Customer Reviews
Honest, blunt, rewarding - By: D J Kirkby, 31 Oct 2008 
a friend like henry,written by Nuala Gardner & published by Sourcebooks is a parents' book about autism...with all the fluffy bits removed. Honest, blunt, significant, rewarding. A well written, meaningful & very readable book.
a friend like henry is a book that tells the reader how frustrating, enlightening & magical living with autism can be, both for the person on the spectrum & those that livein the world parallel to ours.
I am happy to say that at no timein this book is it ever implied that Dale should be 'cured' of his autism, it is obvious throughout the book that the search is for coping mechanisms & behavioral modification.
One of the things I enjoyed most was that Nuala does not claim that pet therapy is the only solution to the above dilemma but she does openly & honestly share one way of using an autistic child's obsession to their family's best advantage.
One of the things I disliked the most about this book (besides the use of all lower case for the title & author name), was the way it rewired all my emotions & made me cry every few pages. I found that I had to pace myself through this book by reading itin between several othersin order to give my emotions a break. I nearly couldn't continue on reading it at the end but I am not going to tell you why, as it will 'ruin' the ending for you. However, I am happy that I did carry on.
After reading this book I am still convinced that our N3S is still the child most likely to be savaged by a dog but I picked up a few tips encouraging on behavioral modification which we will apply through other mediums.
The section where Dale 'speaks' at the end of the book along with Nuala's afterword are nice twists & are the perfect ending to what I feel is a triumph of literary honesty. This is a very special book.
I speak as both an adult Aspie & a mother of an Aspie child when I say that this book will break your heart into several pieces & then show you interesting new ways to put it back together again.
It doesn't get better than this! - By: T. M. Stephenson, 06 Aug 2008 I couldn't put this book down. It made me laugh out loud & cry to the point of sobbing. I loved the tenacity, love & care of the Mother & I adored the dog.
A book that must give hope to parents of children with autism as the progress of her son is impressive. My best book of the year - even my husband read it.
I want a sequel!!!!!
A book All parents should read - By: Della Goodyear, 16 Apr 2008 As the parent of a Autistic Child the story was nothing new to me
but what was the comforting thing is the knowledge that someone else went through the same as me yes i could relate to most of the thingsin the book & the same feelings of dispair & the wish that my child could be "normal" this is a book that all parents should read as i think that the more understanding there is of the condition can only be for the good & help to dispel fearsin relation to MMR & other factors
incredible - By: Ms. F. J. Schofield, 03 Mar 2008 an amazing book about an amazing journey this family made. such an honest account of many difficult experiences. read itin one day. made me smile, made me laugh, made me cry. read it!!!
A special tale - By: Hayles, 12 Nov 2007 This is the book to read if you think you have had a tough day! What Nuala & her husband went through with their two children is shocking & a real testament to them that they stayed together & kept their family strong. None of it would have been possible without Henry - a dog who you would think had been invented by Disney but really is a wondermutt. A moving & uplifting read
