Andrew Solomon Far From The Tree

I was born a "typical" child but have known cognitive disability since birth. My older brother has autism, but was diagnosed later in life. He is now 61 years old and despite doctor recommendations early on, always remained at home, but no school existed for him until he turned 8 and the school was a 2 hour bus ride away, a bus that he had been riding, to my mother's dismay, had broken brakes - and…

From the time I was 12 on, my father would make me weigh myself before dinner. In front of my mom, my brother, food on the table. My father then would say " No one will love you ever ! Look at how fat you are." Today my very mentally ill son said, " If I was a drunk like you were, I would have blown my brains out years ago." My son's words were different but rang the same. Mental illness is not anyone's…

I have cerebral palsy. I had selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) at the age of 39. SDR is the only proven procedure to eliminate the spasticity caused by CP. The problem is that the medical community is not sharing the information. I, like most people with CP, stumbled upon it - on Facebook. I advocate for SDR. Read my HuffPost article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nicole-luongo/sdr-life-changing-surgery-for-cerebral-palsy_b_5615021.html…

I have been waiting my whole life for this book. My disability is more complex than I can explain. It involves medical components, emotional components, mental components, mobility components and more. It took me a long time for me to believe that I was even smart (with a 130-150 IQ I finally believe I am). It has been a lifetime struggle to define myself as more then just a disabled person, or a…

Moy Moy is so much a part of our lives we sometimes forget that’s not true for everyone else. So here’s the story of Moy Moy, the reason for and the inspiration of much of the work of the Latika Roy Foundation (www.latikaroy.org).

Moy Moy is from a remote village in the Himalayas. Her mother had been sterilized after her 12th baby – but Moy Moy was conceived anyway. Determined to…

I met David in 1987--while he was wearing a dress. He'd come to a gathering at a friend's home, with three other transgendered folks, to talk about gender issues. At the time, he believed himself to be "just" a cross-dresser. And I was enthralled, struck by his honesty and vulnerability.

We were nearly 40 then, and he'd struggled with this proclivity for most of his life. Once, when he…

I'm the lesbian mother, with my wife, by donor insemination, of a transgender son and a dwarf son (plus a third son as well). We gave birth in 1981 and 1984, before our children had many options of horizontal identities among children of LGBT parents. (My book, the Lesbian and Gay Parenting Handbook, HarperCollins, came out in 1993). My professional life as a psychologist includes an expertise in…

Watching Andrew Solomon's TED talk about love and acceptance, I felt compelled to tell mine and my mum's story.
In 2007, my mother decided she was finally ready to divorce my father after 25 years of marriage, 2 teenage children and a sense of her own lost identity. Admittedly, the last 10 or so years weren't easy, and my brother and I watched as our 'family unit' unravelled into a household…

My daughter, an American with Irish/ Scottish ancestry, married a man from Trinidad, with African/ indigenous west Indian ancestry, so their two children, a boy and a girl, are bi-racial and bi-cultural. As their grandmother I want them to be able to fully develop themselves and express their uniqueness without the limits of other people's prejudices. They look like neither race but are their own…

The love of guns and the need for violent entertainment are part of our culture, our heritage. The problems caused by them will not be solved in our lifetime. Nevertheless, I am an optimist and believe that we can ameliorate their negative consequences.

I am a retired school psychologist. I spent most of my career in education working with and for children and youth who were having difficulties…

My daughter Adora told me that she wanted her book to be published when she was six. I told her yes and went to work to help her to realize her dream. She got her first book, a big 296 pages of her stories published when she was seven. She was so inspired to teach other kids to love read and write because she loves to read and write so much. She couldn't image anybody who wouldn't love them. She started…

My story begins with my birth, I suppose most of our stories really begin there. My father was from the mountains of NC and he moved after serving in the Air Force for 4 years to S.C. (Greenville area/ eg...the "upstate of South Carolina") and he met my Mother in 1959 after his service to our country. He "courted my Mom" the old fashioned way, in July 1960 - they were married. I came along on January…

I am the transgendered offspring of same-sex parents. My husband and I are now trying to go about adopting a child of our own. I have lived my life being the subject of much confusion for people and had to see my parents subject to the many questions you mention in your article. I grew up in the 80s when people in same-sex relationships didn't talk about their partners, much less acknowledge that…

I am a transgender man in my twenties, happy and studying law. My parents were supportive, loving, and kind as I transitioned. Your book helped me to see the heroism in what they have shrugged off as merely good parenting. Also, thank you for your family's story in Chapter XII. Seeing another way of making a family makes it easier to envision one of my own.