Keiko Kobe, With the Light: Raising an Autistic Child

Abstract

Reviews the book With the light: Raising an autistic child by Keiko Kobe (2007). The book chronicles the life of the Azuma family as they discover that their son, Hikura (‘‘To be Bright’’) has autism. The readers bear witness to plight of the Azuma family as they wrestle with the diagnosis and its implications. The author labels the feelings that many families with a child on the autism spectrum experience and accurately portrays the social isolation, ostracism, and stigma they face. With the Light: Raising an Autistic Child is a useful tool for clinicians who want to provide families with a book on autism that is realistic and sensitively portrayed. It may be particularly helpful to give to the older siblings of a child with autism. However, some readers may object to the use of cigarettes by some characters and a domestic violence subplot with some peripheral characters. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved)