First published 1989
Michael Dorris adopted his son believing love and care could overcome any obstacle. But as the boy grows, troubling patterns emerge. Simple tasks become impossible struggles. Learning feels like climbing a mountain with no summit. The child's bright spirit battles against invisible chains that hold back his development. Dorris searches for answers in medical offices and psychology texts. He discovers his son suffers from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, brain damage caused before birth by maternal drinking. The diagnosis explains everything and nothing. It names the enemy but offers no cure. Dorris must learn to parent a child whose potential will always be limited by damage done before they ever met. He expands his view beyond their family to examine how this preventable condition affects thousands of children across America. The book reveals both the intimate daily reality of raising a disabled child and the broader social forces that create such tragedies.
Genres: medical, non-fiction, parenting, adoption, family-drama, disability
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family
437 pages · Hardcover · G K Hall & Co
Content warnings: ableism, medical-trauma