What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum

I just finished WHAT TO SAY NEXT by Julie Buxbaum and I will definitely be recommending this Young Adult novel.  Buxbaum divides the first person narration between two high school juniors: Kit Lowell, whose father has recently died in a car accident and David Drucker, who has difficulty with social situations since he experiences symptoms of Asperger's syndrome and is socially isolated as a result.  As David explains, “we just assume other people understand what we are talking about. That we are, as the idiom goes, on the same wavelength.  In my experience, we are not.”    

After her father’s death, Kit finds that she cannot relate to her friends’ conversations about prom and clothes and chooses instead to have lunch with David (called Little D by his supportive sister, Lauren, whom he calls Miney).  Spending some time together gradually leads to Kit and David building trust, sharing concerns and battling the prejudices and shallowness of other students. Buxbaum does an excellent job of allowing the reader to develop empathy by viewing events from the perspective of each narrator. WHAT TO SAY NEXT is full of charm and humor, but it’s not easy. Kit’s grief and some personal revelations about her parents plus David’s candid perceptions of others cause significant drama. As one character says, “One of the few perks of the sh*t so monumentally hitting the fan is you discover who your real tribe is. It’s the only way through.”  Julie Buxbaum says that David and Kit were her favorite characters to write and that affection is obvious – I am looking forward to reading more from this talented author.

On a related note, Buxbaum refers to a famous expression that when you meet one person with autism, you meet one person with autism. We have to keep working to build bridges and make connections.  Perhaps this article and accompanying video, recently posted on The New York Times, will help add insight about the difficulty with eye contact which David and others experience:

Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig

GINNY MOON by Benjamin Ludwig is a must read book. I try not to say that very often and this debut novel is certainly uncomfortable to read at the beginning, but I became so enamored with the characters that I simply could not stop.   New Hampshire English and writing teacher Benjamin Ludwig was at The Book Stall last Wednesday afternoon (May 3rd) and I am really sorry to have missed that discussion about this story of an autistic teenage girl in a foster family.

It has been almost 5 years since Ginny Moon, then nine, was removed from an abusive and neglectful situation with her Birth Mother, Gloria.  Since then she has been in several foster homes and may have found her Forever Home with Maura and Brian who are expecting a child.  In an effort to help Ginny adjust to a sibling, she is given a plastic electronic baby, but it will not stop crying and Ginny wants her Baby Doll instead, obsessing over finding Gloria and making sure that her Baby Doll is safe.   

GINNY MOON is a coming of age story that is full of suspense and action as well as troubled relationships and several well-intentioned blunders and misunderstandings. In creating these situations and Ginny’s internal monologues, Ludwig aptly draws on his own experience as a foster parent of a teen with autism.  I, too, see Ginny in some of my students - in their sheer determination and certainness of purpose, their tendency to interpret most comments literally, and their sense of trust and wonder.  I am looking forward to sharing this book with teachers and students.  I think that our book group and class literature circles would benefit from reading and reflecting together on the title.  In addition, we should add it to our Junior Theme list. GINNY MOON received starred reviews from Booklist, Library Journal and Publishers Weekly; plus it is an Amazon Best Book of the Month for May and almost fifty percent of its ratings on Goodreads are 5 stars. Clearly, I am not the only one to say GINNY MOON is a must read book.

ADDED JUNE 10: Author interview with Benjamin Ludwig

ADHD Nation and A Boy Made of Blocks

ADHD Nation by Alan Schwarz is a fascinating look at the patterns of ADHD diagnosis and the [over]use of medication for treatment.  Schwarz is a New York Times award-winning author and he provides statistics and background on scientific studies as he crafts his argument about ADHD. Schwarz makes the content more accessible by profiling three individuals:

•  -- Keith Connors, a doctor who pioneered ADHD treatments like Ritalin but who now calls the many diagnoses "a national disaster of dangerous proportions";
•  -- Kristin Parber, [mis]diagnosed as a young girl, she reluctantly accepted medical treatment, later becoming an addict; and
• -- Jamison Monroe who faked symptoms in order to get prescriptions for Adderall.

ADHD Nation is a thoughtful exploration of a subject which impacts so many students. Throughout, Schwarz notes that ADHD is real, but that diagnoses are much higher than would be expected.  As his subtitle, (children, doctors, big pharma, and the making of an American epidemic) indicates, Schwarz has a point of view and a message to share.  This new non-fiction book will be of interest to both students and faculty.

For additional background, readers can consult online sources like those from the CDC which provided the graphic below showing the obvious regional patterns in diagnosing ADHD:

Here is another new title - a work of fiction which explores what it is like to be a parent of a child with autism.  A Boy Made of Blocks by Keith Stuart is the story of Alex, his wife, Jody, and their autistic 8 year-old son, Sam.  As the story begins, Alex and Jody are separating after a decade of marriage due to the many challenges of raising Sam.  I found A Boy Made of Blocks to be relatively easy to read, and I could definitely picture the scenes such as a trip to the park or the local café where Sam preferred certain established patterns of behavior or was badly frightened by an overly friendly dog.  However, I did not have much empathy for Alex who seemed quite distanced from his son and unable to accept the responsibilities of parenthood. I am still reading the book, though, and hoping that he and Sam manage to bond more fully over Minecraft and all of the creativity that game inspires.

Having raised two young children in England, I enjoyed the many British references in Stuart’s work (e.g., almost falling asleep in the nappy aisle at Waitrose), but am not sure that our students will be able to interpret them.  Although A Boy Made of Blocks is funny in places, I would frankly be more apt to first recommend a novel such as Its. Nice. Outside by local author Jim Kokoris or Riding the Bus with My Sister (a long time student non-fiction favorite).