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Jan 23, 2008

Amie rated it:

A heartbreaking and gutwrenching tale of a mother doing her best to deal with a terribly difficult and confusing diagnosis. I really give a ton of credit to Jenny for putting herself out there like this. I haven't read any of her other books or generally paid attention to anything she has done, but she has definitely captured and speaks the universal language of motherhood.

The criticism levelled at this book seems to follow three main themes:

1) Her son recovered too fast, More...

1 comment like (4 people liked it)

Dec 18, 2007

Laura rated it:

McCarthy book details the journey of her son Evan beginning with severe seizures which led to a diagnosis of Autism.
McCarthy does a great job of projecting the strong emotions associated with receiving a diagnosis and going through the ups and downs of the journey.
McCarthy used a variety of treatments including ABA and the GFCF diet. She provides lots of information on the different methods and resources available. I found the most valuable part of this book to be the summary g More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Aug 05, 2008

Terry rated it:

Okay. When I saw Jenny McCarthy on Oprah's show (don't judge!) about autism I was enraged by her insistence that autism can be cured. (I was curious that she mentions "healing autism" in the book's subtitle but she really doesn't push the whole "I cured my son's autism" that much...well, until the end. I still find that stance unethical at best.) It can't. It can be managed, and the symptoms/effects can be drastically reduced through aggressive, consistent therapies and diet More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Oct 20, 2008

Mary rated it:

My little boy was recently diagnosed as being on the Autistic spectrum and it's a scary, confusing and overwhelming thing to have to deal with...especially in the beginning. My husband and I have spent untold amounts of money already on therapy, therapeutic/adaptive toys, sensory paraphernalia and we've spent countless hours reading "how-to" books, on the phone arranging for services and arguing with our insurance company.

What a breath of fresh air to read a book by a m More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jul 17, 2008

megh rated it:

horrible, biased, awful. so many better books out there on Autism that are actually helpful and don't go about looking for a "cure", but rather helping your child reach his/her full potential. Last book you should read if you want to waste your time reading it at all.

1 comment like (4 people liked it)

Sep 19, 2008

Bmfinn1008 rated it:

Who knew Jenny McCarthy could write? I read this book to better understand what my daughter-in-law does and came away with a much better understanding of autism than I thought.

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Dec 31, 2010

Alison rated it:

This book was a little bit strange to me. I am really interested in autism as I am a teacher and come across children with autism frequently. I thought it might be interesting to read a celebrity's account of her son's autism. The beginning of the book was really good and drew me in to her story. But then she started to get a bit pushy about her ideas about the origin and treatment of autism. It almost seemed like the book was pushing a very specific agenda. Also, I was very confused about More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Jun 27, 2008

Christina rated it:

This was a quick read, and I'm not sure what to think about it. If it weren't for the language (she likes to use the f word a lot for some reason), I'd probably give it three stars. The author is a celebrity (not that I'd ever heard of her) whose son is diagnosed with autism. The book follows her journey as she tries various diets, medicines, and behavioral intervention (she even tries various faith-healings, and visits from some persistent Mormon missionaries made me smile). The healing her More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 26, 2008

Erin rated it:

"If someone you love is diagnosed with autism, Louder Than Words is the first book you should read." So far from the truth. This is probably one of the last books you should read. Jenny McCarthy's book is her personal story of her journey in dealing with her son's autism. It offer little factual information on autism or on ways to treat it. For me, this book was a 200-page rant. It was whiny and full of swear words. While I appreciate Jenny's struggles, she comes off as extremel More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 20, 2008

Roger rated it:

My brother is one of the hundreds of thousands of Americans with autism. I don't believe that he would have responded to any of the treatments that worked for Jenny, rather he's making some progress with lots of therapy and a constantly evolving cocktail of behavior modification meds. The fact is there's many different varieties of autism, and her son Evan's journey is quite different than my brother's. But as McCarthy says, this book isn't about a cure for autism, it's about having faith and ne More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 21, 2007

Tara rated it:

I saw Jenny McCarthy talking about this book on Oprah so I bought it. I have not read any of Jenny's other books, but I was very interested in learning how autism effected her life.

I have to say, Jenny McCarthy is a very dedicated mother who was going to stop at nothing to find out what was wrong with her son and how to "fix" it. I thought her journey, from the initial incorrect diagnosis to the numerous breakthroughs Evan completed was both heartbreaking and hopeful.
More...

