Dr James Best and his wife Benison want to do something to help their son Sam, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of three, come out of his shell.
So they sell their family home, take Sam, 14, out of school and James and Sam head to Africa for six months.
James and Sam travel through South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya and Sam is exposed to a life way out of his comfort zone.
They travel a lot by minibus and there is a hilarious list much later in the book about the unspoken set of rules James has learnt about that mode of transport including how long they have to wait as the minibus never leaves until it's full.
They stay in all types of accommodation including hotels, motels and tents. You soon learn that Sam hates tents and James has to find a way to make him stay in them, especially when there is no other option.
Sam is initially reluctant about the trip and continues to be so on occasions through their journey. However, James devises a daily scoring out of 10 for Sam which his son thrives on. James also teaches Sam how to box and play Chess and schoolwork is still a regular feature of their time together in Africa.
Sam goes fishing, rafting, learns to go into a store and buy his own lemonade, interacts with the people they meet and sees all the wildlife and amazing sights you could expect to see in Africa.
The book also takes us through a lot of what James is feeling throughout the trip. Both Sam and James have their moments as any parent or child would on such a long trip. Part of the book I loved were the pieces Sam wrote about the trip and about the people who are important to him.
It is a long book but well worth reading to the end when you find out how and if the trip has changed Sam. All is revealed in one sentence by the 14-year-old.
- To read more about the trip buy the book or check out James' blog at http://www.samandjames.life/autism-and-the-adolescent/
- James has also set up a parenting website called www.drjamesbest.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment