With the Light: Raising an Autistic Child (ANN Review)

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WITH THE LIGHT: RAISING AN AUTISTIC CHILD
(by Keiko Tobe, Yen Press, $14.99 ea.)

One day I scanned my eyes through the manga section at my usual bookstore, until they came across a thick book with the big, bold title words, With the Light-Raising an Autistic Child. Was this really a manga? I grabbed it, paged through it, and found out that, yes, it was. While there are plenty of shoujo drama releases, I never thought there was one existing title that revolved around a sensitive albeit significant subject matter, one that personally hits close to home for me. I purchased it, read it, and I have to say that this is a must-read for manga readers that should be more aware of it.

The story starts off with Sachiko having her firstborn son, who she named Hikaru, and having the highest hopes for a wonderful family life. That idealism breaks later on when Hikaru refuses any and all physical affection from his mother, but that was just the beginning. He develops into a very difficult child for reasons Sachiko cannot fathom, annoying the people around them, making her suffer a breakdown, almost tearing her life apart. Fortune arrives when she finds just the right doctor that diagnoses Hikaru as autistic, and provides her with the information and support she needs, even offering her the chance to connect with other parents going through the same thing. Sachiko slowly but surely rebounds, coming to accept the family she has, and adjusts her whole life and world around Hikaru, helping him develop in a way that is convenient to his needs.

So each following volume follows Hikaru as he grows up from baby, to child, to currently teenager, and to adult in future volumes, shedding light on the difficulties as well as the accomplishments. With the Light leaves room for educational dialogue on what autism is and its different variants, and how people can treat or deal with it. But it is just as much a very real human drama, making a very realistic portrayal of how there are just as many people who are open-minded and flexible and are willing to help Hikaru, as there are those who find disabled people annoying and prefer they were not around for their own convenience. What is most touching is the impact Hikaru and other disabled kids leaves on people's lives around them as it is the other way around.

With the Light is a wonderful manga series through and through. Each volume is thick and may take up some shelf space, but I am well proud of collecting this series for my library.

I just had this idea for a novel about a rebellious adolescent boy who develops a friendship with his younger, recently adopted brother, who has an odd combination of AS, HFA and classic autism.