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George and Sam

by Charlotte Moore, Nick Hornby (Foreword by)

3.98 of 5 stars 3.98 · rating details · 260 ratings · 49 reviews

For the parents, families, and friends of the 1 in 250 autistic children born annually in the United States, George and Sam provides a unique look into the life of the autistic child.

Charlotte Moore has three children, George, Sam, and Jake. George and Sam are autistic. George and Sam takes the reader from the births of each of the two boys, along the painstaking path to

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Hardcover, 320 pages

Published November 28th 2006 by St. Martin's Press (first published January 1st 2004)

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Books mentioned in Nick Hornby's Polysyllabic Spree

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The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

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Autism - What Do You Need To Know? A Parent's Guide To Autism... by Raymond Le Blanc

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Jul 11, 2012 Elizabeth rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction-auto-biography

I've been trying to read this ever since I stumbled across an excerpt in Nick Hornby's The Polysyllabic Spree and finally got my hands on it through interlibrary loan. I kind of read it in one sitting. It is brilliant. It is funny and heartbreaking and fascinating and tender and every good adjective I can think of. Moore is tough as nails and clear-eyed in her gaze on her two non-neurotypical sons (who are, in her words, "autistic through and through"), but when she talks about how much she ador...more I've been trying to read this ever since I stumbled across an excerpt in Nick Hornby's The Polysyllabic Spree and finally got my hands on it through interlibrary loan. I kind of read it in one sitting. It is brilliant. It is funny and heartbreaking and fascinating and tender and every good adjective I can think of. Moore is tough as nails and clear-eyed in her gaze on her two non-neurotypical sons (who are, in her words, "autistic through and through"), but when she talks about how much she adores them, the lady doth not protest too much. You believe her. You believe that while every day brings fresh frustration, it also brings joy of a kind she cannot really convey.

I am ridiculously in love with Jake, her youngest -- who is neurotypical -- and the one thing I would like to see in a second edition which is almost wholly lacking in this one is an examination of Jake's relationship with his brothers. Since reading copperbadge's discussion of the prodigal son and siblings of the non-neurotypical, I have become much more sensitive to this (not to the extent of, uh, talking to my sister about how my depression affects her, but baby steps). Obviously, a five-year-old (which is how old Jake was at this writing) can't really have the same kind of deep conflict that Sam has or that my sister probably has, but I remain troubled by Moore's blithe assertion that she does not want Jake to feel responsible for the care of his brothers when he's older. I'm just not sure how she's planning to make that happen, especially since she doesn't seem to have a clear sense of what could or would happen to her sons if and when she can no longer care for them herself. It is clear to Moore and to the reader that George and Sam almost certainly will not be able to live independently as adults, but there is a real...blitheness is the only word I can think of, to her tone, when she talks about it.

But as a whole? OMG SO GOOD.

(Also, please God, if only Charlotte Moore were the face for parents with autistic children, instead of Jenny McCarthy. The world would be better off.)(less)

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Jan 12, 2009 Megan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ajpl, 2009, nonfiction, psychology, adult, accessible-reads

I don’t know anyone on the autism spectrum, but I picked up this book out of interest in the condition. I’ve always been interested in how the human brain works. Therefore I couldn’t approach this book the way I think many of its readers probably are: as parents, or caregivers, or family members of a person with autism, looking for answers or maybe just another perspective. I can’t say how useful the book would be to someone in that situation, though I’m inclined to say that I would have found i...more I don’t know anyone on the autism spectrum, but I picked up this book out of interest in the condition. I’ve always been interested in how the human brain works. Therefore I couldn’t approach this book the way I think many of its readers probably are: as parents, or caregivers, or family members of a person with autism, looking for answers or maybe just another perspective. I can’t say how useful the book would be to someone in that situation, though I’m inclined to say that I would have found information and a bit of comfort in the pages if I were.

