A review by dkrane
Boy Alone: A Brother's Memoir by Karl Taro Greenfeld

4.0

As a fellow sibling of a brother with profound autism and limited verbal communication capabilities, I found myself surprised at just how seen I felt in this book. His observation skills are strong and astute and this is unflinching. It’s a frequently brutal and unpleasant read about the difficulties of a lifelong relationship with a violent sibling who provides little positive reinforcement in return in a relationship (something that differs a bit from my own relationship) and the darkness and anger is jarring to encounter. But I’m very grateful for Greenfeld’s honesty, his portrayal of the social history of autism in the US alongside his brother’s treatment, and his earnest plea for more care and research to be devoted to adult autistics—it’s pretty devastating how little funding, enrichment, and care is provided to the developmentally delayed once they are above a minimum-schooling age and Greenfeld is rightfully upset at the way systems have continually failed his brother and his family throughout his life. There’s no way around it: it’s hard raising/caring for/being/being related to someone who requires such a constant amount of care. This book captures that painfully and openly.