Me: 'Are you going to be a good boy this year?'
Boomer: 'Uh huh. I have no interest in toilet humour.'
Me: 'You don't?'
Boomer: 'No. No interest at all. I mean, I think "it's funny" when, in
The Bad Book, Terence takes off all his clothes. And when Horrid Henry shows his undies. But I would think to myself, "That is something I should not do".'
Between juggling work, joint custody and the ordinary demands of motherhood, Jo tries to work out why her son Leo (aka Boomer) is finding it hard to fit in. His wit wins him friends, but the rituals of friendship - like learning to compromise - are proving challenging. Is it because he's an only child? Could he be gifted?
When Leo is diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, Jo fears what it means - and sees herself, and her family, through new eyes. Trapped in a cycle of doubt and discovery, she wonders how you can stay true to who you are and fit in. What the hell is 'normal' anyway?
This is the bittersweet story of a twenty-first-century family, and why being different isn't a disability - it just takes some getting used to.
Industry Reviews
Advance Praise
With lucid precision Jo Case uncovers the hidden identity of a boy and his mother. Like Helen Garner, she has a steady, careful eye, and uses it to bring back news of glorious, rackety life. A work of love and beauty.
Susan Johnson
Gutsy and heartfelt, Boomer and Me not only relays the rhythms of what it’s like to raise a child with Asperger’s, but illuminates the fundamental challenges of being any parent. Jo Case has written an honest and deeply affecting account of motherhood, with all its contradictions, anxieties and joys intact. A stunning memoir.
Benjamin Law
Jo Case doesn’t milk, or mine, or plunder her experiences of motherhood; she lays them out with dignity and humour. You trust her. You are with her every step. This book will do a lot of good in the world.
Maria Tumarkin
Jo Case’s memoir is a deft and graceful piece of story telling, providing a moving insight into what it is to be the mother of a child with Aspergers. But her book is also far more than that. In telling her own story she manages to illuminate the deeper, universal truths that underpin the experience of motherhood. Courageous, compelling and shot through with gentle humour, this is a book that all parents should read.
Monica Dux