He Could Be Another Bill Gates

by Donna Levin

FROM THE BESTSELLING, CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED AUTHOR OF THERE'S MORE THAN ONE WAY HOME COMES A ROMANTIC COMEDY SET IN 21ST CENTURY SAN FRANCISCO, WHERE DIFFERENCES ARE CELEBRATED AND EVERYONE FITS IN ... EXCEPT WHEN THEY DON'T. Anna Kagen had her heart broken five years ago--so badly that she can't imagine ever having another man in her life. Her ex-husband, Alex, would like her to stay that would ensure that he has control of their children, Jack, a 16-year-old on the autism spectrum, and five-year-old Marissa, whose "giftedness" might be wishful thinking on his part, since he needs someone to achieve his own unfulfilled ambitions. As for Jack, he's ready to open his to the lissome redhead and high school queen bee, Ashleigh. And she's taking an interest in him! When Anna reconnects with Jason, a man from her past who was once kind to her and who has a special needs son of his own, they seem destined to become a new family. But not if their ex-spouses have anything to say about it....

Genres: Fiction, Romance

324 pages, Paperback

Published October 3, 2018

About the author

Donna Levin is an almost-San Francisco native, since she was born in Oakland. She’s the author of four previous novels, *Extraordinary Means*, *California Street*, *There’s More Than One Way Home*, and *He Could Be Another Bill Gates*, as well as two books on the craft of writing, *Get That Novel Started* and *Get That Novel Written*. Her papers are part of the Howard Gotlieb Research Center at Boston University, and the California State Library’s collection of California novels. On April 23, 2024, Skyhorse Publishing published her latest novel, The Talking Stick.

Reviews

[Doug]

Since the author and I have been BFFs for over 40 years - and I get an acknowledgement for providing proofreading assistance at the back of the book, I really should pull a Jeff Sessions and 'recuse' myself from rating. And let me be honest and say this is not a genre I generally read or have much interest in (broadly, 'women's fiction', although it is also a good example of the burgeoning sub-genre of 'autism lit' also).

That said, this sequel to Ms. Levin's previous novel, 'There's More Than One Way Home' continues the saga of Anna Kagen, picking up her story five years from the earlier book, and finds her still coping with her now teenage son, Jack, an ' Aspie' (i.e., person with Asperger's Syndrome, a mild form of autism); her 5 and a half year old 'NT' (Neuro-Typical) daughter, Marissa; while also navigating a new romance with Jason, a hunky policeman with his own autistic son, Trevor. The blending of this new family (complete with 'Brady Bunch' jokes) forms the core of the new book.

I should mention that it is NOT necessary to have read the first book to enjoy and understand what's going on in this one. Knowing the author as well as I do, I can appreciate how the main character exhibits some of the same charateristics, especially her sometimes snarky sense of humor (which we BOTH share), as well as her 'Tiger Mother' instincts towards her own children. But it is ALSO not necessary to know the author to enjoy her fine novel!

[Linda Zagon]

Kudos to Donna Levin, author of "He Could Be Another Bill Gates" for writing a unique contemporary, emotional, witty, compassionate , endearing, enjoyable and heartwarming novel. I love the way that Donna Levin discusses the challenges of being a supportive parent and writes about divorce, dysfunctional households, autism, and the spectrum, being different, teenage problems and coming of age problems, and problems in society. The Genres for this story are Fiction and Women's Fiction, with a touch of Romance and Suspense.
The author describes her assorted cast of characters as complex and complicated due to circumstances. The story takes place in the present and goes to the past when it pertains to the events or characters in the story. Anna Kagen is a divorced mom of a 16-year-old son Jack that is on the autism spectrum and a 5-year-old daughter Marissa who seems to be gifted. Their father Alex is a domineering man, who still likes to have control in his children's life, whether Anna approves or not. Marissa is aware that her brother is very different. Jack does have certain problems adjusting to school.
Anna bonds with another single father, Jason, who has a son that is in a similar program to Jack. Anna knows Jason from an earlier time in her life when he had helped her. It is unfortunate that both ex-spouses are not happy with their friendship.
Jack does become friends with a high school student a little older than himself, Ashley, who wants to help everyone. There are surprises and secrets, and twists and turns in this story. I would recommend this story for those readers who enjoy a contemporary and unique story.

[Donna Gillespie]

Levin’s previous novel, ‘There’s More Than One Way Home’, debuted to resounding critical acclaim and quickly became a classic in the canon of novels of autism. ‘He Could be another Bill Gates,’ (while very much a stand-alone book), continues the tale in the same memorable style; there’s no let-up in the high drama as teenager Jack, who is on the spectrum, struggles for acceptance in high school and for independence in the real world. Or the hilarious domestic conflicts that arise when Anna falls in love with a policeman who has an autistic child of his own and they fight to become a family. This is another serving of Levin’s gripping, laugh-out-loud scenes, presented in the same sharp, witty comedic style, all frosted with her luscious prose. Another intriguing feature of this book is how vividly it portrays Jack’s point of view; you are immersed in his world; you learn how he thinks and feels, what he hears when others talk. Strong plotting; characters you'll never forget.

[Jason]

At about the halfway point, I'm seriously impressed with the literary quality of this book. After years of shying away from contemporary realist fiction because the stuff that gets published is so often written in the Iowa/New Yorker mould, it is refreshing to come across a book about family life that delivers fine characterizations and a compelling plot without being deliberately obscure, using cartoonish devices or inserting the author's persona into every sentence. It's weird to me that this is coming from a small press since all of the large-press books in a similar genre that I've picked up in the past few years, I've put down before reading this far.

