never play and never connect and who never returns his love, but who, nonetheless, is the most important fact of his life.”
— Michael Thompson, Ph.D., co-author of Raising Cain
“Beautiful and powerful …. A masterpiece of literature and memory.”
— Walter Isaacson, author of Einstein: His Life and Universe
“Gripping.”
— Washington Post
A WASHINGTON POST BOOK WORLD BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
In this literary tour de force, Karl Taro Greenfield, the acclaimed journalist and author of China Syndrome, tells the story of his life growing up with his brother, chronicling the hopes, dreams, and realities of life with an autistic sibling. Fans of Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking and David Sheff’s Beautiful Boy will find many poignant, moving moments in Boy Alone.
- Print length552 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherHarper Large Print
- Publication dateMay 12, 2009
- Dimensions6 x 1.25 x 9 inches
- ISBN-100061774898
- ISBN-13978-0061774898
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“Recent autism memoirs range from accounts of strenuous ‘healing’ to reflection on accepting the condition. Such a reaction isn’t found in Greenfeld’s book. . . . Karl resolves the conflict he sets up . . . with a surprise twist that may remind some readers of ‘The Sixth Sense.’” — Polly Morrice, New York Times Book Review
“Karl Taro Greenfeld grows from child to boy to man, variously resisting and succumbing to the force of his brother’s autism. The reader has no choice but to take the same emotional, heartwarming, tragic, comic, frustrating, loving, painful, uplifting journey.” — Paul A. Offit, author of Autism's False Prophets
“This is a truly beautiful and powerful book. Karl Greenfeld has written his own angle on the story of his autistic brother Noah, made famous in the works of their father Josh Greenfeld. Karl turns his sibling saga into a lyrical exploration of love, mystery, family, and what makes us human. He also dances around hope and reality, fact and fiction, in a way that will startle you. The result is a masterpiece of literature and memory that will leave you breathless.” — Walter Isaacson, author of Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
“A vivid, compelling, painfully honest sibling story. My heart went out to Karl. I couldn’t put this book down.” — Rachel Simon, author of Riding The Bus With My Sister
“A candid, brave, painful and very well-written memoir about a truly tragic family situation.” — Peter Matthiessen, author of The Shadow Country
“Sibling rivalry—and love—of a ravaging kind is the subject of this unsparing memoir of the author’s life with his severely autistic brother. [An] affecting chronicle of a family simultaneously shattered and bound tight by autism.” — Publishers Weekly
“Gripping.” — Suki Casanave, Washington Post
“Boy Alone unlocks the heart and lets the emotions pour out: grief, despair, anger, love, devotion and wonder. Whether you are a parent or a sibling of someone with autism or just looking in from the outside through this rarely opened window into the complex life of a family coping with autism, you will never forget this book.” — Portia Iversen, Co-Founder of Cure Autism Now and author of Strange Son
“Deep, dark, and devastating, Boy Alone is remarkable in its ruthless honesty, exceptional writing, and eye-opening subject matter. A fascinating and powerful read.” — Janice Erlbaum, author of Have You Found Her
“In his extraordinary memoir, Karl Greenfeld details what it is like to grow up next to a ‘beautiful’ boy with whom he can never play and never connect and who never returns his love, but who, nonetheless, is the most important fact of his life. Greenfeld’s story goes beyond autism, however; it is also a brilliant depiction of male adolescence and a meditation on what family means and what we owe one another in this life.” — Michael Thompson, Ph.D., co-author of Raising Cain
From the Back Cover
Karl Taro Greenfeld always knew that his little brother, Noah, was not like other children. He couldn't converse, use the toilet, or tie his shoes, and he often had violent outbursts. Even after Noah was diagnosed as autistic, his family struggled to find solutions.
Now, acclaimed journalist Karl Taro Greenfeld speaks out with brutal honesty about growing up in the shadow of his autistic brother, revealing the complex mix of rage, confusion, and love that defined his childhood.
Greenfeld weaves together the social history of autism and autism research with the moving story of two very different boys growing up side by side. Haunting, tragic, and unforgettable, his compelling story gets to the heart of what it means to be a family, a brother, and a person.
About the Author
Karl Taro Greenfeld is the author of seven previous books, including the novel Triburbia and the acclaimed memoir Boy Alone. His award-winning writing has appeared in Harper's Magazine, The Atlantic, The Paris Review, Best American Short Stories 2009 and 2013, and The PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories 2012. Born in Kobe, Japan, he has lived in Paris, Hong Kong, and Tokyo, and currently lives in Pacific Palisades, California, with his wife, Silka, and their daughters, Esmee and Lola.
Product details
- Publisher : Harper Large Print; Large type / Large print edition (May 12, 2009)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 552 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0061774898
- ISBN-13 : 978-0061774898
- Item Weight : 1.35 pounds
- Dimensions : 6 x 1.25 x 9 inches
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Karl Taro Greenfeld is the author of seven books, including the novel Triburbia, the much-acclaimed memoir Boy Alone; NowTrends; China Syndrome; Standard Deviations; and Speed Tribes. Greenfeld's writing has appeared in Harper's, The Atlantic, The Paris Review, Ploughshares, Best American Short Stories and The PEN/O Henry Prize Stories among other publications. A veteran editor and writer for The Nation, TIME, and Sports Illustrated, Karl has also been a frequent contributor to Bloomberg Businessweek, The New York Times, GQ, Vogue, Conde Nast Traveler, Playboy, Men's Journal, The Washington Post, Outside, Wired, Details, and Salon. Born in Kobe, Japan, Karl has lived in Paris, Hong Kong, Tokyo and TRIBECA.
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I felt as if it's my story- not only my son's but also his siblings and my husbands'. So I couldn't help but get fearful and distraught sometimes. Yet, it's also very well written fictional story, so I could feel somewhat peculiar pleasure of reading a truly good writing. Poignant,- mostly because it reflected cruelly heartbreaking reality, but also very touching and informative at the same time- maybe because the author's approach was starkly truth seeking and rarely objective.
I can definitely recommend this book to other typical families - who are fortunately(?) unrelated with handicapped child, thus quite indifferent and ignorant of this kind of things-, because this book provokes profound questions about what it really means, being parents, being siblings, or most of all being human.
Personally I felt so sorry especially when the author Karl's life deteriorated -a stoned teenager and then struggling young adult apparently resulting from the ineffable suffering of his whole family caused by Noah, though Karl never agreed with this.
And I'm glad that eventually Karl turned a successful writer and respectable father,and most of all a decent human who still bears deep love for his troublesome brother and mature understanding of life. I want to say that this is a true victory of indomitable human spirit. Even though their all efforts and sacrifice seemed to come to nothing, actually that's not the case. These whole family, mom and dad and sons are those who really worthy of true respect and consolation.
On finishing this book,I got anxious for reading their mother, Fuomi's book. She must have had a different perspective. As a mom in similar condition, I can tell. Good luck, Karl and Noah. I really wish you well. I sympathize with you enough. I was affected tremendously from your story. Thanks indeed.
Boy Alone: A Brother's Memoir
His obvious natural talent as a writer and story-teller made this book (while addressing a difficult and sad subject) a pleasure to read.
Wish more books were published by authors as creative and gifted as Karl Greenfield!
I don't understand some of the negative reviews here, but they seem to be from people who have personally experienced having an autistic family member and are unhappy Karl's very personal experience did not dovetail with their own.