Autism book: A Friend Like Henry

I was asked during the summer if I wanted a review copy of an "inspiring, true story of an autistic little boy, Dale Gardner, who conquered his autism with the help of the family’s golden retriever puppy named Henry."



The attached press release for the book didn't inspire much hope, with lines like these:

While most people associate dogs as family pets and even helpers for those who are physically disabled, not many people think of these gentle beasts as great therapy for a disease as complex as autism. I’m happy to share with you the remarkable true story of a dog who brought a boy out of the shadows of autism and helped him conquer this debilitating condition (my emphasis).

The people writing to me had obviously never read any of my blog (shocking, I know) or they might have known that I'm not going to be too enamoured by that type of depiction of autism. But perhaps the publishers were responsible for giving the book a certain spin, trying to cash in on the growing market for autism recovery tales, in which autism must be presented as nothing less than demonic possession and natural maturation as a miracle. Perhaps the book itself was a much more open, honest and thoughtful depiction of the development of an autistic child and his family's efforts to support him. I was interested too to read about Henry since we had recently bought a dog.

But more than anything, my inherent thriftiness didn't allow for the turning down of a free book. So I asked them to send it, telling myself I'd keep an open mind and hoping to be pleasantly surprised.

I'd say anyone who has read more than 3 posts here might guess what happened.