5 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 01, 2009

Cyndee rated it:

I knew at the outset of reading this book that I did not agree with Jenny McCarthy's opinions on the causes and treatments of Autism but I'm a firm believer that you can't argue your own point well if you don't know the opposition. Also, as a mother of a son with Autism myself, I thought I would AT LEAST find some passages, some experiences, some emotions in common with her...something that would touch me and make me say "I know exactly how she feels." It didn't happen. The only thi More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 17, 2008

Jacqlyn rated it:

While McCarthy provided brief descriptions of various treatments (ABA therapy, GFCF diet, and supplementation), she spends much more time blaming God, the medical community, and her ex-husband for Evan's autism. This poorly written book reads more like a rant or distasteful monologue. While I am not defending or excusing the medical community for their slow responce to Autism or the general refusal to link the possibility of vaccines to autism, profanity, name calling, and blaming will not ser More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 07, 2011

Crystal rated it:

I just read the book,
Louder than Words by Jenny McCarthy,
and I am so grateful that I did. I had put off reading it because I kept hearing that it was a joke, that it wasn't factual, etc. but then one day while I was out garage-saleing I saw it and thought, "What the heck...its' like 50 cents". So I got and I read it. Actually I devoured it.
and I was left in tears.
Thankful tears that I had found it and could begin formulating a plan.
Sad tears for everything th More...

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Aug 02, 2011

Amber rated it:

I am ashamed to say that I actually wasted time and money on this book. Jenny McCarthy is a moron! Her son doesn't even have autism, he has Landau-Kleffner syndrome which is often misdiagnosed as autism. Also her claims of "curing" autism are ridiculous and disgusting! She has encouraged the untrue belief that vaccines cause autism, they have been proven NOT to have ANY link to autism! As for her claims of her son being a "crystal child" and her being an "indigo mom" More...

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Sep 07, 2010

Liz rated it:

I should start this review stating that I am a Speech Language Pathologist working in the schools and I work with kids who have Autism and their families.

I went into reading this book completely preparing to hate it, having previously heard the Author's point of view about the cause of Autism and that it can be "cured." After reading the book I am in two minds. It was written by a good parent with the intention of giving others Hope. But, we should not forget: she is NOT More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Nov 14, 2009

Lani rated it:

Not wanting to get into any of the autism/vaccine controversy, I can't speak to the validity of McCarthy's theories on the subject. And while I haven't seen her interviews, at least in this book McCarthy does not pretend to be an expert - just a mom who is trying to share her experiences. I never felt that she was preachy or stating her ideas as facts, just her own experience with her own son's illness.

It was still an interesting book though. I think in general the medical establishmen More...

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Aug 23, 2009

Lea rated it:

ok, i read this book and went into it with an open mind.... Being a profesional in the special education world, I found some of this book helpful but mostly absurd. Her good points is that not all children who suffer from autism are the same...I CANNOT STRESS HOW TRUE THAT IS. The main part I dont agree with is that there is a cure....THERE IS NO CURE OR PREVENATIVE AT THIS POINT. We all like to wish we can fix these children/adults, but realistically the best thing we can do for them, is acc More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 30, 2009

Ellyn rated it:

Because I work with parents of kids with autism, and Jenny McCarthy's name is out there in the autism world, I thought I should read this book. In all fairness, I have to admit that I went into the book expecting to thoroughly dislike it, and I wasn't disappointed. For one thing, Jenny McCarthy is a terrible writer. She swears far too much, and much of the book feels like an irrational, self-centered rant. Granted, I don't have kids, let alone a child with autism, so maybe I shouldn't judge. More...

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Apr 09, 2010

Ashley rated it:

I consumed this book in 24 hours. It was so very compelling. *

I know little to nothing about Autism, but I have heard the recent arguements concerning the possible link between Autism and vaccinations. This book showed one mother's struggle through just that. It amazed me to hear how a lot of the symptoms were physical, not neurological, and most were cured through change of diet and supplements. I don't want to step on any toes and claim that ALL children who have Autism can b More...

