Andrew Solomon Far From The Tree

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      Son Deaf Dwarfs Down Syndrome Autism Schizophrenia Disability Prodigies Rape Crime Transgender Father
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      Love Hope Policy Transcendence Struggle Illness Identity Activism Prejudice Belief Breakthroughs Science
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      Son Deaf Dwarfs Down Syndrome Autism Schizophrenia Disability Prodigies Rape Crime Transgender Father
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      Love Hope Policy Transcendence Struggle Illness Identity Activism Prejudice Belief Breakthroughs Science
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anonymous Felix & The Birth of Extreme Kids & Crew NY , USA
I love this book! It so eloquently records the feelings and insights that I’ve had while parenting Felix, my nine-year-old son, who has autism and cerebral palsy. Felix can rage like the devil, love like the most benevolent of spirits, and explore his world with spine tingling creativity and determination. Knowing him has deepened my understanding of art, science, nonverbal communications, muscles, and most of all, the power of connectivity. Like many of the parents in FFTT, much that has been hardest about raising Felix stems not from Felix, who is in many ways a great inspiration, but from the bureaucracy surrounding disability, and the waves of pity and fear that Felix can set off in others.

To counter the pity and fear, and the isolation that families raising kids with disabilities so often feel, I got together with some friends and started Extreme Kids & Crew, which is a non profit arts and movement and play program for kids with disabilities, their siblings and their parents in Brooklyn. The fees are sliding scale, so any family may take part. And all disabilities are welcome, no matter how mild or major. Our idea was to create a place where the weird was the norm, and see what that felt like. So far it feels great. Felix has made friends. My daughters, whose bodies and minds work in a beautifully typical fashion, have also made friends. I have made so many friends I’m having to do brain exercises in order to remember all their names. I’ve also been contacted by parents around the country who want to start similar programs. There is a huge need for creative, affordable, non-bureaucratic community centers for families who do not fit in with the mainstream, and I believe that Andrew Solomon’s book does a terrific job documenting why this is so. So thank you, Andrew Solomon!

If any of you who live in the NYC vicinity want to become involved in our project, please check out our site--www.extremekidsandcrew.org. Bring your kids to play or come for a concert or Cocktails & Bureaucracy parent evening. We would love to meet you!
Related themes and chapters: Autism Love Hope
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