Use this alphabetical index to find books that have been reviewed for the Harried Parent's Book Club.
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J-L | M-N | O | P-Q | R | S | T | U-V | W-Z
Shelter from the Storm
Cover image courtesy of PriceGrabber
By Joanne Hilden, M.D., and Daniel R. Tobin, M.D., with Karen Lindsey; 220 pages. From the Book Jacket: "This book is created to help you to feel some guidance in the dark, to help you make all the decisions you will need to make during this time."
Bottom Line: Parents of children with life-threatening conditions need all the help and good advice they can get, especially since they often don't get enough from health-care professionals. This book makes a worthy attempt at filling that gap.
Bottom Line: Parents of children with life-threatening conditions need all the help and good advice they can get, especially since they often don't get enough from health-care professionals. This book makes a worthy attempt at filling that gap.
The Short Bus
Cover image courtesy of Jonathan Mooney
By Jonathan Mooney; 272 pages. Subtitle: A Journey Beyond Normal
Bottom Line: On a 35,000 round-trip across the U.S. in one of those stubby special-ed buses, Mooney meets people who vary from society's ideal of "normal" in various ways, from a deaf-blind child in Virginia to a transgendered artist in Maine to a young woman with Down syndrome in Ohio -- all of whom have in common difficult school experiences, and more comfort in their own skins than Mooney's been able to muster. If you've wondered where your child fits in the world, the lessons the author learns here may benefit you and yours as well.
Bottom Line: On a 35,000 round-trip across the U.S. in one of those stubby special-ed buses, Mooney meets people who vary from society's ideal of "normal" in various ways, from a deaf-blind child in Virginia to a transgendered artist in Maine to a young woman with Down syndrome in Ohio -- all of whom have in common difficult school experiences, and more comfort in their own skins than Mooney's been able to muster. If you've wondered where your child fits in the world, the lessons the author learns here may benefit you and yours as well.
Show Me You Love Me
Cover image courtesy of Beatify Books
By Tara Koerber; 128 pages. Subtitle: A Parent's Fun Guide to Teaching Children They Are Valuable.
Bottom Line: There's something to be said for a book that does one small thing well. You won't get detailed parenting theories or multi-step interventions or advocacy strategies in this slim, greeting-card-sized volume, but if you're looking for ways to make your child feel special, entertained, creative, indulged, maybe a little bit embarrassed but definitely loved, this is your book right here.
Bottom Line: There's something to be said for a book that does one small thing well. You won't get detailed parenting theories or multi-step interventions or advocacy strategies in this slim, greeting-card-sized volume, but if you're looking for ways to make your child feel special, entertained, creative, indulged, maybe a little bit embarrassed but definitely loved, this is your book right here.
Should I Medicate My Child?
Cover image courtesy of PriceGrabber
By Lawrence H. Diller, M.D.; 242 pages. Subtitle: Sane Solutions for Troubled Kids With -- and Without -- Psychiatric Drugs.
Bottom Line: Medicating children for behavior problems can be a difficult subject to discuss, one that provokes strong emotions among parents, pro and con. Diller, author of Running on Ritalin, provides information about a host of psychiatric drugs while also offering caution as to their use. It's thought-provoking stuff regardless of which side of the line you're on.
Bottom Line: Medicating children for behavior problems can be a difficult subject to discuss, one that provokes strong emotions among parents, pro and con. Diller, author of Running on Ritalin, provides information about a host of psychiatric drugs while also offering caution as to their use. It's thought-provoking stuff regardless of which side of the line you're on.
The Shut-Down Learner
Book cover courtesy of Richard Selznick, Ph.D.
By Richard Selznick, Ph.D.; 160 pages. Subtitle: Helping Your Academically Discouraged Child.
Bottom Line: A better title might have been "The Visual Learner" or "The Spatial Learner," since that's the kind of shut-down learner this book is concerned with, and there are certainly others. If you've got what the author calls a "Lego kid" who can perform mechanical tasks with ease but chokes on reading and writing, you'll find some good clues and cues here. If your child shuts down for other reasons, you may get some hints here but no solid answers.
Bottom Line: A better title might have been "The Visual Learner" or "The Spatial Learner," since that's the kind of shut-down learner this book is concerned with, and there are certainly others. If you've got what the author calls a "Lego kid" who can perform mechanical tasks with ease but chokes on reading and writing, you'll find some good clues and cues here. If your child shuts down for other reasons, you may get some hints here but no solid answers.
Shut Up About Your Perfect Kid!
