Reviews

To Siri with Love: A Mother, Her Autistic Son, and the Kindness of Machines by Judith Newman

ralbert89's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

3.5

wholewheatwhale's review against another edition

1.0

I borrowed the ebook from my local library and its a disturbing invasion of the privacy of an underaged child. Newman wrote this memoir at the expense of her child's right to privacy. The book really has very little to do with autism or Gus and more to do with Newman patting herself on the back for dealing with the difficult entity that is her own son. Exploitative, invasive, and very cruel descriptions of a young boy. I hate to imagine how he will feel when he learns how his mother sees him.

earthie's review against another edition

Ughhh. This book freaked of performative parenting and felt like a "look at me I'm great my autistic child is funny and I like it so that makes me a great person". Yuck. 

emilyelisee's review against another edition

1.0

There isn't anything 'funny' or 'touching' about this book. If I could give it less than a 1 star I would. As a parent of a child on the spectrum I found some of the content in this book quite appalling, even more appalling is the fact that there are so many 4 and 5 star reviews in GR for it. This book only serves to spread ignorant ideas on how we treat those on the spectrum. This book is not loving, it is not kind, and uses dehumanizing language.

yeah_nahnia's review against another edition

1.0

If I could give it a half star, I would. This is everything that's wrong with parents (specifically mothers) who have autistic children and cannot for the life of them fathom that the children can be capable of doing anything on their own. Do not read this trash unless you're ready to deal with how this woman (she most definitely cannot be called a mother) 'cares' for her child, and yes, she tries to act as if her atrocious behaviour is in the right.

sometimes_iread's review against another edition

hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

4.0

How does one reflect on someone’s thoughts about her life? This is something I’ve always struggled with on this platform.

To Siri With Love by Judith Newman follows Judy and her family as they navigate life and all its difficulties over the course of a year. What makes this book really sing is the way in which Newman approaches a huge chunk of their life - autism. Having a child with special needs is a challenge of epic proportions that never ends and Newman doesn’t sugarcoat this at all. It is messy, it is confusing, it is demanding, and the worry that threads through every fiber of being certainly doesn’t make things easier. Yet, there is the absurd, there are the little wins, and there is the love that binds everyone together. Newman invites us into her life and shows us all of this with a deft touch, ensuring that it never gets too overwhelming nor too saccharine, and I am totally here for it. 

The book is organized into chapters that center around specific areas of Gus’ life that are impacted in some way by his diagnosis of autism. I’m sure this isn’t an exhaustive list but it certainly helped paint a picture of who Gus was and how the family is. It probably would also help the uninitiated learn more about autism, or as Newman so wonderfully pointed out, autism in one child. 

I sincerely appreciated Newman’s candid representation of her motherhood journey and one doesn’t need to have a child with special needs to identify with the self-doubt and second-guessing that comes with wanting to do the best by one’s child. Guilt is a constant companion and I can only imagine how amplified it would be for the parent of a child with special needs. 

Newman is a gifted writer and I found myself laughing and tearing up throughout the book, as I related it to my life and my practice. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking to find out more about autism or parenthood!

Diversity meter:

Person with special needs 

Strong female 

gingermh's review against another edition

3.0

Very well written, lots of interesting facts. Good insight into mom of an autistic child.

meowzik's review against another edition

4.0

I really enjoyed this - it was well written, with emotionally touching scenes interspersed with a lot of humour. It felt real, and while not a how-to book on raising a child on the spectrum, there were numerous moments where I went, yes, we've been there. Overall a good read.

sarahlopod's review against another edition

1.0

“Just a public service announcement. If you are planning on reading or gifting "To Siri With Love" by Judith Newman, please be aware that the autistic community has called for a boycott.
The book is a grotesque invasion of the 13-year old son's privacy including her cruel observations that imagining him having sex is accompanied by the Benny Hill soundtrack in her head. She plans to acquire power of attorney to have him sterilized when he is 18, despite the fact that he is considered "high-functioning" (i.e. like me - I don't like to use functioning lables, but i want to be clear, he may have his own reasonable plans about starting a family.)
Books having a long shelf life, thes tell-all laughing at his struggles with social communication, motor apraxia, etc. may make her a lot of money and has gotten her on the NYT book list, however thata book is going to follow him for the rest of his life. It is child abuse in printed format."

#BoycottToSiri copied and pasted.

pinksy's review against another edition

4.0

I’m not sure why this appealed to me but I’m so glad I read this.

A really honest, heartwarming and funny account about a person with autism, the impact on the whole family and their view of the world.

Eye opening, educational and really enjoyable.