Far From the Tree

Description:

Solomon’s startling proposition in *Far from the Tree* is that being exceptional is at the core of the human condition—that difference is what unites us. He writes about families coping with deafness, dwarfism, Down's syndrome, autism, schizophrenia, or multiple severe disabilities; with children who are prodigies, who are conceived in rape, who become criminals, and who are transgender. While each of these characteristics is potentially isolating, the experience of difference within families is universal, and Solomon documents triumphs of love over prejudice in every chapter. All parenting turns on a crucial question: to what extent should parents accept their children for who they are, and to what extent they should help them become their best selves. Drawing on ten years of research and interviews with more than three-hundred families, Solomon mines the eloquence of ordinary people facing extreme challenges. Elegantly reported by a spectacularly original and compassionate thinker, *Far from the Tree* explores how people who love each other must struggle to accept each other, a theme in every family’s life.

subjects: homosexuality,  deafness,  dwarfism,  Down Syndrome,  autism,  scizophrenia,  disability,  prodigies,  rape,  crime,  transgender,  Identity (Psychology),  Wellcome Book Prize winner,  Books for a Better Life Award winner,  J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize winner,  Dayton Literary Peace Prize winner,  Anisfield-Wolf Book Award winner,  National Council on Crime and Delinquency Award winner,  National Book Critics Circle Award Winner,  Psychology,  Parents of exceptional children,  Exceptional children,  Parent and child,  Children with disabilities,  Psychological aspects,  Parents of children with disabilities,  nyt:combined-print-and-e-book-nonfiction=2012-12-02,  New York Times bestseller,  Families,  Parent-child-relationships,  Identity,  80.25 remedial education: general,  80.82 education in families,  71.21 family, nuclear family (sociology),  Family and Relationships,  Children with disabilities--psychology,  Children with disabilities--united states--psychology,  Exceptional children--psychology,  Exceptional children--united states--psychology,  Parents of children with disabilities--united states,  Parents of exceptional children--united states,  Identity (psychology)--united states,  Parent and child--psychological aspects,  Parent and child--united states--psychological aspects,  Disabled children--psychology,  Child, exceptional--psychology,  Social identification,  Parents--psychology,  Parent-child relations,  Hv888.5 .s65 2012,  Hv 888.5 s65 2012,  362.4083/0973,  Child psychology,  Child psychology, juvenile literature,  Parent and child, juvenile literature,  Disabled Children,  Exceptional Child,  Parents

People: Andrew Solomon,  Lisa Hedley,  Matt Roloff,  Leslie Park,  Leslye Sneider,  Betty Adelson,  Cheryl Brown,  Clinton Brown,  Ginny Foos,  Monique Duras,  Arthur Frank

Places: United States,  Gallaudet