«From a chromosomal standpoint, Meb is indistinguishable from the vast majority of those with trisomy 21... Among a thousand other particularities, Meb is also a painter... This artistic gift, which develops despite mental deficiency, is perhaps not so surprising after all. Abstract intelligence—the rational, measurable kind that tests can quantify and define—this admirable, almost mechanical logic is impaired in people with trisomy 21. None of them can claim to possess mathematical ability beyond a certain level. But in that other reason which dwells closer to the heart, where emotion touches reality, where we say feelings and truth reside, in that most intimate and privileged realm, those with trisomy 21 face no greater obstacles than anyone else. In this zone of the spirit where children, lovers, and poets meet, they are as free as we are, as free as any human can be.» So writes Professor Lejeune in the preface to this book.
A mother tells the story of her son, Marco—Meb is his artistic name—his growth, the discovery of his gift. Like other books of this kind, some details may strike the reader as trivial or even unnecessary. Yet certain facts can help us understand a person more fully: his story, the world in which he lives, the world that has shared his struggles, his joys, the obstacles he has overcome on this path of hope.
N.M.