Life as Jamie Knows It

A prideful father further memorializes the life of his son, who was born with Down syndrome.In this sequel to Life As We Know It (1996), Berube (Literature/Penn State Univ.; The Secret Life of Stories: From Don Quixote to Harry Potter, How Understanding Intellectual Disability Transforms the Way We Read, 2016, etc.) continues his compassionate chronicling of his son Jamie's life. This book picks up 20 years after the first and finds the boy in adulthood facing the many challenges of being a productive young man in the sometimes-indifferent modern world. The author addresses these contemporary hurdles through illuminating chapters on his son's emotional development, the protectiveness and nurturing relationship with Jamie's older brother, Nick, and Jamie's complex sadness and confusion when his brother left for college. Embedded in a chapter on his son's physical well-being are the author's own perspectives on such topics as unnecessary amniocentesis and the state of American health care. In other sections, Berube shares anecdotes on Jamie's trial-and-error exposures to travel and culture and how he overcame a fear of water to become a competitive swimmer at 17 in the Special Olympics. Perhaps most engaging are the stories of Jamie's educational accomplishments and subsequent search for gainful employment, which became the subject of a heartfelt 2014 essay. To their credit, both the author and his wife have raised Jamie to the best of their abilities as compassionate parents, though the book is very much told from Berube's own perspective. Janet, somewhat disappointingly, appears much less in this book than in the author's first, and readers may miss her encouraging voice. While the author clearly paints the life of an adult with Down syndrome as one hinging on the compassion and understanding of others, he also paints Jamie's experience and immersion into the world as a story of triumph, bravery, independence, and great self-awareness. An inspiring family scrapbook offering hopeful reinforcement for parents in similar situations. COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 15, 2016
Berube, literature professor and father of a young man with Down Syndrome, picks up Jamie's story (Life As We Know It, 1996) now that the boy has grown up. Much has gone on in their lives during the last 20 years as Jamie and the Berube family have grappled with school, sports, including Special Olympics, friends, a big brother, work, and more. Each step, every misstepJamie got lost on more than one occasionand stroke of luck has taught them all how to adjust in a world generally unaccommodating to those with cognitive disabilities. By virtue of his personal experiences, his first book about Jamie, and his intense interest in all things regarding disabilities, Berube perhaps too frequently lapses into pedagogy in talking about Jamie's life. And perhaps the final chapter may truly engage only those who are particularly interested in the concept of disability-versus-normality and the ability to flourish in society at large. Berube succeeds warmly, however, at humanizing his son.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)