The
Boy Who Loved Too Much: A True Story of
Pathological Friendliness by Jennifer Latson is a fascinating
look at the life of a person with Williams Syndrome – sometimes called the “reverse
autism.”
Latson explores this disease through the
life and struggles of Eli – specifically from ages ten to thirteen.
People who have Williams (which is caused
by the absence of one gene) tend to be small, with slanted eyes, often are very
musical, often have heart problems and weight problems, and have no inhibitions. A person with Williams will have extremes of
emotion and show them to everyone, and he will ask any and anything about and
of another person, which can make them very difficult to be around and to be
friends with.
Eli’s story comes with a diagnosis at a
young age, his father being unable to cope and leaving, and his mother
dedicating her life to caring for him and helping him to learn how to be “functioning”
in our world.
Besides being a fascinating syndrome and
story, it points out how fragile we are.
One gene being missing changed everything. How complicated and majestic is the human
body and the whole of Creation!
[This
review appears on my blog, Amazon.com, and Goodreads.com.]
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