Book Review - Raising Cubby by John Elder Robinson.

This is an autobiography of a brilliant engineer John Elder Robinson and his son Jack. John didn't know he had Asperger's Syndrome until the age of 40. Asperger's syndrome is a developmental disorder that was previously considered a separate condition but is now classified as part of the broader autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Like most autistic individuals, people with Asperger's syndrome typically exhibit difficulties with social interaction and communication, along with restricted or repetitive patterns of behaviour and interests but often have average or above-average intelligence and relatively intact language development.  

 

Broken homes throw a challenge on the kids who are most neglected suffer the most and that's a common social problem especially in western countries. So when John's parents separated and he was left to fend himself he dropped out of the school and left home to fend for himself. Luckily by that time he had developed an interest in Music and Electronics that helped him survive by joining music bands. His interest and expertise made him wanted in the industry, and he moved from one to another and gained popularity. He had difficulties socialising and communicating due to his Asperger's syndrome that he didn't understand and suffered. However, he still managed to carry-on with his life. Then came a time when he and his girlfriend decided to get married, and Jack came to their life. John was so anxious about safety of his child that in the hospital where Jack was born John put his signature on the newborn with a permanent marker. His whole life revolves around Jack whom he wanted to excel in life. Jack too showered his love and affection for his dad in reciprocal but again a divorce of his parents put a stress on him. By the time he was in the high school he developed interest in science especially in Chemistry and he made a small lab at home experimenting in various ways that could produce rockets and explosives. He was indeed a brilliant student. His father over the years moved from music and electronics to corporate world to an entrepreneur in a specialised car servicing and building junk cars into as good as new. His business was successful, and he earned a decent living. As is with most parents who find teenage children most difficult to handle. Jack would just lock up himself in the room and John would never find out what is happening with him. Over the growing years both father and son were diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome that complicates the communication and socialisation. Later it came to notice that Jack's mother who also divorced by then also had Asperger's. Jack would also exploit the situation of divorced parents and take advantage of both to fulfil his ambitions. 

 

While all children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have some sort of difficulty in the areas of social interaction, communication and behaviour, the extent of difficulties may vary from one child with autism to another. No two individuals share an identical set of difficulties. This is why autism is referred as a spectrum disorder - to represent the broad range challenges found among those with autism. ASD includes the usual autistic disorder, Asperger's disorder, Rett's disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified. Children with autism vary widely in abilities, intelligence and behaviour.  

The jury is out on the causes of Autism including Asperger's Syndrome and its connection with genes. This story gives impression that this is genetic as John, his wife, his father and grandfather also were believed to have had the syndrome.  

 

Well returning to the story, John was quite concerned about Jack who over the high school years became very fond of chemistry and had experimented in the neighbourhood woods about rockets and explosions of mild intensity. The trouble started when he started putting the videos of these experiments that got noticed with law enforcement agencies who pounced on him in larger-than-life proportions. Anti-terrorist agencies, FBI and local police everyone got after him and looked at him from the anti-national and terrorism angles.  

 

The novel has interesting chapters that deal with the Jack's honesty about his experiments and the criminal justice system from which only got can save honest and innocent people and that's universal, got worst after the 9/11. 

 

Well, in the end justice was done and Jack was judged innocent by jury and the judge. However, the "perpetrators", the state law enforcement and district attorneys who unnecessarily stretched the case and spent hundreds of thousands of exchequer's money went "scot-free", that's how the life is. 

 

John today 14 years after the judgement is an author and an authority on the subject and lectures around on autism. 

Pradeep Joshi

pradeepkjoshi@gmail.com 

Delhi/August 06, 2025

Book Review - The Sound of a Miracle.

Book Review.

"The Sound of Miracle" is an autobiographical story that's indeed miraculous. It's a story of a mother whose first born gets detected with leukemia and the second one with autism. Her fight with circumstance and with determination to give children a life with dignity is an inspiration to every parent. The endless rounds to one hospital for blood transfusion and another to deal with autism is untiring, you always wonder how a mother can get so much strength and fight with the system and with herself to understand and find ways for her children to be happy. In the 1970s the medical science did not have the kind of advancement and understanding of Leukemia (even to this day it is not). When going gets tough it becomes more complicated and tougher.. I have seen in many cases when parents are struggling to deal with an ailing child one parent, most often the father, gives away and moves out instead of helping deal with the situation. The same happens with Annabel Stelhi, the author, and her husband and the father of two angels moves out and eventually they get divorced. It also amazes me that under such situations how children grow up and behave so maturely. Dotsie, the elder girl who is diagnosed with leukemia at the age of four takes up some responsibilities at home and comforts her mother while dealing with her own illness that she doesn't understand much about. After four years of treatment of terminal disease she never shows a sign of pain to bother her mother and peacefully goes away soon after celebrating her 8th birthday in the hospital ward with her suffering friends where she saw some other children her age passing away.

 Just a few months before Dotsie's death god shows some kindness and Anna is introduced to a kind person who she later marries her. He is also a divorcee having three children but they don't live with the protagonist. He shares her worries and genuinely loves her. As luck would have it Peter, the new husband, gets a job in Geneva and the three of them move to Switzerland where they meet a doctor who refers Georgina, the child who is autistic and gone through a lot of different treatment without much progress, although she is high functioning, to an audiologist. 

That was a game changer.. that doctor is a researcher and had developed a unique audio treatment with which he had treated some autistic children successfully. Autism as we understand is not a disease but a condition that never goes away. They are neurodiverent with certain characteristics. Only some training makes children overcome some of the disabilities and make them independent to some extent, that also varies from children to children and that's why autism is a spectrum. From high functioning on one end to the low functioning on the other where often you need constant support. Dr Guy Berard, the audiologist administered his audiology treatment and the results were amazing. In just 10 weeks it changed Georgie's life. He trained her to listen to certain frequencies and filtered out some others that used to bother her. No one believed the improvements in Georgie and some people started questioning if she was autistic in the first place. Well to cut the story short, Georgies does well at schools when the family moves back to the US and then graduates from a university with flying colours. She becomes a topic of research herself but only after she has graduated  and that's when Annabel writes this autobiography and establishes a non profit Gerogiana Institute to help people who are neurodivergent.

It's the whole system that is responsible for such miraculous healing but you need to be lucky to have the right sequence and circumstances when the right things happen by meeting the right people and in this case doctors. Georgiana and Annabel are inspiring examples who show how to WIN life. Salute to them. 

June 2025.

Book Courtesy Action For Autism, National Centre for Autism Library.