With the Light... Vol. 1: Raising an Autistic Child

"The day you were born...the morning sun was very beautiful." WITH THE LIGHT begins like a love letter from a mother to a child, and in a way, it is, although a fictional one. More than that, though, it is an in-depth analysis of a young mother discovering that her son, who came into the world at the first light of day, is different from the other children she knows. He doesn't talk. He cries often, and for hours on end. He doesn't like to be touched or held. He is difficult to understand and relate to. Gently, and with the aching slowness of gradual realization, Sachiko comes to understand that her son, Hikaru, is autistic. With no understanding of the condition, she struggles to come to terms with what it means and what she can do about it, while her hard-working husband, Masato, pulls away and immerses himself in his career. WITH THE LIGHT takes all of its principal characters on a long journey of self-discovery. Sachiko longs to understand the way her son's mind works. The innocence and the tenderness of the scene in which Hikaru finally acknowledges his mother and, in his own fashion, expresses his love is heartbreaking. The ability of the book to convey the complexities of human emotions without getting sentimental or overwrought might be its most admirable quality. Author and illustrator Keiko Tobe at first treats her story almost with the allure of a mystery. Sachiko is driven and determined to unlock the secret behind her son's aloofness, while her husband and his family separate themselves, and even blame Sachiko. All of which is not to say that WITH THE LIGHT doesn't have its tender moments. It does, but it earns each one of them without toying with the reader's emotions. When Masato struggles with his anger and stress of his son's autism and lashes out at his wife, it's not the cloying stereotype of an uncaring man with no time for his children. Instead, it's all too apparent that this is a man too young to be both an effective father and the star employee his bosses --- not to mention his family and society --- want him to be. These two volumes run an expansive tale totaling over 1,000 pages, including resource material to help the reader along. A convenient guide to manga helps those who aren't familiar with its style (the book is read right to left; it's surprising how easy it is to adapt to it once you get started), and the editors of this English translation include brief descriptions of elements of Japanese and manga culture to avoid confusion and enhance the reader's understanding. Also included are supplementary materials on autism and translation notes. WITH THE LIGHT is fascinating to watch unfold. Its broad scope spans years in the lives of this couple and their son, covering not only his development but the relationship he has with his sister, who comes into the family years after her brother. Teachers, doctors, friends and family all play a role, too --- sometimes in a negative, judgmental way, and sometimes with a

As a Psychologist, I know a lot about Autism and was very impressed with the fairly accurate representation of children and families living with Autism. This story is interesting in a of itself and is helpful for those who are trying to understand Autism. I like how real and down to earth some of the issues were. It was also very easy to follow.

WOW! What a complete treat this book was to read. I happened upon it while shopping and tried to turn the book over to put it back on the shelf "correctly" when I noticed it was correctly placed. Since I enjoy reading any book which increases autism awareness, I about did a dance in the aisle at this unique medium to present an autism story. I not only was treated to a creative and wonderfully illustrated story, but learned how to read Japanese manga which I had never experienced before. It was also interesting to see how another culture/society addresses autism from the open-armed therapists to the grumpy people who considered it shameful or a reaction to the mother's care (the past US myth of refrigerator mothers came to mind). The stress the family, especially the mother and son, face in the initial chapter are stressful and sad. However, as the father joins in the team and others in the community (including young peers, therapists, teachers and aides)join also, the progress of Hikaru (the boy with autism)blossoms. There are so many real life experiences shared in this book and having the vivid cartoons expressing them drew me right into the story. I wish that I could view the Japanese television drama which was created from this story. I think this would be a terrific medium to introduce American teens to the issues of autism. It's cool, educational and an overall great book. Thank you YEN PRESS for bringing this to America. As an author of a children's book on autism, this is a terrific book for any school or home library. A Is for Autism F Is for Friend: A Kid's Book for Making Friends with a Child Who Has AutismJoanna Keating-Velasco

As a parent myself of a child with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) I'm naturally curious about any kind of material dealing with autism. I'm also a big fan of Japanese manga and all of the cute characters and wonderful stories that can be found in this genre. As such, I was quite delighted to discover this work by Keiko Tobe in my local bookstore and after a quick read of the jacket and scan of the artwork, I knew that I would not set With the Light back on the shelf and leave without it. Sachiko Azuma is a new mom whose first baby has just been born at sunrise and gives him the name Hikaru which literally means "light" in Japanese. Sadly, the joy of her new motherhood is rather shortlived at first. Hikaru turns out to be quite different from the other babies in Sachiko's small mother's group. He cries all the time and dislikes being held closely and not knowing about the autism yet, Sachiko starts to take it personally and becomes very distressed. Her workaholic husband Masato isn't very supportive either and is always complaining that what little sleep he gets is disturbed by Hikaru's crying in the night. All of Sachiko's idealistic dreams of motherhood and family come crashing down around her. She even starts to receive derision from her mother's group and her in-laws, Masato's family. Sachiko actually begins to accept their false accusations and blames herself for Hikaru's dreadful behaviors and she becomes very depressed. This story doesn't end sadly though. Suspecting that Hikaru is deaf, Sachiko takes him to a doctor for examination. The first doctor isn't sure, so she takes him to another who determines quite conclusively that Hikaru is not deaf, but may have autism, a disorder Sachiko has never heard of. From there begins a long learning process for Sachiko and her husband, who does turn around and cut back his career ambitions. He eventually becomes a very good father after understanding Hikaru's disability better. The same goes for Sachiko's in-laws and thus much of her fear and distress is relieved when realizing that autism is not caused by being a bad mom. They also receive much help from the local health/welfare center, Hikaru's preschool, and eventually from Hikaru's grade school as well. In the end Sachiko's family turns out much more healthy and happy than she could have imagined only a few years before. It is important to note that With the Light is a work of fiction and drama and not a true story. Like the book A Curious Incident of a Dog in the Night Time, With the Light was written based on research and interviews with families with autistic children. Keiko Tobe for the most part avoids detailed explanations of autism and the medical facts and theories behind the disorder. To include these details would be very distracting from the main plot in my opinion and thus she made a wise decision to leave them out. The editors do provide in the book's margins many relevant internet links pertinent to specific concepts if one wi