Walk into a bookstore or browse the virtual shelves of an online bookseller, and you're likely to find a bewildering array of volumes on the subject of perfect parenting and children's disabilities. How to find the one that's right for you? Try to get a hold of the actual book -- or find a website that has excerpts -- and examine these seven elements. They'll give you a good idea of whether a book is worth your time and trouble.
Author's name and biographical information
If the author has a string of letters after his or her name and a co-author, this is likely a book by a doctor or therapist sharing professional experience, sometimes in an annoyingly all-knowing way. You will get specific information and advice and an approach to implement. Books by parents tend to be inspirational stories of struggle, and sometimes, that's just what you need. But tales of triumph may make you feel like a loser if you haven't similarly transformed your own kid.Table of contents and index
From the table of contents, you may be able to learn what the tone of the book is like -- jokey headings indicate a lighter approach, no-nonsense ones a more serious treatment. Lists of sub-headings can give you an idea of the degree of detail the author will be going into. If you can't find the information you're looking for here, try the index. Flip to the page referenced and see if what's written there is useful to you. If it's not, it's a good sign that this may not be the book for you.Length
A parenting book should be just long enough to give you all the information you need. When comparing books, consider length as a factor -- you're going to have to read this thing, and your time is valuable. The specific number of pages may be less important than the format, so flip through the book and look at the layout. Larger type will be quicker to read than smaller, and books with lots of bullet points and subheads will be faster reads than those with long, dense paragraphs.Case studies
As you flip through the book, notice how frequently the author uses stories of specific children. These can be useful as concrete examples for complicated information, but they can also be overused, and they can distance parents from the text -- if your child doesn't really sound like the child described, does the information still apply? Beware particularly of case studies that end with the author saving the day, or correcting a confused and counterproductive parent.Writing style
Open the book to a random page and read the first paragraph you see. Does it make you want to read more? You may like a book that has a more narrative style, one that has a vigorous self-help approach, one that uses humor to make information more interesting, one that is strictly technical and serious. Reading a few passages should tell you if you'll be entranced or annoyed. If you don't like the writing, you won't value the advice.Cover information
Read the book jacket to find out what the author or publisher wants you to know about the book. This represents the book's best foot forward, and it should grab your interest and make you eager to read more. If it doesn't, that may be a quick indicator that the aim, scope, or style of the book is not right for you. You can't judge a book by its cover -- since the author likely didn't write the cover copy, it may not be a fair measure of his or her intentions -- but you can be warned by it.Reviews
Checking out reviews of parenting books on the internet -- whether in our
Harried Parent's Book Club, in the reader review sections of online booksellers, on websites devoted to disabilities, or in e-mail support groups -- can give you a good idea of whether a book is worth your attention. Don't automatically dismiss a book because of a bad review; often the things someone didn't like about it are things you might like very much. No one book is right for everyone, or wrong, either.
