Different, a book review

Different: The Story of an Outside-the-Box Kid and the Mom Who Loved Him
By Nathan Clarkson and Sally Clarkson

I will be honest and admit that about up until 6 months ago, I had only heard the name Sally Clarkson before.  I had no idea who she was or what she was about.  I recently joined a group of homeschool moms that meet together to discuss books, and found out that it was mostly books written or inspired by Sally Clarkson.  Now, I am hooked and want to devour all of her work.  What a delightful, insightful, inspiring woman!  And so, when I heard she wrote a book with her son Nathan about growing up "outside-the-box," I knew this would be a great read for me.  While my children are still young and not officially diagnosed with any of the labels heaped upon Nathan's sweet head, I relate so much to Sally's story of trying to figure out her son's ways as a youngster.  Is it simply because he is energetic and opinionated?  Is it something more?  Is he being defiant or is he truly unable to control his impulses?  I was bawling just a few pages into this book, hearing from both Nathan and Sally as they told their perspectives on always feeling different from their peers.

Nathan offers a wonderful insight that we often don't hear, the "troubled" child's side of the story.  He paints a picture of what it's like to HAVE to wash your hands a specific amount of times before being able to sit down to dinner and not being able to sit through a church sermon while it seems everything inside you is going ninety-miles-an-hour in different directions.  And Nathan's message is followed up by Sally's motherly tone, as she offers her experience in finding what works and what didn't work, what it was like dealing with these issues before they even had a common name and allowing grace in admitting that worked for them, may not work for all.  As she says, it's not a how-to book, but merely a story that Nathan wanted to tell to help others who feel different.  And that works on so many levels, from clinically diagnosed to those that just have an interesting 'quirk' or two.  This book is a wonderful resource for parents or loved ones of those who are considered "outside-the-box."

I received a free digital copy of this book for review purposes through the Tyndale Blog Network.  All opinions are my own.