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Apr 13, 2011

Myriam rated it:

I think that this is the best nonfiction book I have read so far. The last time i have thought a nonfiction book was this good was since ghostchild. I think that knowing that its a true story makes the story that much better. Not that all the content is a good thing.
The story is about a mother that has her only son diagnosed with autism and this starts an everlasting fight against autism. Later i found out that Jenny McCarthy, the author is an actor. She goes on to tell us her horrible exp More...

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Feb 02, 2011

Hala rated it:

Away from the lights of the world of celebrities, Jenny McCarthy is being a pure mother of a child with autism, one of the most puzzling disorders nowadays.
The book tells the story of Evan starting with the first seizure he experienced. As a mother, Jenny tries in this book to document every strong feeling she had that was "louder than words". She tells the story of a brave mom who has tried various types of intervention and who has been visiting different therapists to help her More...

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Aug 09, 2011

Lindsey rated it:

I read this book because my younger brother has Autuis. he is 14 years old. I cryed so much because I could relate to Jenny, although William is my brother and not my son. I'm just thankfull that my brother is not part of the 30% of Autistic children who have Epelpcy. I don't care if you have a relitave, friend, no link to Autism, or never heard of this illness before: PLEASE read this book. What I want to know is why Diabities, AIDS, and Cancer is more know and researched when there will be mor More...

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Aug 05, 2010

Claire rated it:

As someone who works with children with autism regularly, I'm skeptical about most mainstream books regarding autism. The scary thing about this book to me is that it's actually well written. It's a convincing book about told by a mother who was convinced of her child's diagnosis and was willing to do anything to solve the "problem." It's not my place to debate the correctness of the diagnosis or her decisions in treating her child, but the fact that in her book, McCarthy presents her More...

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Dec 23, 2008

Mary rated it:

This is an amazing book that takes you thought a beautiful journey of how a mother will do anything to keep her son alive and healthy.It all starts when early in the morning her baby hasn't woken up and when jenny goes up she had a really bad feeling.The instance she walks in she sees that her son is having a seizure,as soon as he reached the hospital she wanted answers the doctors made a lot of exams and there was nothing wrong.Then doctors noticed how he had the seizures and said that those we More...

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Dec 12, 2008

Sonya rated it:

Never before have I tried to read a book so full of misinformation. It is PAINFUL and CAUSES ME TO FROTH AT THE MOUTH. Want *real* information? Read Paul Offit. Check out the Autism Diva's blog. Visit the James Randi site (http://www.randi.org/site/). Listen to the Skeptic's Guide to the Universe. But please, do NOT believe this woman. It is offensive, scientifically fallacious, and downright *wrong*.

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 21, 2012

Cassidy rated it:

Reading this is bitter sweet. As a teacher of early intervention I'm working with families who are reading or have read this book and I wanted to read it myself in order to have a dialogue about it. Here are my thoughts on pros and cons of the book. Pros: Jenny advocates for children and parents touched by autism and gives and honest portrayal of what it feels like to be a mother with a child who has autism. Cons: she uses words like "heal" and "cure" which gives parent More...

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Jul 29, 2011

Gina rated it:

I so appreciate Ms McCarthy's offering her experiences in this format. She is an articulate reporter of the reality of folks who are living with a kid who has autism. She has opened up her world--often a painful one--for our scrutiny in hopes of helping other parents.

As a mom with two kiddos on the "spectrum" I struggle somewhat with the "pull them through the window at any cost" theme of this book. It is tough for any parent to find that balance between acceptance of you More...

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Nov 23, 2008

Stephanie rated it:

i read this i two days, after it was recommended to me by the health teacher at school. honestly, i was REALLY surprised at it. i saw her on oprah, talking about it, so i was curious, but it was WAY better than i thought it would be. tons of really interesting information, and funny and heartbreaking at the same time. there were points where i wanted to get up and scream at the inadequacies of the healthcare system, and other parts where i laughed right out loud. plus, i really appreciated More...

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Dec 07, 2009

Mallory rated it:

I knew this book would annoy me, but I didn't realize just how much this book would make me hate Jenny McCarthy.

I knew that I felt the whole "you can cure autism" thing was a crock, but didn't expect McCarthy to be so smug and self-satisfied.

I knew McCarthy wrote it herself, but would've expected she'd have an editor.

This book was worse than I expected it to be. McCarthy martyrs herself and implies that every parent of an autistic child who is not f More...

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