Charlotte Moore is the single mother of three boys, two of which are autistic. Her youngest son is “neurotypical,” ie, not autistic, and normally functioning. As a writer, she’s able to spend her days at home, and she provides her perspective on her sons growing up. She compares her eldest, George, to her middle child, Sam, who’s arguably the most limited of the pair, and she compares the both of them to her youngest, Jake. She provides a chronicle of their lives from birth to diagnosis all the way up to their current ages, with George poised on the brink of puberty.

The author does jump around a bit, which can be slightly confusing as we are introduced to the three children and their lives. It’s not so much a chronological journey as it is a topical one. She jumps from the boys’ food habits to their verbalization (they all say very funny things, and it made me laugh out loud once or twice, providing part of the humor of the book), to their schooling to the various methods she and the father of the boys attempted to bring words and emotions to their daily lives. The jumping around also leads to a slight repetitiveness which becomes the most pervasive during the middle of the book.

She’s very positive, and you can tell she adores her three sons. It seems she is in a relatively unique position to provide them a lot of one-on-one care and be very involved in their lives. Moore also has the capability to step back and distance herself so that she never seems too biased in any direction.

The book definitely provided me with a new perspective on autism, and a new understanding of the mindset of people who are autistic.(less)

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Aug 27, 2012 Ellie rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book provides fascinating insight into the world of autism. I must say, I don't think I could cope, after reading of the challenges the author faces in raising her sons. Both boys seemed normal into toddler-hood, even of advanced intelligence, especially George, the older of the two. By the time George was exhibiting learning and behavior problems, Sam was growing into completely different personality traits, and so was believed to be "neurotypical." Sam eventually had a great regression an...more

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Oct 02, 2011 Rosdiana rated it 5 of 5 stars

Awalnya beli buku ini karena tertarik dengan nama 'Autis' yang menjadi tema buku. Saya penasaran bagaimana kehidupan seorang penderita autis dan bagaimana hal tersebut mempengaruhi orang-orang di sekitarnya.

Jawabannya ditulis lengkap di buku ini, melalui sudut pandang seorang ibu yang bukan hanya memiliki seorang anak autis tapi dua sekaligus.

Efek setelah ngebaca buku ini banyak. Mulai dari terharu dengan kisah-kisah yang menyentuh, tersenyum karena tingkah-tingkah yang gak biasa dan akhirnya se...more

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Aug 07, 2009 Leslie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009-reads, summer-challenge-2009

I read this book because it was recommended by Nick Hornby in The Polysyllabic Spree. He has a son with autism, and he highly recommended this book as not only a realistic look at life with autistic children, but just a very funny and well-written book in general. I don't have any close ties to people on the autistic spectrum, but I have known some autistic kids, and it's a pretty fascinating condition in general. I did think this book was very well-written, but I think I was expecting it to be...more

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Jan 22, 2010 Rachel rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was very interesting. I learned much about autism and about being a parent to an autistic child. Her writing style was hard for me to get in too, but I did enjoy reading it, it just took me longer than it usually does to finish a book. :)

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Sep 13, 2011 Gillian rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: autism, non-fiction

I don't think I realised how common it was for one family to have two autistic children, or that there was a strong genetic component, until I read George and Sam, the story of two boys in Charlotte Moore's family (and there is a third boy, who does not have autism).
Moore writes so well, without sentiment and with a lot of wit and humour, that lovely dry British sense of humour, that you may well overlook just how hard her life as a single parent to two very challenging kids must be.
Thoroughly r...more

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Jan 28, 2009 Anggie rated it 4 of 5 stars

bener kata penulis di kata pengantarnya,,,
Awalnya ak pilih buku ini karena hmmm ada sdkt rasa kasian dan keingin tahuan gmn cara seorang ibu membesarkan 2 anak laki2 yang autis...

Tp (lagi2) bnr ama apa yg ditulis penulis di kata pengantarnya.. kLo Sang penulis buku George and Sam ini bisa menampilkan dan menggambarkan setiap detailnya dengan penuh cinta dan kegembiraan bukan dengan cinta dan penyesalan akan hadirnya 2 buah hati yg autis...

Buku yang mnrtku cukup menakjubkan dan bisa membantu bany...more

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Dec 12, 2011 Readyourselfhealthy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: autism, parenting, understanding-autism

This is the story of a mother with two autistic sons and as well as one typically developing son--or neurotypical which is how she referred to him when she wasn't calling him normal. Really at times it seems like an 'us' and 'them' scenario that she was describing, though not in a mean-spirited way. Based on my viewpoint, it was difficult for me not to be frustrated with a person holding the viewpoint that autism is genetic. But at the time of this book's printing, this was still the prevailing...more

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Feb 12, 2011 Sandy D. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: disabilities, memoirs, non-fiction, great-britain-ireland, parenting

A compelling, amazing, eye-opening book - part memoir, part educational non-fiction about autism. I had another very good book going, but when I picked this up I abandoned it because I couldn't put this down. It's funny, beautiful, fascinating, and like Nick Hornby says in the foreword, asks - and more impressively, answers - important questions, questions that apply to all of us:

To what extent are we really prepared to accommodate our children? Are we properly equipped to love them the way they...more A compelling, amazing, eye-opening book - part memoir, part educational non-fiction about autism. I had another very good book going, but when I picked this up I abandoned it because I couldn't put this down. It's funny, beautiful, fascinating, and like Nick Hornby says in the foreword, asks - and more impressively, answers - important questions, questions that apply to all of us:

To what extent are we really prepared to accommodate our children? Are we properly equipped to love them the way they are?...Do six After Eights constitute a decent breakfast?

Here's a couple of excerpts that I loved: about the GF/CF diet (which works well for one of her kids and not for the other), and food in general:

There are some autistic children who eat healthy, balanced meals three times a day. There must be. I'd guess it would be most unlikely that the parents of such children would consider tampering with their diet. There are many, many more children who, like Sam, live on a diet of crisps, fingernail clippings, and fresh air. When you decide to change a diet like this you've got little to lose, and possibly a great deal to gain (p. 115-6).

On psychotherapy:

Having any bright, kind, sympathetic adult interact closely with your autistic child on a regular basis is a good thing, and so as far as that goes, psychotherapy could be of use. But I feel that, as a system, it underestimates the autisticness of autism and misinterprets symptoms that may well have an organic rather than a psychological origin. I did smile quietly to myself when George pooed in his pants in the therapy room, and his therapist told me that she was "glad that he felt able to bring something to the session". Hmmm. Beware of geeks bearing gifts. (p. 150).

Honestly, this book has everything - excellent chapters on schooling, different types of therapies, on how to help the parents of any autistic kids you know, on diagnosis, on Asperger's and the history of treatment and diagnosis, food, religion (and the Tooth Fairy), and sleep. I would love to hear what parents of autistic kids think of this book. It is also fun for reading about Great Britain - oast houses, Aga stoves, etc. (less)

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Nov 15, 2010 Jessie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I loved the way this mom embraces her sons, autism and all. The beauty of this book is its honesty. Moore doesn't sugarcoat or pretty up her life with two autistic sons. Yet even in the frustrations and anger, there is love and acceptance for her boys as they are. To parents of high functioning autistic children, it can be a bit depressing as her sons both face very real struggles in daily life. But that also gives a face to the other side of the autism spectrum -- one that tends to be overlooke...more

