Customer Reviews
A life of an Autistic Child as it is... 
2008-04-29
I'll keep this review short and to the point...
I read volume 1 and 2 of With The Light, Raising an Autistic Child. The author states this story is fiction but she did alot of research on autism and it applies to many families raising an autistic child on what they go through. How they found out, what the family learned about autism and what they do to help him with his surroundings and deal with life.
It is really slow moving story and interesting. I learned alot about autism. Those who already have an autistic child will relate and understand what they are going through.
You can't go wrong with this book. It's in comic book format, all of 500 pages of it, drawn nicely & clear to read. Read volume 1 before you read volume 2. Volume 1 talks about the child's birth up to preschool. Volume 2 continues where it left off, preschool up to elementary school. I imagine volume 3 which comes out in September of 2008 continues the story of the child after grade school getting older...
The Inner Light Continues to Shine 2008-03-22
This stellar masterpiece of a book makes me think of the 1968 George Harrison song, "The Inner Light" and the spiritual "This Little Light of Mine (I'm Gonna Let it Shine)." This book might make you cry. This book is the second in a series about Hikaru Azuma, a child with autism.
Since this book was written in the Japanese manga style, readers are also treated to Japanese literary culture. The book's story sequence is from right to left, which is the opposite of most Western languages. A glossary of Japanese words and a list of Japanese holidays and description of services for people with autism are provided as well. Readers are engaging in a form of cultural sharing with this book.
Sachiko and Masato Azuma's first child, Hikaru has severe autism. Hikaru is a linking of cultures as well. Masato's mother is Western and his late father was plainly Japanese. Sachiko is not Asian. Hikaru is more Asian in appearance. There are other non-Asian and even Eurasian characters as well as one Afro-Asian character in this book, which provides a "diverse" look at Japan and Japanese culture.
Readers are treated to aspects of Japanese culture. The Hina Dolls and Girls' Day which is celebrated on March 3 is explained in this book. Honorific titles and expressions are explained as well. Readers get a good, clear picture of Japanese culture and services. The book also includes useful websites about autism and can also be seen as a good resource tool.
In this second installment, Hikaru, now 9 and in 4th grade is making steady progress under the tutelage of his gifted teacher, Aoki-sensei. Readers are treated to the kind peers who befriended Hikaru since their days in day care. Moe-chan, ever Hikaru's protector remains a loyal friend as does the high spirited, rough and tumble fun loving Nobuaki as well as their fair-minded, logical friend, Tanaka-kun. He is the only one of the three who has known Hikaru since they were infants. Moe and Nobuaki were Hikaru's day care classmates.
Hikaru, like many with autism has language processing issues. He does not respond when another child greets him; it is Eri-chan, a girl he has known since infancy who acts as his "translator." Sachiko realizes that peer taunts are not upsetting Hikaru. Her claim that her son's mind is blank is a fallacy. Hikaru's mind isn't blank - on the contrary, he remains fixed and focused on whatever he is currently involved in. Rigid thinking patterns are often a part of autism.
The illustrations are nothing short of phenomenal and the character development vivid brilliant. Kanon, Hikaru's toddler sister is by now enrolled in day care and has the same outstanding teacher Hikaru, Moe and the others had just a few years earlier. Bright and high spirited, she continues giving her brother crash courses in interaction. One funny part in this book was when Hikaru inadvertently crashed a doll party Kanon had been invited to by a classmate.
Hikaru also bonds with a classmate in a fashion. Miyu, a child who had been neglected in preschool and forbidden to attend school activities at her previous school joins Hikaru's class. Aoki-sensei takes the girl under his wing and responds to her on an individual level. Using picture cards helps her to communicate. Hikaru also used picture cards to express needs. Miyu's embittered mother holds out no hope as she has had horrendous school experiences and feels there is no light at the end of the tunnel for Miyu. Aoki as well as Hikaru's mother encourage her to keep hope and to recognize the girl's progress. Under Aoki's tutelage, Miyu learns to read and has mastered self help skills. He also has his students included in school assemblies and programs. Out of this comes the Buddy System, where other students pair up with the kids in Aoki's class.
When Aoki becomes engaged and later marries a fellow teacher, he is transferred despite the parents' many protests. Hikaru's mother implores the principal to keep Aoki-sensei on as Hikaru thrived in his class. Sadly, Aoki is transferred all the same.
One silver lining in that cloud was Hikaru's invitation to his former teacher's wedding. He gets into it, in a fasion and he utters phrases that he feels most closely match the desired response. Marginally verbal, Hikaru can read and is quite adept at figuring out how to plan things. He learned to plan so well that he was able to board a bus and travel quite a distance!
Another silver cloud was a kind volunteer who watched over Hikaru and the other children in attendance. Having lost her own autistic son some years earlier, she is especially compassionate towards Hikaru and his classmates.
While Aoki-sensei is forced to transfer, Hikaru is forced to start 5th grade with a new teacher. In a weird twist of fate, the new teacher was the one who inadvertently endangered Hikaru in the first volume. Punitive and rigid, Gunji-san lays down the law and cannot maintain Hikaru and 7-year-old Miyu. That year provided major setbacks. However, the light at the end of the tunnel was never extinguished and shows of compassion helped make for more accomodation for Hikaru and Miyu-chan. Moe, Nobuaki, Tanaka and a new boy named Ishida take the special ed students under their wing and voluntarily play and work with them, much to the consternation of Gunji-san. It was Ishida who defended Hikaru at an assembly and told the school audience at large not to laugh at "someone who is trying hard." Ishida discovers his own leadership skills and strengths in the Peer Buddy System. It was a win-win arrangement for all the children who were involved.
Sadly, teachers who are not well matched for students with special needs are not uncommon. Gunji-san, overwhelmed and disillusioned soon came to rely on the Peer Buddies as they were able to create calm order in the class when she was not. Gunji-san admitted having no training or experience with students who have special needs. Over time, the Peer Buddies were able to build a social bridge of sorts and let's just say....the light never went out.
The drawings are magnificent and the characters are very appealing and believable. The rich diversity of characters makes a good thing better. Gunji, clearly Western is married to a man who is Japanese and their daughter is clearly a linking of both cultures. She is very Eurasian in appearance.
At times, one could easily forget that this is a novel. Serious topics such as death, marriage and child abuse are realistically and sensitively included in this second installment. This book has a preface by a young man in Japan who has autism. It is very interesting to learn about autism services in other countries. The Japanese character for "autism" is "closed off" or "cloistered self." The irony of the Japanese character for autism is that Hikaru is part of a very integrated community and, thanks to Moe and his wonderful teacher is anything but cloistered.
Keiko Tobe has unified people from all over the world with this stellar book. She wisely included explanations and descriptions of Japanese culture and mores as well as some humor. I like the way she talks about people who have influenced this book. While Tobe does not go into great detail about autism, her story and the magnificent drawings clearly depict severely autistic behavior and how it impacts others.
This is a delightful book that will remain a bright light in the hearts of all who read it. I was delighted to learn that this will be a continuing series! I'm already looking forward to the next installment!
