I Am in Here

I am in Here: The Journey of a Child with Autism Who Cannot Speak but Finds Her Voice
Written by Elizabeth M. Bonker and Virginia G. Breen
Published at Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

About the book

Me

I sometimes fear

That people cannot understand

That I hear.

And I know

That they don't believe I go

To every extreme

To try to express

My need to talk.

If only they could walk

In my shoes

They would share my news:

I am in here.

And trying to speak every day

In some kind of way.

Though she cannot speak, Elizabeth Bonker writes poetry that shines a light on the hidden inner world of autism and the world around us. I Am in Here is the spiritual journey of a mother and daughter who refuse to give up hope, who celebrate their victories, and who keep moving forward despite the obstacles. Elizabeth's poetry and her mother's stirring storytelling combine in this inspirational book to proclaim that there is always a reason to take the next step--with hope.

Who are Elizabeth M. Bonker and Virginia G. Breen?

Elizabeth M. Bonker is a thirteen-year-old young lady with autism who cannot yet speak, but who writes deeply revealing poetry, which was featured on PBS's Religion & Ethics Newsweekly. She excels in mainstream public school with an educational aide.

Virginia G. Breen is the mother of three beautiful children, two of whom are profoundly affected by autism. Besides working to heal her children, Virginia is a venture capitalist investing in high-tech companies, and she sits on both corporate and nonprofit boards. Previously she studied computer science at Harvard, business at Columbia, and eastern philosophies in Singapore. She now studies relentlessly at the School of Autism.

My Thoughts

Two days.   That’s how many days I took to read the book…  It was so good that I was completely immersed in it and wanted to know more about life with a child who has autism.

I enjoyed reading about the journey of Elizabeth and her mom through the though times of dealing with autism and silence.   Her poems are inspiring and shows that she is beyond her years.  She seem to be a wonderful person to get to know and I pray that her desire to speak will happen.  
This book helps me to better understand the feelings and difficulties of raising a special need child.   My nephew is one of them and I am amaze on how he can touched the people around him.   These children are indeed special because you can sense God in their lives.

I particularly enjoyed reading the poems of Elizabeth and her thoughts about them.   I loved seeing pictures of her and discover her journey to be able to speak to far.   The book will be hard to put down once you have started it and once you are finished your reading, you will feel as though you can read it all over again.   This book is inspiring and a great eye-opener of the challenges of families with special needs children.

Learn more about Elizabeth and her journey by watching this video of Religion & Ethics Newsweekly.

Watch Autistic Poet on PBS. See more from RELIGION & ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY.

I strongly recommend this book to everyone who enjoys personal stories as well as those who wants to learn more about the life of a family raising special needs children.

I am in Here is available at your favorite bookstore, even amazon.ca.

Disclaimer: Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.