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House Rules (Audio CD) (Unabridged)
House Rules - Audio CD - Unabridged
Author: Jodi Picoult
The astonishing new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult about a family torn apart by an accusation of murder. — They tell me I'm lucky to have a son who's so verbal, who is blisteringly intelligent, who can take apart the broken microwave and have it working again an hour later. They think there is no gr...  more »

Jacob Hunt is a teenage boy with Asperger's syndrome. He's hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others, and like many kids with AS, Jacob has a special focus on one subject -- in his case, forensic analysis. He's always showing up at crime scenes, thanks to the police scanner he keeps in his room, and telling the cops what they need to do...and he's usually right. But then his town is rocked by a terrible murder and, for a change, the police come to Jacob with questions. All of the hallmark behaviors of Asperger's -- not looking someone in the eye, stimulatory tics and twitches, flat affect -- can look a lot like guilt to law enforcement personnel. Suddenly, Jacob and his family, who only want to fit in, feel the spotlight shining directly on them. For his mother, Emma, it's a brutal reminder of the intolerance and misunderstanding that always threaten her family. For his brother, Theo, it's another indication of why nothing is normal because of Jacob. And over this small family the soul-searing question looms: Did Jacob commit murder?

Emotionally powerful from beginning to end, House Rules looks at what it means to be different in our society, how autism affects a family, and how our legal system works well for people who communicate a certain way -- and fails those who don't.
Audio Books swap for two (2) credits.
ISBN-13: 9781440788246
ISBN-10: 1440788243
Publication Date: 3/2/2010
Rating:
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 18

3.8 stars, based on 18 ratings
Publisher: Recorded Books, LLC
Book Type: Audio CD
Members Wishing: 1
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review
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vprosser avatar reviewed House Rules (Audio CD) (Unabridged) on + 161 more book reviews
I really enjoyed the story, as I do with Picoult's novels. This was the first Picoult audio I've listened to, though I have been listening to audios for about a year now. I must say, I was very impressed with the casting of the characters in this audio. Very well done!
reviewed House Rules (Audio CD) (Unabridged) on + 40 more book reviews
The Big Reveal was pretty obvious by the halfway point in the book. And Picoult did not do a great job of wrapping this story up - she more or less just ended it at a time in the story when the outcome could vary significantly.

However, it was an interesting and entertaining story. House Rules examined the impact of having a family member with Asperger's. In Picoult's usual fashion, we heard the story from many different points of view. It was interesting to hear how each family member coped with disease. I learned a lot about Asperger's; the book also prompted me to think about what it would be like to have a family member on the Autism scale.

What I did find unrealistic was the introspection attributed to Jacob, the kid with Asperger's. A person twice Jacob's age, with weekly therapy, wouldn't be able to identify all of the motivators and emotions that Jacob did.


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