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Oct 21, 2007 Nicholas Whyte added it · review of another edition

http://nhw.livejournal.com/896760.html[return][return]This is a brilliant book about living with autism in your family. I found myself experiencing painful shocks of recognition every few pages, from the experience of the more � neurotypical� sibling, to the necessity of keeping important things (such as sugar and toothpaste) locked up, to the unintentional unkindnesses of friends and relatives. Our two girls are very different from Moore� s two boys, and all four are of course very different fr...more http://nhw.livejournal.com/896760.html[return][return]This is a brilliant book about living with autism in your family. I found myself experiencing painful shocks of recognition every few pages, from the experience of the more � neurotypical� sibling, to the necessity of keeping important things (such as sugar and toothpaste) locked up, to the unintentional unkindnesses of friends and relatives. Our two girls are very different from Moore� s two boys, and all four are of course very different from each other � neither of ours can talk, while both of hers can; she has had more success with toilet training than we have; her boys apparently get along well with each other, while our four-year-old U is somewhat frightened of her ten-year-old sister B (who normally blithely ignores U, but has occasionally pulled her hair). Also, of course, she has managed to keep both of hers at home so far, whereas we are now expecting B to move out to full-time residential care in the next couple of months. Another extremely important difference is that my wife and I are still together. (Incidentally, I also realized that I know Moore� s father through liberal politics.) There are many good lines in the book, but I� ll just take this one from near the end as a good summary of the common ground I found with her:[return][return]"These mysterious, impossible, enchanting beings will always be among us, unwitting yardsticks for our own moral behaviour, uncomprehending challengers of our definition of what it means to be human."[return][return]You couldn� t take this book as an essential medical text on autism. Nick Hornby in his introduction makes parallels with Wild Swans and Claire Tomalin� s life of Pepys, but I think that� s a mistake: both of those are deeply factual books which we should take as serious academic contributions to the histories of China and of seventeenth-century England. (For instance, Moore writes about experiments with diet as a way of improving her children� s condition, but her account should be taken as a personal history rather than a medical recommendation; we� ve tried that and it made no difference apart from making B grumpy because there was no cheese.) I think a better parallel is with Rebecca West� s amazing Black Lamb and Grey Falcon, which is misleading and possibly even dangerous if taken as a factual history of Yugoslavia, but if read correctly as a human response to the experience of the Balkans is one of the great books of the twentieth century. Anyway, this is a great account of an important part of my world by someone who shares it.(less)

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Feb 19, 2008 Natalie rated it 3 of 5 stars

I read this for my book club, and it was chosen by a member who works as an aide in a classroom with autistic children. It's not a book I would have chosen to read on my own, but I'm really glad I read it. I learned a great deal about autism -- especially day-to-day family life with autists. I liked the author very much -- I think it was fascinating to read about autism from the perspective of a mother of two autistic children (and one "neurotypical" child). I liked how she enlightened her reade...more

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May 24, 2013 Bayneeta rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction

I have no experience with autistic children, but the brief excerpt in Nick Hornby's Polysyllabic Spree and Hornby's comments on the book intrigued me. Moore is a remarkable woman who loves and appreciates her children for who they are, and who works tirelessly to provide the safest, most enriching life possible for them. It appears a new updated edition of the book came out last year, and interesting updated info on the two oldest boys who are 20 and 22 now is available online.

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Mar 26, 2011 Elin Barrett rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: important-books-in-my-life-i-regu

I went through a long phase in my life of reading as many books as I could get my hands on which were true stories of children with autism. Now it's been a while since I've read any of those books, but I still find myself regularly going back to George and Sam. It tells the story of Charlotte Moore bringing up three sons, two of which suffer from autism. Although it would be easy for her to focus on all the problems she's had bringing up three sons single-handed, instead she focuses on the good...more

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Jul 13, 2012 Andi Dzul rated it 4 of 5 stars

I originally thought this book was a novel and the drama turns out this book is non fiction and the novel contains a narrative about a mother who has two children with autism, and after reading the book is the first thing I remember is how I see the sadness of children with autism in Indonesia where I live had unfair treatment and in this book is also helpful to give information about the handling of an autistic child :)

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Jun 02, 2008 Katy-Del rated it 3 of 5 stars

My son's teacher suggested it. It is a mom writing about her 3 children, the oldest 2 are autistic and the 3rd is not. I have real respect with a woman who looks around and then just gets on with it.