Cover image courtesy of www.shutupabout.com
By Gina Gallagher and Patricia Konjoian; 175 pages. Subtitle: The Best Medicine for Parents of 'Imperfect' Kids Without the Scary Side Effects.
Bottom Line: The work of two sisters who are the mothers of daughters with special needs -- one with Asperger syndrome, the other with Bipolar Disorder -- Shut Up About Your Perfect Kid! seeks to speak up for all of us who can't put "My Kid Is an Honor Student" bumper stickers on our cars, but know that's meaningless anyway. Through rambling anecdotes and silly sayings, they celebrate the joys and triumphs and really goofy moments of special-needs parenting.
Bottom Line: The work of two sisters who are the mothers of daughters with special needs -- one with Asperger syndrome, the other with Bipolar Disorder -- Shut Up About Your Perfect Kid! seeks to speak up for all of us who can't put "My Kid Is an Honor Student" bumper stickers on our cars, but know that's meaningless anyway. Through rambling anecdotes and silly sayings, they celebrate the joys and triumphs and really goofy moments of special-needs parenting.
Sibshops
Cover image courtesy of Brookes Publishing Company
By Don Meyer and Patricia Vadasy; 240 pages. Subtitle: Workshops for Siblings of Children With Special Needs
Bottom Line: Though its primary purpose is to help agencies organize Sibshops -- workshops for siblings of children with special needs -- this upbeat, accessible resource has plenty to offer parents, too. You'll learn what brothers and sisters have to say about their role in special-needs families, and get some good advice on providing the information and independence your typically developing child needs. And also, maybe, inspiration to get an agency near you to put one of these things on.
Bottom Line: Though its primary purpose is to help agencies organize Sibshops -- workshops for siblings of children with special needs -- this upbeat, accessible resource has plenty to offer parents, too. You'll learn what brothers and sisters have to say about their role in special-needs families, and get some good advice on providing the information and independence your typically developing child needs. And also, maybe, inspiration to get an agency near you to put one of these things on.
The Silent Cry
Cover image courtesy of Amy Jo Yowell
By Amy Jo Yowell; 179 pages. Subtitle: A Miracle of Life - The Story of Jamie Yowell
Bottom Line: There are all kinds of special-needs parenting memoirs. Some aspire to literary excellence, others give advice along with experience, many tout a miracle cure or a particular outlook on disability. The Silent Cry is simply a sincere re-telling of the events in the life of a medically challenged child, told by the mother who helped him through it. It speaks to our incredible ability for survival, both from complicated medical procedures and from the stress of watching our children go through them.
Bottom Line: There are all kinds of special-needs parenting memoirs. Some aspire to literary excellence, others give advice along with experience, many tout a miracle cure or a particular outlook on disability. The Silent Cry is simply a sincere re-telling of the events in the life of a medically challenged child, told by the mother who helped him through it. It speaks to our incredible ability for survival, both from complicated medical procedures and from the stress of watching our children go through them.
Sixtyfive Roses
Cover image courtesy of McArthur & Company
By Heather Summerhayes Cariou; 436 pages. Subtitle: A Sister's Memoir.
Bottom Line: Virtually from the time that Pam Summerhayes was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at age four, her family braced for her death. That she lived to age 26 was an amazing achievement, one that testified to the love and effort of all family members. But as her sister chronicles in this tough memoir, the unending focus on the health and well-being of one child left deep scars on the life of her three siblings. It may be good for parents to read about and consider these consequences, but it's going to hurt a little.
Bottom Line: Virtually from the time that Pam Summerhayes was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at age four, her family braced for her death. That she lived to age 26 was an amazing achievement, one that testified to the love and effort of all family members. But as her sister chronicles in this tough memoir, the unending focus on the health and well-being of one child left deep scars on the life of her three siblings. It may be good for parents to read about and consider these consequences, but it's going to hurt a little.
A Slant of Sun: One Child's Courage
Cover image courtesy of PriceGrabber
By Beth Kephart; 249 pages. From the Book Jacket: "This is a book about a little boy and his mother. It is about a child who against all odds is learning to live in this world, to even, incredibly, make it better."
Bottom Line: A personal parenting memoir, this particular mother-and-boy story starts at his birth and runs through the onset of elementary school, with a PDD diagnosis, a search for appropriate services, much soul-searching, a million little toy cars, and a really eccentric green hat along the way.
Bottom Line: A personal parenting memoir, this particular mother-and-boy story starts at his birth and runs through the onset of elementary school, with a PDD diagnosis, a search for appropriate services, much soul-searching, a million little toy cars, and a really eccentric green hat along the way.
