Helpful Score: 11
I imagine anyone who knows someone who is autistic would find this a compelling read. I actually don't have this connection in my life, and I still thought this was an amazing book. She did a great job addressing autistic issues while presenting a really good story. My only criticism is that not all of the plot twists really worked, it was almost a case of trying to do too much. I got through this rather quickly, and despite some of the flaws in plot, I still couldn't help but keep reading to find out what really happened.
Helpful Score: 8
this book was on the table at the domicile for $1 for cancer awareness fundraising. it was worth a TON more. it is definitely in my top 10 favorite books. a beautiful, sad, horrifying story of an autistic boy who witnesses the murder of a schoolmate. half of the characters in the story are children/adults with special needs. the story reads from different perspectives and the murderer isnt revealed into far into the book. the story is not so much about the murderer, but about trying to figure out how to communicate with those who dont have language or a limited ability, and how we all struggle through life with our different demons. there was so much i could relate to, as my niece has special needs and my sister is raising her on her own, as was the mother in this story. the author of the novel has a son with autism so it reads as non-fiction. she is extremely educated on dealing with a child with autism and the story is so believable. the characters struggles, her sons struggles, and the struggles of everyone in the novel are so real. a great great read.
Helpful Score: 6
Great book for those who have had any experience with autism. This book keeps you guessing 'til the very end. I loved it. Quick and easy read
Helpful Score: 6
I'm not a fast reader by any means and I read this in one weekend. I work with developmentally delayed children and the idea of a book centered on an autistic boy who witnessed a murder intrigued me. The author is the mother of an autistic child and so accurately portrays the ins and outs of autism and the effects it has on the family. All characters are very well developed, secondary storylines converge just at the right time, and well, everything about this book just works. Am so much looking forward to reading another novel by this author.
Helpful Score: 4
Having an autistic step son and being a retired special education teacher, I was very anxious to read this book. I loved it. It is very realistic in its description of autism. The characters are true to life and the plot is very interesting. It is hard to put down and keeps the reader very interested in the mystery as it unravels.
Helpful Score: 4
This is one of those - can't put down books. Great book that helps to examine the life and mind of an austic child.
Helpful Score: 3
This is a wonderful mystery centered around a young autistic boy who is the only link to the disappearance of a girl from his school. The only person that can unlock his silence is his mother, and she has a very daunting task ahead of her. I enjoyed this book immensely and would recommend it to anyone with a love of mysteries.
Helpful Score: 2
Interesting, rather complex murder mystery involving children (and adults) with special needs. The author enlightens us regarding autism, but also deals with troubling issues like bullying in schools and the tragic impact it can have. While there's no shortage of dysfunctional families and individuals in this book, the mystery itself is compelling and will keep you reading into the night to find out "whodunit".
Helpful Score: 2
This book taught me a lot about Autism. The author was in depth about how autistic children can be. It was a good book, but the suspense leading up to the end wasn't worth waiting for. I would recommend this book because it is an easy read and was good.
Helpful Score: 2
great book!!i have a son with special needs so this one really hit home!!
Helpful Score: 1
This was one of those books that you just couldn't put down!
Helpful Score: 1
My dd has PDD NOS so I enjoyed the book's focus on autism and special needs kids. The way the author describes all the different mothers and their reactions to having a special needs child is very thought provoking. Great, quick book to read.
Helpful Score: 1
An excellent story and quick read, especially when you have someone on the autism spectrum in your immediate family.
Helpful Score: 1
Excellent learning disabled children murder mystery! A real page turner. From the beginning, I was caught up in the drama. Who did it? There are lots of twists turns and characters, but I was still surprised. A very good read.
Helpful Score: 1
One of the best books I've read this year...the story grabs you from the beginning! I learned a lot about how autistic children think and act, what motivates them, the real and imagined fears they face. An incredible murder mystery, the best.
Helpful Score: 1
slow easy to read, it is come from a true author who had autistic son. The author written with her own experience and lives with a character who had a high function. I find this is enjoyable and learn more about autism.
