This was a book club selection and probably not a book I would have chosen myself. Initially I found Brown’s account of his son Walker’s condition (cardiofaciocutaneous syndrome) and the family’s life with a severely handicapped child very disjointed. CFC is a rare condition (100 cases worldwide) caused by a genetic mutation. Symptoms vary but include facial dysmorphia, skin irregularities, heart murmurs and malformations. Walker cannot speak, he is moderately retarded, has difficulty swallowing, is not toilet-trained, and bangs his head and hits himself. The challenge of caring for such a child, one who regularly wakes up during the night, takes an incredible toll on this family. Eventually Walker is placed into a group home but his parents feel a great deal of ambivalence and guilt over this. The author addresses the difficulties of obtaining funds and support for the severely handicapped. He also tracks down other families with children like Walker, and visits L’Arche communities where mentally delayed adults live in homes where the residents and their assistants interact as equals. In his search for his son, who he is and why he is so, Brown also explores the genetic causes of the condition. The book moved me to tears twice, with the death from lung cancer of the mother of an 8-year-old CFC boy, and at the end as I contemplated the author’s love for his son along with his struggle to accept him just as he is.