Temple Grandin

Filed under: Themes, Auties & Aspies, Books & Book Reviews, QuIrked Kids, Irked Videos, Interviews

The book Cowboy & Wills opens the day after critically-acclaimed author Monica Holloway’s adorable three year-old son Wills is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. She takes him to a pet store; and from her first impulse purchase of a full aquarium, Holloway quickly graduates to hermit crabs, hamsters, African dwarf frogs, and a rabbit. But like all children, what Wills wants most is a puppy. That Christmas, eight-week old Cowboy arrives and forever changes their lives.

Where Wills is cautious, fastidious, and tender hearted, Cowboy is rambunctious, affectionate, and impulsive. Soon, the boy who could barely say hello to his kindergarten classmates is going on playdates, learning to swim, and sleeping in his own bed. Through it all, Cowboy is there, dragging him toward other children and giving him the confidence to face his fears—with her by his side. But love is not enough to save the beautiful Cowboy from her fate, and the cruel world of puppy mills quickly catches up to them. When Cowboy is diagnosed with lupus, Wills and his family realize that they must be there for her, just as she was there for them.

Monica Holloway sat down with Simon Spotlight Entertainment (a division of Simon & Schuster) for a discussion of her life’s path as a mother and memoirist, and the unexpected trajectory this path has taken through her life. Here are the highlights:

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Filed under: Themes, Auties & Aspies

The Sunshine Boy has been playing in cinemas in Iceland since January. It will have its international premiere at the Toronto Film Festival next month. Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet has agreed to do the English narration for the film, and Icelandic musicians Bjork and Sigur Ros will also contribute. The film’s producer, Margrét Ericsdóttir, estimates that the documentary will be released on DVD by the end of the year.

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Iceland Review Online, written in January ‘09:

As my sister and I were waiting for the premiere of The Sunshine Boy to start, standing in the lobby of the cinema, we were approached by a young English-speaking man.

He greeted us and asked us what days we were born. It took him about five seconds to figure out that my birthday, July 12th 1976, was a Monday and that my sister’s birthday was a Saturday. We had no idea whether he was right or not and before we could speak, he had moved over to other premiere guests, asking them the same question.

That was my brief encounter with Taylor Crowe, one of the interviewees in the documentary The Sunshine Boy Click to continue »