Caleb and Me: Down’s Syndrome through a Father’s eyes

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George Moody 

Caleb and Me
Editions:Kindle: $ 3.69
Pages: 114
Paperback: $ 8.81
ISBN: 979-8638349684
Pages: 141

It's like booking a holiday in Italy only to find you've landed in Holland, or so the author was told when Caleb was born. Insulting to the Dutch, but helpful, for Caleb had Down's Syndrome. 'He was beautiful from the first. Beautiful but slightly odd looking. Every feature in place, every element perfectly symmetrical, just slightly different. The doctor marched in brimming with confidence. She showed us how he differed. Look here, she said, he’s floppy. Look here, his features are underdeveloped across the middle of his face. And look, here is a classic feature, he has an extra large gap between his big toe and the rest of his foot. I’ve loved that gap ever since. When he was younger he used to park his rice-cakes in that gap, to keep them ready, for later. These days, if I get hold of his foot, I stroke the gap. It’s my sign that he is special, unique, mine. To my surprise, I never felt any sense of fear or rejection. This beautiful child was mine and he was perfect. I would love him whatever happened and however hard that became.' So the story begins, but not just a story about being a father to a child with Down's Syndrome. It is a story about how one man's thinking was changed forever. 'On the issue of the way we treat womb dwellers, new ideas matter, because the old ideas have become stale. We seem stuck in opposing camps, without a way across the divide.' This book hopes to offer a bridge big enough for many to dwell on and wide enough for all to travel on.

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Reviews:Andy Jones on Amazon wrote:

Honest, funny, zany, risky, challenging, controversial and warm-hearted. Moody writes about his fatherly love, hopes, and fears for his son, Caleb. He also pulls no punches in expressing his deep empathy for others of Caleb's kind who are not permitted to progress beyond their status as "womb dwellers". At once a deeply personal account and a broader manifesto for cultural re-examination of the choice/life debate, “Caleb and Me” is - I believe - an important, thought-provoking read for anyone grappling with ethical aspects of how genetic disorders and learning difficulties are perceived by society...and ultimately, by God.

Mr. P. N. Brombley on Amazon wrote:

Brilliant honest book about the ups and downs of being a father to a child with Down's Syndrome.
What is shows though is whilst a child with Down's Syndrome may have problems, they being such a delight that is beyond words. They teach us more than we know.
Having had a sister with Down's Syndrome and know many families with children with Down's Syndrome, I don't know of one that had not brought joy to a family.


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