The Warner Boys, by Curt and Ana Warner

Curt Warner made a name for himself as a running back for Penn State and the Seattle Seahawks.  (He should not be confused for Kurt Warner, the quarterback who won a Super Bowl with the Rams.)  Curt Warner and his wife Anna have two children with autism.  In The Warner Boys: Our Family's Story of Autism and Hope they tell their story of the struggles they endured raising their twins. 

Without going into a lot of detail about autism itself, their goal is simply to chronicle their experiences.  As people who know autism can tell you, the range of effects varies widely.  As they say, "If you've met one child with autism, you have met one child with autism."  The Warners's twins behaviors and manifestations will not bring much encouragement to parents whose young children have been recently diagnosed.  But the grace and perseverance with which Curt and Ana have lived their lives as parents certainly gives inspiration.

I would suspect most children with autism are not quite as violent and destructive as the Warner boys were.  Among other things, they would continually kick holes in the walls.  One of them went on a stabbing attack on the sofa (He imagined it was a dragon from a Disney movie.).  Later he burnt down the house.  (He imagined that he was Pinocchio in the whale, and need to start a fire to escape.)  The boys required a high level of vigilance so that they would not hurt themselves or others.

The Warners are nothing if not honest.  What you get here is an honest look.  "This is what our kids did.  This is how we responded.  These are the medical, environmental, and dietary solutions we tried." The book is by no means prescriptive, but descriptive.  The "hope" in the subtitle is the fact that the boys are adults, living independently from Curt and Ana in a group home setting, and seem to have a good relationship with the rest of the family.

I enjoyed meeting the Warners via their book.  They have an important, supportive voice from which other parents of children with autism can learn and be encouraged.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!