mary's book basket ~ "i am in hear" by elizabeth m. bonker & virginia g. breen

Every once in awhile I come across a book that takes me on an emotional journey that hits a little close to home. There are tears and prayers said as I read about a mother and her daughter who face the challenges of everyday life with a tenacity and strength that I understand and admire.

In the stirring memoir "I Am In Hear" author Virginia Breen writes with great love about her daughter Elizabeth who suffers from autism and cannot speak. Her determination and perseverance to help her daughter spoke directly to my heart as a mother of a special needs child.

Virginia never gives up hope and neither does her daughter Elizabeth, whose poetry is shared throughout the book. Her simple and direct writing style takes my breath away sometimes. To know that she hears and understands everything happening around her but cannot "speak up" just breaks my heart. As the aunt of three nephews who have varying degrees of Autism, this book pulled back the veil of what happens in an autistic brain to help me better understand how to interact with them and how to respect their individual voices. This is a powerful book of faith and hope. A MUST read my friends!

I leave you with a poem from Elizabeth. She wrote it by spelling each word, letter by letter, using a special alphabet board. It is simple and direct. It will change how you think about Autism.

Me

by Elizabeth M. Bonker

I sometimes fear

That people cannot understand

That I hear.

And I know

That they don't believe I go

To every extreme

To try to express

My need to talk.

If only they could walk

In my shoes

They would share my news:

I am in here.

And trying to speak every day

In some kind of way.