Helpful Score: 1
Just finished reading "Eye Contact" by Cammie McGovern. I loved this book. It capured my interest on so many levels. A very interesting premise, a witness to a murder who could not communicate, a mystery extremely well executed! Beyond that, it
touched on other aspects of interpersonal relationships, protective parents, old and new friendships, bullying in school, trust,
and various kinds of love. It was all woven together with great skill. A book you could hardly put down, I finished it in a 24 hour
period. I don't usually read books twice, but I am certain if you reread this one, there would still be much, much more to learn!
touched on other aspects of interpersonal relationships, protective parents, old and new friendships, bullying in school, trust,
and various kinds of love. It was all woven together with great skill. A book you could hardly put down, I finished it in a 24 hour
period. I don't usually read books twice, but I am certain if you reread this one, there would still be much, much more to learn!
A very good read. I found myself not wanting to put it down and then the day after I finished, I was still thinking about what the characters might do.
In sight about autism and the effects on families.
I really enjoyed this book, it was definitely a page turner. The insights into special needs and autistic children were good. The affects of those challenges on a family were very well done as well.
This book was so much more than the description on the back led me to believe. Not only did it look at one child with a specific diagnosis; it showed the thinking patterns of a variety of conditions. It also showed that a diagnosis is not a death sentence, and that people with mental health issues often have amazing gifts as well. It is definitely a serious book, but I found it to be a quick read, and a page-turner. I would highly recommend it to people interested in psychology.
This book was OK and it was a nice mystery. I just think that there was plenty of opportunities for the author to embelish the characters more.
This book is about an autistic child involved in a mystery. it is reminescent of "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time."
I started this one but it just did not grab me, a real disappointment I am sorry to say!
This book captured my interest from the start since my nephew is autistic. It was suspenseful and the author gave an accurate description of an autistic child.
I loved this book! The story was well written and I was drawn to the characters from the first chapter. It was interesting not only because it is a murder mystery but also because the relationship between the mother and son is so moving. I highly reccomend this book!
Shortly after Adam, a nine-year-old boy with autism spectrum disorder, and his friend Amelia, a 10-year-old diagnosed with PDD-NOS (pervasive developmental disorderânot otherwise specified), disappear during recess from Greenwood elementary school, a traumatized Adam turns up next to Amelia's body in the nearby woods. Cara, Adam's 30-year-old single mom, helps the police unlock the clues in Adam's mind to try to identify Amelia's killer. Cara finds surprising assistance from 13-year-old Morgan, who's determined to solve the crime in order to distract authorities from his own guilty secretâaccidentally starting a fire in the wetlands his lawyer/environmentalist mom was trying to protect. Meticulously researched and emotionally absorbing, this provocative page-turner also addresses an important issueâhow to educate and care for children with special needs.
I really liked this book...until I was about 2/3 of the way through. The beginning was very engrossing, and I wanted to find out what would happen. Then, about 2/3 of the way through, it seemed like the writing just crumbled. In the conversation with the author following the book, she writes that she kept changing and rewriting the book, including who ended up being the killer...and it felt that way when reading the ending. It felt like she kept changing her mind. So, overall, a nice book, but the ending was disappointing.
One of the best mysteries I have ever read. I could not put it down. I can usually figure out what happened, but she really stumped me on this one. Fantastic writer. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would read any of Cammie McGovern's books again.
Pretty interesting book especially about the Autism aspects
The students of Woodside Elementary School often spend their recesses playing games as children will do. As the innocent youngsters spend their time waging mock battles on the playground, they are blissfully unaware that soon the real world will intrude into their sheltered world and shatter their childhood happiness forever. And the consequences of such a vicious crime will shake this tiny, close knit community to its very core.
During one particular recess, a little girl and boy - two students - seem to vanish without a trace. Upon further investigation, it soon comes to light that both children were last seen heading across the soccer field toward the woods behind the school. They were last seen together, but witnesses claim not to know what could have happened to them.
Hours pass before only one of them, a nine-year-old autistic boy named Adam, is found alive. Discovered several yards away from the little girl's body, hiding in the sheltering undergrowth, Adam is apparently the sole witness to an incomprehensible killing. Barely verbal on the best of days, Adam has since retreated into his own silent world, unable to tell anyone else what he witnessed.
Adam's mother Cara has an intimate knowledge of her son's mannerisms and attitude, and she knows of Adam's secret, silent, insulated world only too well. With her community still reeling from the shock and her son unable to help the police in their investigation, it falls to Cara to become Adam's voice as she tries to decode the puzzling events. Yet in her desperate desire to protect her son from the various cruelties of life - both inadvertent and deliberate - has Cara somehow made his world a much more dangerous place?
