Count Us In
Growing Up with Down Syndrome
-
- 10,99 €
-
- 10,99 €
Description de l’éditeur
Award winner: "Hearing about Down syndrome directly from these young men has a good deal more impact than reading any guide from a professional." —Booklist
This book is in Mitchell and Jason's own words. . . . We wanted readers to have a true-to-life sense of their charm, their directness, their humor and warmth, and, yes, their intelligence.
At ages nineteen and twenty-two, respectively, Jason Kingsley and Mitchell Levitz shared their innermost thoughts, feelings, hopes, dreams―and their experiences growing up with Down syndrome. Their frank discussion of what mattered most in their lives―careers, friendships, school, sex, marriage, finances, politics, and independence―earned Count Us In numerous national awards, including the EDI Award from the National Easter Seal Society. More important, their wit, intelligence, candor, and charm made for a powerful and inspirational statement about the full potential of people with developmental disabilities, challenging prevailing stereotypes.
In this edition, with a new afterword, the authors also discuss their lives since then: milestones and challenges, and changes both expected and unexpected.
"Their parents were told to expect nothing. But Jason Kingsley and Mitchell Levitz were lucky, because their parents didn't listen. They gave their sons that chance to show how far they could go—and they've astounded everyone!" —Jane Pauley
"This single volume will do more to change stereotypes about Down syndrome than any book I have read. These two young men steal our hearts and wash away generations of misconceptions." —Mary L. Coleman, MD, Emeritus, Georgetown University
"An excellent illustration of what it's like to have Down syndrome . . . Most moving here are the portrayals of strong family relationships." —Publishers Weekly
"Will open eyes and touch the heart." —Library Journal
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
These generally cheerful dialogues between 19-year-old Kingsley and 22-year-old Levitz and family members provide an excellent illustration of what it's like to have Down syndrome. Their mothers recount how it felt to learn their babies had the disability. Kingsley and Levitz reveal themselves to be both functional and creative (Levitz suggests changing the condition's name to ``Up syndrome''). Most moving here are the portrayals of strong family relationships, especially as revealed in the young men's dialogues with their grandfathers. Levitz discusses his bar mitzvah and becoming an adult, and both young men honestly describe their frustrations, particularly their difficulty in understanding what is appropriate behavior with women. Although additional background material might have made this a more valuable resource (particularly an indication of how typical the authors are vis a vis other people with Down syndrome), the exchanges between Kingsley and Levitz have great weight on their own, as when Kingsley announces that if he could speak to the obstetrician who told his parents he should be institutionalized, he would say, ``People with disabilities can learn! '' Author tour.