She describes just about every possibel theoropy that she could get for her boys and the effects. She details how hard each day is for her as a single mother. She talks about how bad the badest times were and how things have improved for her family.

The forward is by Nick Hornby, the writer of About...more

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Mar 08, 2013 Fayette rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a very interesting book about a woman with three sons. Two of them have autism. I couldn't help compare it to the book, Bloom, finding beauty in the unexpected, by Kelle Hampton. Hampton wrote about her experience of giving birth to a daughter with Down's syndrome. It was REALLY emotional (like I cried for almost the whole book).

Moore wrote this book in a much more constrained way. I didn't cry, or even feel sorry for her or her sons, which I'm sure is more what she intended. Most of t...more

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Aug 19, 2009 Castiron rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: library-checkout

A fascinating look into a family with two autistic sons (and one neurotypical).

What's particularly helpful about this book is how it shows autism affecting the two boys differently. Their impairments are different; their treatments are different. Strong ammunition against the "this one thing will cure your child's autism, guaranteed!" crowd.

1 like · like · see review

Jan 06, 2013 Danielle Fields added it

A no-holds-barred look into the life of a mother with two autistic children and one neurotypical child, this book shows just how unglamorous life can be for families with children on the spectrum. However, it also speaks to all of the blessings that these children can bring to the family dynamic.

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Jul 11, 2012 Christine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Hats off to charlotte Moore for raising these two fine autistic boys and another son also. A fascinating insight into this condition and how to deal with it, also as to the complexity of autism- it is different for everyone.

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May 06, 2010 Jen rated it 2 of 5 stars

Super boring. I'm thinking maybe just interesting for someone living with autistic kids? It's exactly what it sounds like, a bunch of chapters about her kids and dealing with their autism.

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Aug 06, 2012 Hannah rated it 3 of 5 stars

I didn't exactly finish this, but I read enough to get a jist of the autistic life. It was a little technical for me, but and interesting enough story.

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Dec 01, 2010 Susie077 rated it 4 of 5 stars

A fascinating account of a family with two autistic boys.

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Jan 15, 2008 Teresa rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is another non-fiction piece. So far all the non-fiction that I've been reading have taken me a bit longer to get through, but are still good books. Charlotte Moore's experiences are quite fascinating and I honestly don't know how anyone could survive raising 2 drastically different autistic children. This book really helped me to understand more about autism, but I wish the book would've touched more on how to deal with autistic children. I feel quite inadequate when it comes to working wi...more

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Dec 25, 2011 Alvi Harahap rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Very detail memoir for Autism

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May 20, 2012 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

I can't even begin to praise this book enough. Moore deftly explains autism, from concept of self to strange eating habits, with just the right balance of research and personal experience. Her focus is not on cause or cure or anything like that. This is a book about how autistic children can only be what they are, and why that's really not so bad. I fell in love with Moore's sons, and an inspired to learn more about this important topic.

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Nov 09, 2009 Rachael rated it 3 of 5 stars

Though not a comprehensive review of the experience of autists or research about autism, this book has a nice collection of anecdotes that get one thinking about the day to day life of an autistic person. It's an interesting read.

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Aug 26, 2008 Iamshadow rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: autism, autobiography, nonfiction

I don't think I can describe how much I love this book. Charlotte is a single mum of three boys, two autistic, one neurotypical. She loves them and embraces them. She describes George and Sam as being 'autistic through and through', not holding to the common idea of a NT child 'trapped inside' by autism. Beautiful descriptions of day to day life living with kids on the autistic spectrum.

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Jun 11, 2008 Kellyhiselman rated it 4 of 5 stars

Beautiful, moving, real-life account of a mother's daily experience with her two autistic sons in England. When I found this book last fall, I can remember falling in love with this family and their support system of individuals who are woven into the fabric of their lives to help meet the needs of these beautiful boys and their mom -- a subject near and dear to my own heart.

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