Friday, November 05, 2010


Review: All I Can Handle I'm No Mother Teresa from OUTSIDE the autism parenting world

Writer Tawna Fenske wrote this review at The Debutante Ball today and I love it. All of my fellow Debs reviews have struck me in the unique message each has taken from the book. Tawna has captured what I'm wishing for the book - people outside the autism and parenting community will read and love the book. Check out Tawna's site HERE.

Thanks! KIM

Can I confess something? I didn’t expect to like Deb Kim’s book about raising three daughters with autism. I don’t have kids. I don’t know many people with kids, and I don’t tend to like books about kids. I do not know anyone personally impacted by autism. All the cards were stacked against this book when it came my turn to read. Yet I devoured it – seriously, DEVOURED it – in one sitting. This book is heartfelt. It’s honest. It’s not preachy or overly clinical.

But most importantly – at least in my eyes – this book is funny. Laugh out loud, fall on the floor, pee your pants FUNNY.


I write romantic comedy, so it’s probably no surprise to hear I like to laugh. But the true art in writing any sort of humor is the ability to find the funny in situations that most people think shouldn't be funny at all.


Kim covers topics from vaccinations to abortion to poop mishaps to unemployment to all the ups and downs of having three – count ‘em, THREE – daughters with autism, and she does it with grace, wit, and delightful humor.


I loved this book. I learned from this book. I laughed and cried all the way through this book.So if you’re one of those readers like me who looks at the title and thinks, “I’m not sure I’d like that,” allow me to say you’re probably wrong. I certainly was. And I’ve never laughed so hard about it.


Have you ever fallen in love with a book you didn’t expect to enjoy? Please share. And please go buy Deb Kim’s All I Can Handle; I’m No Mother Teresa: A Life Raising Three Daughters With Autism. I promise you won’t regret it.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I really enjoyed this review because I think it is very real to what people are going to think, especially those who know noone on the spectrum, let alone anything about autism.