Although the plot revolves around living with teenagers with Asperger's Disease, this is much larger than a topical or special-interest book. Indeed, one of its greatest strengths is in making us see the full humanity of the disabled characters. As someone who is not particularly involved with spectrum disorders, I can recommend this as a general-interest novel for anyone who wants to read clearly written, beautifully observed, often laugh-out-loud funny observations of contemporary private life.

[Susan Inman]

The book was told from too many perspectives. And maybe because so many of the characters were teenagers, but for my taste there was too much drama and too much angst. I felt like everyone needed a good therapist.

[Marie]

I received a copy from Chickadee Prince Books in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 3.5 / 5

He Could Be Another Bill Gates is actually a continuation of another one of Donna Levin’s novels that follows the same family. I haven’t read the previous book, but was able to follow He Could Be Another Bill Gates regardless. The family consists of Anna Kagen, a recently single mother co-parenting her two children with her ex-husband, Alex. Her son, Jack, is a 16 year old with Asperger’s and her daughter, Marissa, is a ‘gifted’ 5 year old. The story centers on themes of family and change - Anna navigating her life after divorce and reconnecting with a man from her past, Jack exploring life as a teenager and dealing with feelings he has for a popular girl from school, and Marissa attempting to understand what it means to be ‘gifted’ at such a young age and learning about the repercussions of decisions she makes.

Levin writes the story from all of their perspectives, as well as the girl Jack has feelings for, so we get insight into the inner thought processes of each of these characters. Writing each of the diverse points of view - different ages and challenges - was really well done. My favorite characters to follow were actually the kids, Jack and Marissa. Jack and Marissa were very sweet characters; Marissa’s 5 year old innocence and comprehension and Jack’s processing of his teenage feelings through the lense of the autism spectrum were particularly endearing. Levin’s writing on family and the changes they go through felt very realistic, though it took me awhile to really get engaged with the story line. Events did ramp up in the last 15% of the book as issues came to resolution. I also have to comment that the novel could have benefited from another round of editing. Some of the character names were confused and I found some of the changes in character points of view hard to follow.

[Carol]

I loved this book for its insight into the mind of an autistic teenage boy. It's hard enough for me to comprehend a teenager, harder yet a male one, and so an autistic boy-teen is totally beyond my imagination. Levin crafts a world where the responses - or non responses - of Jack, the autistic teen, make sense, seem credible and evoke empathy. That's a powerful story. Jack experiences "first love" and then disillusionment and then infatuation grown into friendship. Along with Jack's coming of age tale, the reader enters the mind of Jack's three year old sister, Marissa--and that's another feat. Pulled between two divorced parents, Marissa figures out in this story that what she thinks she wants is not really so wonderful. Two more points of view enter the narrative - the mother of Jack and Marissa, Anna, as she embarks on a new romance and learns that not all her negative reactions towards men are true, and Ashleigh - the teenage girl that Jack thinks the world of.

The jumping between different characters was done fairly well, but sometimes proved a bit confusing and choppy. The view of, and insight into, San Francisco politics, society and education was once again astute and surprising. I admire too the author's sense of humor and she alternates between pathos and laughter. The plot she's crafted pulls the reader in for a fast ride. The denouement contained surprises, one of which caught me completely off guard. All in all, a good read, a fun read, an awareness-growing read.

[Jill Cohen]

Donna Levin is a new writer to me. I discovered her because I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads give away.

At first I was just excited because I had won the book, and then I started reading the story. It's a complex story told from various points of view and ranging in age from 5 to almost 60. But Ms. Levin makes it easy to follow and keep the storylines clear.

The story revolves around a single mother and her two children. A five year old daughter and a 15 year old son who has Asperger's. All the stories are engaging but it's Jacks story, told in his own words that takes this book to a whole other level. You get see how his mind works, and how he thinks and feels. To get so an intimate look at such a private world has touched me in a way that few books have.

Ms. Levin has only written a handful of other books. Which is both good and bad. It's bad because a writer of such talent should share it with the world. But it's good because every word, every comma every paragraph break, it done on purpose and with intention.

This book is a sequel to There's More Then One Way Home. I did not know this when I started the book and this book does read very well as a stand alone.

Thank you Ms. Levin for gifting this book to me. But more important, thank you Ms. Levin for sharing your talent with me.

[Cindy Roesel]

Every once in a while, a book touches a deep spot in your heart that you kinda didn't even know even existed. That was my experience reading HE COULD BE ANOTHER BILL GATES (ChickadeePrince). Author, Donna Levin positions autism front and center in a way those unfamiliar with people on the spectrum, can understand. It has a cast of well-developed characters with voices of hope that alternate, making for steady pacing. Levin has a son on the spectrum. She's an authoritative voice, without being didactic. HE COULD BE ANOTHER BILL GATES is an entertaining and genuine novel, tackling weighty issues that make up our modern day living, with all it's complications and unkindness. What could be better: ex-wives, ex-husbands, blended families and a bit of romance, all living in current day San Francisco.

[Linda Atwell]

Donna Levin deftly plots a story about life in contemporary San Francisco, with all its pros and cons. Her portrayal of a teenage boy on the spectrum and his overwhelmed but loving mother are particularly memorable.

[May]

Simply . . . just . . . WoW and 5 stars. Thank you to the author, Donna Levin for writing this.

[MRC Undertaker]

I loved this book.

[Laura Hernandez]

Will rate and write my review once I've let this story completely sink in.