When another child suddenly goes missing, Adam's mother redoubles her efforts to interpret the potential clues. Cara realizes that only she can unlock her son's silence to provide the police with the clues that they need to catch a killer. She knows that when she is finally able to interpret the changes in Adam's behavior, she will not only understand how to better help him deal with the trauma of having witnessed his best friend's murder, she will also have helped the police to solve an horrendous crime. Yet as Cara moves closer to exposing the truth of what happened, her own unsettling past begins to emerge from the shadows.
I thought this was really an excellent book. In my opinion, this was an intriguing and well-written story with a well-developed and fast-paced plot. I found that there was a vibrant poignancy to Ms. McGovern's writing, and I found myself learning and understanding more about the hardships and struggles faced by the parents of autistic children. I could really empathize with Cara and the various difficulties that she had raising her son. I would certainly give this book an A! and definitely will be on the lookout for more books by Cammie McGovern.
During one particular recess, a little girl and boy - two students - seem to vanish without a trace. Upon further investigation, it soon comes to light that both children were last seen heading across the soccer field toward the woods behind the school. They were last seen together, but witnesses claim not to know what could have happened to them.
Hours pass before only one of them, a nine-year-old autistic boy named Adam, is found alive. Discovered several yards away from the little girl's body, hiding in the sheltering undergrowth, Adam is apparently the sole witness to an incomprehensible killing. Barely verbal on the best of days, Adam has since retreated into his own silent world, unable to tell anyone else what he witnessed.
Adam's mother Cara has an intimate knowledge of her son's mannerisms and attitude, and she knows of Adam's secret, silent, insulated world only too well. With her community still reeling from the shock and her son unable to help the police in their investigation, it falls to Cara to become Adam's voice as she tries to decode the puzzling events. Yet in her desperate desire to protect her son from the various cruelties of life - both inadvertent and deliberate - has Cara somehow made his world a much more dangerous place?
When another child suddenly goes missing, Adam's mother redoubles her efforts to interpret the potential clues. Cara realizes that only she can unlock her son's silence to provide the police with the clues that they need to catch a killer. She knows that when she is finally able to interpret the changes in Adam's behavior, she will not only understand how to better help him deal with the trauma of having witnessed his best friend's murder, she will also have helped the police to solve an horrendous crime. Yet as Cara moves closer to exposing the truth of what happened, her own unsettling past begins to emerge from the shadows.
I thought this was really an excellent book. In my opinion, this was an intriguing and well-written story with a well-developed and fast-paced plot. I found that there was a vibrant poignancy to Ms. McGovern's writing, and I found myself learning and understanding more about the hardships and struggles faced by the parents of autistic children. I could really empathize with Cara and the various difficulties that she had raising her son. I would certainly give this book an A! and definitely will be on the lookout for more books by Cammie McGovern.
Nice story about an autistic boy who witnesses the murder of a classmate.
This is not as much as a mystery as it is a self discovery novel. IT was good but was really interesting in the last 100 pages.
GOod book about special needs and school aged children and being a parent
GOod book about special needs and school aged children and being a parent
This book has an interesting premise, which is well-executed by the author. Very suspenseful, and a good read.
****
An elementary-aged autistic boy witnesses a murder of a school friend but is only able to communicate events in single-word utterances. The most likely troubled middle-schooler is not who I had pegged!
An elementary-aged autistic boy witnesses a murder of a school friend but is only able to communicate events in single-word utterances. The most likely troubled middle-schooler is not who I had pegged!
Was worth the long wait.
I loved this book! I felt for every character. I hold it right up there alongside Jodi Picoult. It was that good!
While I thought this was a great story and as I love reading books from different perspectives (or narratives), I was not a fan of the lack of chapters. The different views were hard for me to decipher, especailly in the begining as I was getting to feel comfortable with the characters and plot. It felt very disconjoined at first. The story, however and it's suspense along with the insight into Autism was fascinating. Overall, I guess the outline of the book was it's downfall for me...but again, that's just my personal taste. Definately give this book a shot!
good book
Adam, a nine-year-old autistic boy might be the witness to a murder. But can his mother, Cara, piece it all together, along with her own life?
A moving tale filled with very vivid characters and a glimpse into the life of living with a child with special needs.
A moving tale filled with very vivid characters and a glimpse into the life of living with a child with special needs.
