The product(s) featured in this post was provided free of cost to me. I was unaware it was being sent to me. I do not have room in my schedule to read it at present. Here’s some info on this book from the publisher and/or book jacket, in case it’s the type of book that you are interested in. Also, it’s timely since April is National Autism Awareness Month. Please note that any personal opinions reflected in this post are my own and have not been influenced by the sponsor in any way.
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Know the Night: A Memoir of Survival in the Small Hours
- Author: Maria Mutch
- Hardcover: 224 pages
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster (March 25, 2014)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1476702748
- ISBN-13: 978-1476702742
- Cover price $25.00
In this soul-stirring debut memoir, Maria Mutch explores the miraculous power that care and communication have in the face of the deep, personal isolation that often comes with disability. A chronicle of the witching hours between midnight and six a.m., this meditative book takes place during the twoyear period in which Mutch’s son Gabriel, who is autistic and also has Down syndrome, rarely slept through the night. In this tapestry composed of interwoven memories, we see both Gabriel’s difficult childhood and Maria’s introduction to the world of multiple disability parenting.
As a counterpoint to Gabriel’s figurative isolation is the story of Admiral Richard Byrd, the polar explorer who journeyed alone into the Antarctic wilderness in the 1930s. His story creates a shared and powerful language for the experience of feeling alone.
In these three characters—mother, son, and explorer—Mutch reveals overlapping and layered themes of solitude that, far from driving us apart, enlighten, uplift, and connect.
sounds like a nice read, so wish I had time to read books like this!
We are actually having sleep issues right now. So this is perfect timing.
While non of my children have a disability, 2 of my kids have always have always had sleep issues. It can be extremely challenging. Even now, one is 17 and the other is 4 and they have a hard time sleeping.
We’ve been fortunate they’re both very heavy sleepers. Getting to bed…well that’s another story.
Sounds like a good book. My kids only had problems when teething or sick, or well breastfeeding ever two hours. Sometimes they still crawl in bed with us, but I guess I’m one of the lucky ones.
Three out of four of my kids slept through most of the night when they came out of the hospital or within a few weeks thereafter. However, Middle Son would fall asleep each night then wake up and wail unconsolably for hours about the time hubby and I went to sleep. Midnight was the witching hour. Hubby walked him, rocked him, put a baby swing together for him, wheeled him in his coach carriage to no avail so I could get some rest before going to work each day.
One night we were visiting friends and my best friend’s husband insisted he could solve the problem. Doubting Thomas parents us doubted it. Visions of witch doctor came to my mind as he brewed a basil leave/sugar tea then cooled it. The baby drank it, expelled lots of gas, and stopped crying. For the next year or more we kept a pitcher of the stuff in the refrig ready.