Following Ezra: What One Father Learned about Gumby, Otters, Autism, and Love from His Extraordinary Son

A heartwarming, intimate, and amusing memoir of a father's experience raising his autistic son.

When Tom Fields-Meyer's son Ezra was three and showing early signs of autism, a therapist suggested that the father needed to grieve.

"For what?" Tom asked.
The answer: "For the child he didn't turn out to be."

That moment helped strengthen the author's resolve to do just the opposite: to love the child Ezra was, a quirky boy with a fascinating and complex mind. Full of tender moments and unexpected humor, Following Ezra is the story of a father and son on a ten-year journey from Ezra's diagnosis to the dawn of his adolescence. It celebrates his growth from a toddler to an extraordinary young man, connected in his own remarkable ways to the world around him. And through Ezra's eyes, Tom--and, in turn, the reader--gains a new and beautiful understanding of the world.

Author: Tom Fields-Meyer
Publisher: Berkley Books
Published: 09/06/2011
Pages: 256
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.50lbs
Size: 8.20h x 5.40w x 0.60d
ISBN: 9780451234636
Award: National Jewish Book Award - Finalist

Review Citation(s):
Booklist 08/01/2011 pg. 10
Publishers Weekly 08/01/2011
People 09/19/2011 pg. 84
Kirkus Reviews 09/01/2011

About the Author
Tom Fields-Meyer is an author and journalist. A former senior writer for People, he has written for dozens of publications, including The New York Times Magazine and The Wall Street Journal. A native of Portland, Oregon and a graduate of Harvard, he lives in Los Angeles with his wife and their three sons.