A Slant Of Sun: One Child's Courage

A Slant Of Sun: One Child's Courage
by Beth Kephart

A Slant Of Sun:  One Child's Courage
List Price: $48.00
Our Price: $0.02
You Save: $47.98 (100%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


(Click here)
Buy this book at online book store in your country
Canada | UK | Germany | France

Book Summary Information

Author: Beth Kephart
Edition: Audio Cassette
Format: Unabridged
Published: 1999-05-05
ISBN: 073664556X
Publisher: Books on Tape
Accessories:

Book Reviews of A Slant Of Sun: One Child's Courage

Book Review: Lyrical writing style, some useful advice
Summary: 3 Stars

The author writes in a highly personal, lyrical, and IMO
somewhat self-indulgent style. It's not my cup of tea, but
if there is a large audience for this form of writing, more
power to the author. I personally think that the most useful
message to come out of this book is "trust your instincts".
The primary inspiration is Beth's courage, amidst
the shock of dealing initially with the PDD-NOS conunudrum,
to tune out the noise, and chart Jeremy's course
herself based on her own instincts of what felt right
and what seemed to worked best for him. Having been in
a similar albeit less traumatic situation, I can't
convey how much courage it takes to jettison, or at
least cherry-pick among the advice of the experts. The
instinct to let the experts take over is very powerful
when you are searching for answers, and want to protect
your child from something unknown and frightening. But
when it comes to autism spectrum disorders, parental
instinct can often trump psychology.

Summary of A Slant Of Sun: One Child's Courage

The hardest part of being a parent is the certain knowledge that there are some things you can't control. When Beth Kephart's son Jeremy was labeled with the unsettlingly vague diagnosis of pervasive developmental disorder (a behavioral disorder related to autism) in the fall of 1991, there were no definitive medical answers, no guidebooks to Jeremy's inner world, no maps to help Jeremy's mom and dad lead their boy back into the land of relatively uncomplicated childhood. Jeremy was a beautiful child who screamed whenever strangers came near him and spent long hours every day obsessively rearranging his toy cars into indecipherable patterns. He was an early talker, but by the time of his diagnosis Jeremy's speech had degenerated into mindless parroting--a condition known as echolalia. Jeremy's triumph over his disability and his journey to reintegration is the primary story of this beautifully written book, Kephart's first.

The other story, the more universal story, is the haunting account of the symbiosis between mother and child, which grows particularly intense when a child feels pain from which his mother cannot shield him. Kephart's fears that her own maternal failings are somehow implicated in Jeremy's problem stand out as the emotional core of this memoir. Her faith in her son, perseverance, and eventual acceptance of herself play as important a role in his healing process as any course of therapy--and her unflinching descriptions of her own healing are what make A Slant of Sun such a stunning debut. --Patrizia DiLucchio


Named a Best Book of the Year by Salon magazine and The Philadelphia Inquirer, A Slant of Sun was praised for its incandescent prose about the experience of loving a child who brings tremendous frustration and incalculable rewards and for its extraordinary resonance. Like Operating Instructions and The Liars' Club, A Slant of Sun is a contemporary classic.

Nearly one in five children grow up facing a developmental or behavioral challenge, and like them, Beth Kephart's son, Jeremy, showed early signs of being different: language eluded him, he preferred playing alone to an afternoon on the jungle gym. Doctors diagnosed Jeremy with a mild form of autism called Pervasive Developmental DisorderNot Otherwise Specified. A Slant of Sun is a passionate memoir about how Kephart, guided by the twin tools of intuition and imagination, helped lead her son toward wholeness. Pulsing with the questions, "Is normal possible? Definable?" A Slant of Sun speaks to everyonenot just parentsof the redemptive power of love.

General Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in General Books
Boundaries with Kids ImageBoundaries with Kids
by Henry Cloud, John Townsend
Zondervan; Published: 2001-11-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.15
Price in other shops: $14.99
Children of the Self-Absorbed: A Grown-up's Guide to Getting over Narcissistic Parents ImageChildren of the Self-Absorbed: A Grown-up's Guide to Getting over Narcissistic Parents
by Nina W. Brown
New Harbinger Publications; Published: 2008-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.52
Price in other shops: $16.95
Freeing Your Child from Anxiety: Powerful, Practical Solutions to Overcome Your Child's Fears, Worries, and Phobias ImageFreeing Your Child from Anxiety: Powerful, Practical Solutions to Overcome Your Child's Fears, Worries, and Phobias
by Tamar E. Chansky
Broadway; Published: 2004-03-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.51
Price in other shops: $14.00
Supernanny: How to Get the Best From Your Children ImageSupernanny: How to Get the Best From Your Children
by Jo Frost
Hyperion; Published: 2005-01-12; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.93
Price in other shops: $15.95
The Creative Family: How to Encourage Imagination and Nurture Family Connections ImageThe Creative Family: How to Encourage Imagination and Nurture Family Connections
by Amanda Blake Soule
Trumpeter; Published: 2008-04-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.05
Price in other shops: $14.95
Parenting With Love And Logic (Updated and Expanded Edition) ImageParenting With Love And Logic (Updated and Expanded Edition)
by Foster W. Cline, Jim Fay
Pinon Press; Published: 2006-06-05; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $15.64
Price in other shops: $24.99
Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know ImageStrong Fathers, Strong Daughters: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know
by Meg Md Meeker
Ballantine Books; Published: 2007-08-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.70
Price in other shops: $14.95
Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction ImageBeautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction
by David Sheff
Houghton Mifflin Co; Published: 2008-02-26; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $10.48
Price in other shops: $24.00
Have a New Kid by Friday: How to Change Your Child's Attitude, Behavior & Character in 5 Days ImageHave a New Kid by Friday: How to Change Your Child's Attitude, Behavior & Character in 5 Days
by Dr. Kevin Leman
Revell; Published: 2008-03-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $10.92
Price in other shops: $17.99
Wisdom of Our Fathers: Lessons and Letters from Daughters and Sons ImageWisdom of Our Fathers: Lessons and Letters from Daughters and Sons
by Tim Russert
Random House Trade Paperbacks; Published: 2007-05-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.79
Price in other shops: $13.95
Similar Books and other products
1001 Great Ideas for Teaching and Raising Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders Image1001 Great Ideas for Teaching and Raising Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders
by Veronica Zysk, Ellen Notbohm
Future Horizons; Published: 2004-12-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $15.01
Price in other shops: $24.95
The Out-of-Sync Child: Recognizing and Coping with Sensory Processing Disorder, Revised Edition ImageThe Out-of-Sync Child: Recognizing and Coping with Sensory Processing Disorder, Revised Edition
by Carol Stock Kranowitz
Perigee Trade; Published: 2006-04-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.78
Price in other shops: $15.95
Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew ImageTen Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew
by Ellen Notbohm
Future Horizons; Published: 2005-01-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.69
Price in other shops: $14.95
The Siege: A Family's Journey Into the World of an Autistic Child ImageThe Siege: A Family's Journey Into the World of an Autistic Child
by Clara Claiborne Park
Back Bay Books; Published: 1982-06-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.62
Price in other shops: $15.95
Seeing Past Z: Nurturing the Imagination in a Fast-Forward World ImageSeeing Past Z: Nurturing the Imagination in a Fast-Forward World
by Beth Kephart
Published: 2004-05-31; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $6.39
Price in other shops: $23.95
Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's ImageLook Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's
by John Elder Robison
Crown; Published: 2007-09-25; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $14.59
Price in other shops: $25.95
Let Me Hear Your Voice: A Family's Triumph over Autism ImageLet Me Hear Your Voice: A Family's Triumph over Autism
by Catherine Maurice
Ballantine Books; Published: 1994-07-19; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.99
Price in other shops: $15.00
Babyface: A Story of Heart and Bones ImageBabyface: A Story of Heart and Bones
by Jeanne McDermott
Published: 2001-12-31; Paperback; Book
Best price: $38.88
The Boy Who Loved Windows: Opening the Heart and Mind of a Child Threatened with Autism ImageThe Boy Who Loved Windows: Opening the Heart and Mind of a Child Threatened with Autism
by Patricia Stacey
Published: 2004-10-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $29.07
Ghosts in the Garden: Reflections on Endings, Beginnings, and the Unearthing of Self ImageGhosts in the Garden: Reflections on Endings, Beginnings, and the Unearthing of Self
by Beth Kephart
New World Library; Published: 2005-02-10; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $3.85
Price in other shops: $17.00
Book store. Illustrated catalog of books on different categories