Seeing Ezra : A Mother's Story of Autism, Unconditional Love, and the Meaning of Normal

"Seeing Ezra is the soulful, beautifully written memoir of a mother's fierce love for her autistic son, and a poignant examination of what it means to be normal." When Kerry Cohen's son Ezra turns one, a babysitter suggests he may be different," setting her family on a path in which autism dominates their world. As he becomes a toddler and they navigate the often rigid and prescriptive world of therapy, Cohen is unsettled by the evaluations they undergo: At home, Ezra is playfully expressive, sharing profound, touching moments of connection and intimacy with his mother and other family members, but in therapy he is pathologized, prodded to behave in ways that undermine his unique expression of autism. It soon becomes clear that more is at stake than just Ezra's well-being; Cohen and her marriage are suffering as well. Ezra's differentness, and the strain of pursuing varied therapies, takes a toll on the family-Cohen's husband grows depressed and she pursues an affair-all as she tries to help others recognize and embrace Ezra's uniqueness rather than force him to behave outside his comfort level. It isn't until they abandon the expected, prescriptive notions about love, marriage, and individuality that they are able to come back together as two parents who fiercely love their little boy. Powerful and eye-opening, Seeing Ezra is an inspirational chronicle of a mother's struggle to protect her son from a system that seeks to compartmentalize and fix" him, and of her journey toward accepting and valuing him for who he is-just as he is"-- "Seeing Ezra is a memoir about a mother's challenges while raising a child with autism"-- "Seeing Ezra is the soulful, beautifully written memoir of a mother's fierce love for her autistic son, and a poignant examination of what it means to be normal." When Kerry Cohen's son Ezra turns one, a babysitter suggests he may be different," setting her family on a path in which autism dominates their world. As he becomes a toddler and they navigate the often rigid and prescriptive world of therapy, Cohen is unsettled by the evaluations they undergo: At home, Ezra is playfully expressive, sharing profound, touching moments of connection and intimacy with his mother and other family members, but in therapy he is pathologized, prodded to behave in ways that undermine his unique expression of autism. It soon becomes clear that more is at stake than just Ezra's well-being; Cohen and her marriage are suffering as well. Ezra's differentness, and the strain of pursuing varied therapies, takes a toll on the family-Cohen's husband grows depressed and she pursues an affair-all as she tries to help others recognize and embrace Ezra's uniqueness rather than force him to behave outside his comfort level. It isn't until they abandon the expected, prescriptive notions about love, marriage, and individuality that they are able to come back together as two parents who fiercely love their little boy. Powerful and eye-opening, Seeing Ezra is an inspirational chronicle of a mother's struggle to protect her son from a system that seeks to compartmentalize and fix" him, and of her journey toward accepting and valuing him for who he is-just as he is"-- Provided by publisher Found is Jennifer Lauck's sequel to her New York Times bestseller Blackbird: A Childhood Lost and Found. More than one woman's search for her biological parents, Found is a story of loss, adjustment, and survival. Lauck's investigation into her own troubled past leads her to research that shows the profound trauma undergone by infants when they're separated from their birth mothers—a finding that provides a framework for her writing as well as her life.Though Lauck's story is centered around her search for her birth mother, it's also about her quest to overcome her displacement, her desire to please and fit in, and her lack of a sense of self—all issues she attributes to having been adopted, and also to having lost her adoptive parents at the early age of nine. Throughout her thirties and early forties, she tries to overcome her struggles by becoming a mother and by pursuing a spiritual path she hopes will lead to wholeness, but she discovers that the elusive peace she has been seeking can only come through investigating—and coming to terms with—her past.Found is a powerful story of belonging, connectedness, and personal truths, in which Lauck lays bare the experience of a woman searching for her identity. Her assertions about mother and child will be a comfort to some in the adoptive community, and distressing to others; but her primary motive is to offer another perspective, and to give voice to the adoptive children who may be having trouble making sense of their own experience. Diane Farr—Numb3rs star, Loveline veteran, and FunnyorDie.com contributor—always took for granted that she could love anybody she chose. But when she, a white woman, fell in love with a Korean-American man, she quickly learned a tough lesson: When it comes to navigating the landscape of interracial love in America today... you're going to step on some landmines. At turns introspective and outrageous, Kissing Outside the Lines is Farr's unapologetic—often hilarious—look at the complexities of interracial/ethnic/religious/what-have-you love, told through the lens of her own experience of dating, marrying, and creating a family with someone from a race and culture different from her own. Along the way, she exposes the many ways in which prejudice rears its ugly head—whether subtly or overtly—when you dare to love “outside the lines,” and she shares the stories of other multiracial couples from different corners of the U.S. who have made a similar leap.Kissing Outside the Lines tackles love, family, and prejudice head-on. With sharp wit and deft humor, Farr confronts the fears and reservations that come with loving outside of one's race, and she emerges with a powerful message: Love is love and family is family—no matter what it looks like from the outside.Kissing Outside the Lines also includes an 8-page black and white photo signature.

