Daniel Gottlieb

Wow, I'm the the first reviewer.

Now a disclaimer, I don't know anyone diagnosed with autism. Nor am I a parent. But hey I did work with a quadriplegic. But I am a human being. I do ask questions and try to make sense of this thing called life.

The book is a sequel of a quadriplegic grandfather and his relationship with his autistic grandson, Sam. It's a gentle book of sweet tidbits that could people say, "Awwww..."

From all this book I learned that we all have various degrees of autism. And we all do a little to learn from Sam and his grandfather, Pop.… (mais)

There were days when I was relatively young, and in dire need of self-help, pick-me-up and give-me-life books. So, my bookshelf would be packed with such uplifting books that strangely all seemed to resonate with the power of positive thinking, the influencing of friends, and delving into layers of my subconscious. I read. I devoured these books, and indeed one or two did help me. Now, I am still relatively young, and perhaps in more dire straits than before - so after a long time, I decided to head back to the pop psychology shelf.

And so I found Letters to Sam by Daniel Gottlieb. The author is a quadriplegic and addresses these 'letters' to his grandson, who is autistic. There is no doubt that the book is intimate, compassionate and written from a deeply personal level. Gottlieb offers some precious insights into what it means to be human - and there were moments in the book that touched even this cynical self of mine. Yet, overall, great as the book was, cynical I remained. Perhaps, in another time, in another frame of mind, I might have absolutely relished, cherished, and generally loved this book to pieces. Today, I can say I like it. Just that. Just about. Strange how our moods condition the pages we read.… (mais)