A mother of fierce determination and her spastic son, open-minded and curious by nature, trace the arc of their journey toward communication through the pages of this book.
What runs constant throughout is the desire to lighten the heavy weight that such a reality inevitably brings. The narrative draws together experiences from therapy centers, classrooms, social encounters, and volunteer work—all touching on "verbal communication"—yet everything is reworked with a creative and poetic touch. At fifteen, Enrico begins to write verse through facilitated communication.
The author set out to record her family's story on the page—partly to give visual form to the daily struggles that such circumstances impose, and partly to reach out with understanding and solidarity to others who live with the same challenge.
D.C., 2002