To Siri with Love: A Mother, her Autistic Son, and the Kindness of Machines

by Judith Newman Narrated by Cris Dukehart

Overview

From the author of the viral New York Times op-ed column ""To Siri with Love"" comes a collection of touching, hilarious, and illuminating stories about life with a thirteen-year-old boy with autism that hold insights and revelations for us all.

When Judith Newman shared the story of how Apple's electronic personal assistant, Siri, helped Gus, her son who has autism, she received widespread media attention and an outpouring of affection from readers around the world. Basking in the afterglow of media attention, Gus told anyone who would listen, ""I'm a movie star.""

Judith's story of her son and his bond with Siri was an unusual tribute to technology. While many worry that our electronic gadgets are dumbing us down, she revealed how they can give voice to others, including children with autism like Gus-a boy who has trouble looking people in the eye, hops when he's happy, and connects with inanimate objects on an empathetic level.

To Siri with Love is a collection of funny, poignant, and uplifting stories about living with an extraordinary child who has helped a parent see and experience the world differently. From the charming (Gus weeping with sympathy over the buses that would lie unused while the bus drivers were on strike) to the painful (paying $22,000 for a behaviorist in Manhattan to teach Gus to use a urinal) to the humorous (Gus's insistence on getting naked during all meals, whether at home or not, because he does not want to get his clothes dirty) to the profound (how an automated ""assistant"" helped a boy learn how to communicate with the rest of the world), the stories in To Siri with Love open our eyes to the magic and challenges of a life beyond the ordinary.

This heartwarming memoir is a must-read for anyone interested in the positive impact of technology on the lives of those with autism spectrum disorders.

HarperCollins 2024

Editorial Reviews

OCTOBER 2017 - AudioFile

Narrator Cris Dukehart brings alive the family interactions in Newman's collection of memoir-style essays about her autistic son, Gus. Much of what we learn about Gus comes from three-way conversations between Newman, Gus, and Henry, Gus’s neurotypical twin. Dukehart voices Gus with minimum inflection and range, while she portrays Henry with a teenager's cadence and tone. Dukehart's first-person voicing of Newman requires a nuanced range of narrative skills, including those of a journalist, as she explains the history and science of autism; an advocate, as she argues for better employment opportunities and increased education; and a mother. It’s that last role—portraying Newman's hopes, quirks, and opinions (though not all listeners will agree with her views)—in which Dukehart captures the “collateral anguish” experienced by Newman’s family as well as their progress and quiet victories. R.W.S. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

OCTOBER 2017 - AudioFile

Narrator Cris Dukehart brings alive the family interactions in Newman's collection of memoir-style essays about her autistic son, Gus. Much of what we learn about Gus comes from three-way conversations between Newman, Gus, and Henry, Gus’s neurotypical twin. Dukehart voices Gus with minimum inflection and range, while she portrays Henry with a teenager's cadence and tone. Dukehart's first-person voicing of Newman requires a nuanced range of narrative skills, including those of a journalist, as she explains the history and science of autism; an advocate, as she argues for better employment opportunities and increased education; and a mother. It’s that last role—portraying Newman's hopes, quirks, and opinions (though not all listeners will agree with her views)—in which Dukehart captures the “collateral anguish” experienced by Newman’s family as well as their progress and quiet victories. R.W.S. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170210770
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	08/22/2017
Edition description:	Unabridged

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