To Siri with Love : A Mother, Her Autistic Son, and the Kindness of Machines

A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF 2017 From the author of the viral New York Times op-ed column "To Siri with Love" comes a collection of touching, hilarious, and illuminating stories about life with a thirteen-year-old boy with autism that hold insights and revelations for us all. When Judith Newman shared the story of how Apple's electronic personal assistant, Siri, helped Gus, her son who has autism, she received widespread media attention and an outpouring of affection from readers around the world. Basking in the afterglow of media attention, Gus told anyone who would listen, "I'm a movie star." Judith's story of her son and his bond with Siri was an unusual tribute to technology. While many worry that our electronic gadgets are dumbing us down, she revealed how they can give voice to others, including children with autism like Gus?a boy who has trouble looking people in the eye, hops when he's happy, and connects with inanimate objects on an empathetic level. To Siri with Love is a collection of funny, poignant, and uplifting stories about living with an extraordinary child who has helped a parent see and experience the world differently. From the charming (Gus weeping with sympathy over the buses that would lie unused while the bus drivers were on strike) to the painful (paying $22,000 for a behaviorist in Manhattan to teach Gus to use a urinal) to the humorous (Gus's insistence on getting naked during all meals, whether at home or not, because he does not want to get his clothes dirty) to the profound (how an automated "assistant" helped a boy learn how to communicate with the rest of the world), the stories in To Siri with Love open our eyes to the magic and challenges of a life beyond the ordinary Judith Newman's To Siri with Love is a collection of touching, hilarious, and illuminating stories about life with her autistic thirteen-year-old son. A New York Times Notable Book When Judith Newman shared the story of how Apple's electronic personal assistant, Siri, helped her autistic son Gus, through her viral New York Times op-ed column, she received widespread media attention and an outpouring of affection from readers around the world. Basking in the afterglow of media attention, Gus told anyone who would listen, "I'm a movie star." Judith's story of her son and his bond with Siri was an unusual tribute to technology. While many worry that our electronic gadgets are dumbing us down, she revealed how they can give voice to others, including children with autism like Gus—a boy who has trouble looking people in the eye, hops when he's happy, and connects with inanimate objects on an empathetic level. From the charming (Gus weeping with sympathy over the buses that would lie unused during a drivers' strike) to the painful (paying $22,000 for a behaviorist in Manhattan to teach Gus to use a urinal) to the humorous (Gus's insistence on getting naked during all meals, whether at home or not, because he does not want to get his clothes dirty) to the profound (how an automated "assistant" helped a boy learn how to communicate with the rest of the world), the stories in To Siri with Love open our eyes to the magic and challenges of a life beyond the ordinary. "It began when Judith Newman's thirteen-year-old autistic son noticed that there was someone who not only would find information on his various obsessions (trains, planes, escalators, and anything related to the weather) but also would actually semi-discuss them with him tirelessly. Her name was Siri and she lived in his mother's iPhone. Newman's story of her son and his bond with Siri is an unusual tribute to technology. While many worry that our electronic gadgets are dumbing us down, she reveals how they can give voice to others, including children with autism, like Gus--a boy who has trouble looking people in the eye, who hops when he's happy, and who connects with inanimate objects on an empathetic level. In a series of funny, poignant, and uplifting stories, To Siri with Love beautifully describes Newman's experiences living with her extraordinary son, who has helped her see the world differently. From the charming (Gus's insistence on bringing his iPod to the Apple store "so it can visit its friends"), to the painful (being asked to medicate him when he was only six), to the humorous (Gus's habit of meowing at strange women if they happened to have particularly pretty "feeties"), to the profound (how an automated "assistant" helped a boy learn to communicate with the rest of the world), the stories in To Siri with Love open our eyes to the magic and challenges of a life beyond the ordinary."--Jacket A Full-length Version Of The Viral New York Times Op-ed Column Of The Same Name Shares Stories About The Author's Life With Her Autistic Son, Whose Therapeutic Use Of Apple's Electronic Personal Assistant Became An Unusual Example Of The Power Of Technology. Oh No -- Why? -- Again Again Again -- I, Tunes -- Vroom -- Blush -- Go -- Doc -- Snore -- To Siri With Love -- Work It -- Chums -- Getting Some -- Toast -- Bye. Judith Newman. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 223-228).