Description
Book SynopsisRachel Adams' life had always gone according to plan. Everything changed with the birth of her second child, Henry. Just minutes after he was born, doctors told her that Henry had Down syndrome. In this book, she chronicles the first three years of Henry's life and her own transformative experience of becoming the mother of a disabled child.
Trade Review"An important, hopeful book."—Susannah Meadows,
New York Times"In this quietly moving memoir, Adams writes about coming to terms with her son's diagnosis, education, limitations, and identity. . . . Generous and honest."—
Boston Globe"In this quietly moving memoir, Adams writes about coming to terms with her son's diagnosis, education, limitations, and identity. . . . Generous and honest, Adams politely rejects some of the frames others want to put on her family. Henry isn't an angel, she isn't a saint."—
Boston GlobeWinner of the 2014 Delta Kappa Gamma Society's Educator's Award
“This is a terrific book—gorgeously written, beautifully realized.”—Michael Bérubé, author of
Life as We Know It: A Father, a Family, and an Exceptional Child“. . . this book is a composite of the challenges and enjoyments of the first few years of a child with special needs and the family. . . . very useful for parents, family members, but also professionals including physicians, nurses, therapists, and genetic counselors.”—Fran Hickey, M.D., Director of the Sie Center for Down Syndrome, Colorado Children’s Hospital
“Adams succeeds in the difficult task of rendering intensely personal material in a way that makes any reader reflect on larger cultural questions . . . This book should be mandatory reading for all medical students, especially those entering the fields of obstetrics and gynecology.”—Georgina Kleege, author of
Sight Unseen and
Blind Rage: Letters to Helen Keller"Rachel Adams’
Raising Henry: A Memoir of Motherhood, Disability, and Discovery is a must-read, moving, thought-provoking, important. I highly recommend."—Jon Colman, President, National Down Syndrome Society
"
Raising Henry is not just a forthright and poetic family chronicle; it is a provocative exploration of Down syndrome, disability, and what it means to be human. Adams is feisty, compassionate, and brilliant."—Penny Wolfson, author of
Moonrise: One Family, Genetic Identity and Muscular Dystrophy