Rockabye is the lively memoir of a spontaneous young city-girl who becomes unexpectedly pregnant. That city-girl is Rebecca Woolf, who at 23, after the "holy shit, I'm pregnant" realization, decides to keep the baby, marry the boyfriend (in Vegas no less), and figure out how to wed her rock n' roll lifestyle and impending motherhood.

With humor, honesty, and renegade insight, Rebecca makes the transition from life as an odd-job doing commitment-phobic, chain-smoking, irresponsible party-girl to life as a work-at-home mother with a different kind of social life. Throughout, Rebecca doesn't relinquish the token qualities of her free-spirited, pre-baby self; rebelling against both the "soccer mom," and "young mother" stereotypes, challenging herself to grow up without outgrowing her dreams, and most importantly embracing motherhood without a map.

Rockabye explores the coming together of mother and son and their mutual coming of age. How does Rebecca adapt to motherhood? By acting on instinct and maintaining a strong sense of self, breaking rules (sometimes her own) in the process and building her own adventures out of legos and alphabet blocks.

Found is Jennifer Lauck's sequel to her New York Times bestseller Blackbird: A Childhood Lost and Found. More than one woman's search for her biological parents, Found is a story of loss, adjustment, and survival. Lauck's investigation into her own troubled past leads her to research that shows the profound trauma undergone by infants when they're separated from their birth mothersa finding that provides a framework for her writing as well as her life. Though Lauck's story is centered around her search for her birth mother, it's also about her quest to overcome her displacement, her desire to please and fit in, and her lack of a sense of selfall issues she attributes to having been adopted, and also to having lost her adoptive parents at the early age of nine. Throughout her thirties and early forties, she tries to overcome her struggles by becoming a mother and by pursuing a spiritual path she hopes will lead to wholeness, but she discovers that the elusive peace she has been seeking can only come through investigatingand coming to terms withher past. Marrit Ingman became a mother on February 27, 2002. She went crazy--also on February 27, 2002. Her journey began with a plate of carne guisada and led to an emergency cesarian, ankyloglossia, colic, gastroesphageal reflux, eczema, Zoloft, Paxil, peanut allergy, suicidal ideation, hepatitis, and a whole lot of pie. Ingman documents the agony of elimination diets and tearful, sleepless nights with the same candor and humor she does the ecstasy of mama's night out and her own invention, the Playgroup Drinking Game.

Ingman addresses her own postpartum depression, her feelings of inadequacy, and her self-admittedly ridiculous perception that her infant son truly hates her. With irony, sarcasm, and wit, Ingman paints a portrait of parenthood far unlike the popular image of glowing bliss. She recounts the painful and difficult moments of babyhood with her colicky, difficult child with a mix of humor and anguish that reflects the transformative process of becoming a parent--the compromises, struggles, useless advice, and failed expectations.

When Spring Warren told her husband and two teenage boys that she wanted to grow 75 percent of all the food they consumed for one year—and that she wanted to do it in their yard—they told her she was crazy.

She did it anyway.

The Quarter-Acre Farm is Warren’s account of deciding—despite all resistance—to take control of her family’s food choices, get her hands dirty, and create a garden in her suburban yard. It’s a story of bugs, worms, rot, and failure; of learning, replanting, harvesting, and eating. The road is long and riddled with mistakes, but by the end of her yearlong experiment, Warren’s sons and husband have become her biggest fans—in fact, they’re even eager to help harvest (and eat) the beautiful bounty she brings in.

Full of tips and recipes to help anyone interested in growing and preparing at least a small part of their diet at home, The Quarter-Acre Farm is a warm, witty tale about family, food, and the incredible gratification that accompanies self-sufficiency.

