I expected this book to make me cry. I did not expect it to make me mad. As I read about the Gallup's struggle to find answers for their son, I was so disgusted by the mainstream medical world's refusal to, at first, acknowledge anything was wrong, then later, to acknowledge that someone somewhere might know something they didn't.

This is a book about being your child's advocate. It's about pushing past all the "experts" who are basically telling you, "We don't have the answers, so you're not allowed to have questions." It's about parents who were so desperate to help their son that they humbled themselves and asked for help from people they didn't even know. It is not about Super-Parents. Steve is very transparent about just how human they are.

One thing that Steve and I agree on is that every child should be allowed to reach his full potential. He mentions one father who told him that if he had to choose between his child being low-functioning but full of the understanding that she was loved completely, or a “normal” child who didn’t feel loved, he’d choose the low-functioning. Steve (and I) wondered why the two were mutually exclusive. We’re not talking about making a child feel like he is less of a person or that he is damaged goods. We’re just talking about making the effort to do what we can to help our children function at as high a level as they are capable of.

I found it interesting that back in 1989, the program that the Gallups used to help Joseph reach his full potential used some of the same methods I’ve seen in “alternative” programs in use today. Alternative programs that are working. As Steve says, “We’d seen enough to know that the answer for one kid may be unrelated to what works for another, that very seldom is any answer complete, and that there’s no escape from guesswork. The only feature the various success stories shared was a willingness of each family to reject experts who would not help.”

I did cry three times while reading the book. The first time was reading about all the amazing volunteers who had stepped up to help with Joseph's program, almost all of whom were complete strangers at the time. The second was when an Institutes staff member told the Gallups that the whole staff went out for ice cream to celebrate when they got the call telling them that Joseph was walking. At that meeting, the staff member also told them, "Joseph deserves to be told how great he is." (I'm quite sure Joseph was getting message loud and clear from his parents.) I also cried at the end of the book, but you'll have to read it to see why.

This is the story of an amazing family. Parents who were willing to make great sacrifices for their son, and a son who was strong enough to do what the “experts” said he couldn’t do. I won’t say it’s an easy read because there is some emotion involved, but it’s well-paced and well-written. I highly recommend this book to everyone, especially parents.

I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. ( )

Description:

What About the Boy? is the true story of Joseph Gallup, born on March 5th, 1985, to parents Stephen and Judy after a long and stressful delivery. He had all ten fingers and toes, and looked like a normal, healthy baby boy, but something seemed odd about the newborn, and it was quickly discovered that Joseph was born with an underdeveloped brain and, according to doctors, would be disabled for the rest of his life. Even after being told countless times that nothing could be done for Joseph's condition, Stephen and Judy refused to accept the advice of the medical community and pledged to find anyone/anything who could help their son have the best life that he possibly could- pediatricians, medical professionals, therapists, alternative treatment centers, counseling, etc; all in pursuit of a "normal" life for their son and their family.

Review:

When the author contacted me about this book, I knew that I had to read it. I have personal experience with special needs/ disabled children and I was very interested in his experiences with his son, as well as with all of the people involved in Joseph's life. I expected that what his family went through would be heartbreaking, and that it would change their lives forever, but I did not expect to read about the attitudes of the medical community. I am part of a medical community now, and I am ashamed to see how Joseph's care was handled back then. The doctors and their medical opinions about Joseph annoyed me to no end, and I can definitely understand how Stephen and Judy felt about the entire situation. Stephen Gallup's memoir is an amazing and inspiring story of one family's struggle for an answer, for help, and for a normal life. His writing style is easy-to-read, flows at a good pace, maintains a good level of detail, and makes the reader feel like they are part of his story; I laughed, cried, and sympathized with the family's constant ups and downs as I read, and was completely taken in. What I got from this book: love does conquer all, and What About the Boy is proof. I recommend this book to everyone - teens, adults, families, and reading groups.

Rating: Clean Getaway (5/5)

*** I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. ( )

There is a frustration I couldn't help feeling as I read this. It goes to show that doctors don't always know what's going on. ( )