kbruneau's review
4.0
This got stuck in a pile of books and never read until I pulled it out a few weeks ago. I can't recall where or when I picked it up, so I am not sure whether I realized it is written by a professor at my alma mater. I would have picked it up anyway, I bet, since the idea of a father's perspective on raising a child with extreme disabilities is definitely intriguing to me.
Crane pairs this very personal story of living with and coming to grips with the fact that his son's life is so different from what he and his wife envisioned before Aidan was born with bits of Chinese philosophy (he is, after all, an Asian studies professor.) It's an interesting tactic, and one that I think works well. The book is grounded in Crane's actual experiences and his honesty about the joys and challenges his family lived through, but his exploration of certain Chinese writings gave him a new perspective on his son's life and life in general and add an interesting meta level to the book.
Crane pairs this very personal story of living with and coming to grips with the fact that his son's life is so different from what he and his wife envisioned before Aidan was born with bits of Chinese philosophy (he is, after all, an Asian studies professor.) It's an interesting tactic, and one that I think works well. The book is grounded in Crane's actual experiences and his honesty about the joys and challenges his family lived through, but his exploration of certain Chinese writings gave him a new perspective on his son's life and life in general and add an interesting meta level to the book.
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