When Spring Warren told her husband and two teenage boys that she wanted to grow 75 percent of all the food they consumed for one year, and that she wanted to do it in their yard, they told her she was crazy. She did it anyway. The Quarter-Acre Farm is Warren's account of deciding, despite all resistance, to take control of her family's food choices, get her hands dirty, and create a garden in her suburban yard. It's a story of bugs, worms, rot, and failure; of learning, replanting, harvesting, and eating. The road is long and riddled with mistakes, but by the end of her yearlong experiment, Warren's sons and husband have become her biggest fans, in fact, they're even eager to help harvest (and eat) the beautiful bounty she brings in. Full of tips and recipes to help anyone interested in growing and preparing at least a small part of their diet at home, The Quarter-Acre Farm is a warm, witty tale about family, food, and the incredible gratification that accompanies self-sufficiency. Found is Jennifer Lauck's sequel to her New York Times bestseller Blackbird: A Childhood Lost and Found. More than one woman's search for her biological parents, Found is a story of loss, adjustment, and survival. Lauck's investigation into her own troubled past leads her to research that shows the profound trauma undergone by infants when they're separated from their birth mothers & - a finding that provides a framework for her writing as well as her life. Though Lauck's story is centered around her search for her birth mother, it's also about her quest to overcome her displacement, her desire to please and fit in, and her lack of a sense of self & - all issues she attributes to having been adopted, and also to having lost her adoptive parents at the early age of nine. Throughout her thirties and early forties, she tries to overcome her struggles by becoming a mother and by pursuing a spiritual path she hopes will lead to wholeness, but she .. Choosing You is the deeply honest memoir of one woman's decision to brave pregnancy and motherhood alone. All her adult life, Alexandra Soiseth has wanted a husband, children, dogs and cats -- a busy, loving, home. But at thirty-nine, with no husband on the horizon, she decides to take matters into her own hands. She googles for sperm. Choosing You is Alexandra's memoir. With humor and heart, she shares the often gut-wrenching reality she faces in having a baby on her a mother and father who disapprove, friends who think she's crazy, a society that thinks she's selfish. But it is her struggle with weight and self image, possible infertility, and the terror of bringing a child into this world without a father that almost stops her from getting what she wants most -- a family. Alexandra's story shows us all that with a little guts, a lot of love, and the internet, almost anything is possible. Introduction What depression is and what depression isn't Dread Depression is ugly Lubricating my child Are you okay? Hepatitis Hell And on that farm there was a crazy postpartum woman Birth experience bingo Fuck Dr. Sears, or the fallacy of designer parenting Crying it out The good therapist We're in this together Latex A tantrum Positive thoughts The United States of generica Hell is other parents The parents we are and the parents we wish we were Parental advisory Me against the music Kid rock The inevitable remarks about Andrea Yates Mama's night out Playgroup drinking game When you are strong enough The toddler travels Afterword Appendix A: source notes Appendix B: where to get help. Introduction: "We always hoped our daughter would not marry outside of our race" Euro girl falls for Korean dude in California White freshman loves black senior in Pennsylvania Crash course in Korean culture Evangelical white chick loves Hindu Indian man in Maryland Meeting the parents Mexican American loves Palestinian Englishman in Illinois Getting around mine A ringer on my finger Nubian fashionista loves white brother in New York They will not be judged for me Israeli Jewess loves Trinidadian heathen in Washington State A Korean night + an American night = a quelled fight Let's take this show on the road! Epilogue. Introduction : on unplanned pregnancy, for a friend Holy shit, I'm pregnant Some one-bedrooms are bigger than others Trimester, a broad Glove and marriage It's not about the journey, but the perspiration Childbirth isn't for pussies, it's for vaginas Two become three becomes a crowd To live and diet in L.A. Grownups Under pressure Monsters under the bed One year, a retrospective Under the affluence Burping contests and stationary bikes Right behind Misfits Make new friends Baby, it's cool outside Silhouettes All is full of love Things that are relative Special needs No sacrifice Tides and change Backward and forward. All her adult life, Alexandra Soiseth wanted a husband, children, a dog, and a cat. But at thirty-nine, with no husband on the horizon, she takes matters into her own hands. With humor and heart, Soiseth shares the often gut-wrenching reality she faces in having a baby on her own-a mother and father who disapprove, friends who think she's crazy, and a society that thinks she's selfish. Choosing You is a testament to the fact that with a little guts, a lot of love, and the internet, almost anything is possible. Making space Dirt Tofu of the West Sadism in the garden Sugar grows on trees Circus hens Mud The mysterious underground Magical fruit Weeds When good bugs go bad Pole dancing Water What weighs more a pound of mushrooms or a pound of diamonds Slow elk Mummification The history of food preservation as it intersects with the history of me You can eat that? A farmer critiques the Quarter Acre Farm Free stuff Victory. When I was born What cannot be seen The gift from God Three deaths Gypsy trash Come look Karma The lesson Retirement In stead The little boat Free will Three things I don't know One thing I do know Sweet independence Three years later The big fight The journey Practice Home, at last Favorites Never give up Found Catherine Reunion Breakfast in Reno The jackpot The three of us Forgiving The kite rider. A humorously dark account of postpartum depression describes the author's roller-coaster journey of chronic illness, antidepressants, and early motherhood, an experience during which she also came to terms with unhelpful advice and failed expectations. Original. Relates The Author's Experiences With Her Interracial Marriage, Describing The Social And Cultural Issues She Faced While Dating And Subsequently Marrying Her South Korean Husband. best-selling Loose Girl author Kerry Cohen offers an alternative view on autism to the millions of families with special needs children-one focused on acceptance over recovery With sharp wit and deft humour, actress and columnist Diane Farr takes on the hotbed of issues surrounding interracial relationships, and offers a powerful message of love Spring Warren's humorous account of her quest to grow most of what her family consumed for one year in her suburban yard Relates the author's investigation into her own troubled past centered around the search for her birth mother. The sequel to Lauck's New York Times best-selling memoir Blackbird: A Childhood Lost and Found