A family's pain

I bought One of Us by Mark Osteen a few weeks ago. He is an English professor at Loyola and I had heard about the book, written about his son's life and how his family dealt with Cameron's autism. I had other books to read and put it off; I think I knew it would be painful to read. And it was. But, it was so much more. Osteen is a beautiful writer and this book is written with so much candor, opening up his life and actions for our perusal, and with such great love. If you know of a family with an autistic child, read this book. If you want to learn more about the insidious disorder of autism, read this book. If you have ever suffered at the hands of your child (and isn't that all of us, even those of us with relatively normal children?) read this book. I was so involved in this book that I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish it. I could not put it down. I am in awe of the work Osteen and his wife did on behalf of their child. I am also in awe of his writing. You would expect an English professor to find just the right quote for anything he wants to say. And he did. But, what made this so very readable is that he did not hit you over the head with the quotes. They were subtle, sometimes humorous and always in keeping with the theme of any given chapter. Definitely the best book I have read in a while!