For the Love of Ann - James Copeland

In this book, the life of Ann Hodges from birth to the onset of adulthood is recorded by James Copeland, a writer for a Sunday newspaper, based on the diary of Ann's long-suffering father, Jack. Ann was born in the fifties to a normal stable home. She grew up with her mother, father and two brothers, who all loved her dearly. To anyone with any experience of autism, the descriptions of Ann's behaviour in her early years are classically typical of a severely autistic child. A beautiful, physically perfect child, she screamed when certain windows were open, never cried, sometimes laughed for no reason, seemed not to acknowledge those around her, and had ...  Read the complete review