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Summary: Wonderful read
Review: The author shares an intimate view of her and her husband's life as Harvard student/professionals. Her life is further complicated by ill health, a tough pregnancy and the anticipation of the birth of her son, Adam. Learning Adam will have Down's Syndrome triggers/explains amazing events. A great read (I read it straight through in 5 hours). Humorous, never grim, very poignant. Well written.
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Summary: AN IMPORTANT REMINDER!
Review: I carried this book with me and read it a little at a time as I went about my daily routines - on the train, after work, during breaks in my day - I savored it in small doses. The book is a beautiful reminder about the hidden power and energy that is constantly with us. Martha Beck writes in such a down to earth way. From the first page I felt like she was a friend writing me a letter. I would love to hear more about her life after she was Expecting Adam!!
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Summary: Exquisite and surprising, you won't be able to put it down!
Review: Whether you believe in magic, angels or a higher power doesn't really matter. You will find yourself awakened in spirit by this beautiful book. Two tough and determined Harvard students find themselves confronting the birth of a less-than-perfect child. When perfectionism is all you've known and accepted in the world, how do you deal with such a fate? With love, awe and a reversal of priorities. This book will inspire in you a renewed search and respect for beauty in everyday life. An absolute gem.
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Summary: A change of life
Review: Martha Beck's pregnancy with her Down syndrome son, Adam, caused a change of life for she and her husband. This telling of their story is sweet, gentle, loving, spiritual, and insightful.From the first page, the reader is swept into this wonderful memoir. Martha is quite a woman....she never whines, no matter what she goes through. And she goes through a lot. Her pregnancy and morning sickness alone were enough to test any woman to the limit. She also had to fight the so-called intellegensia's attitude toward motherhood, especially being the mother of a special-needs child. Through all her trials and tribulations, Beck's positive attitude, beliefs, and humor allow her to handle more than most people will ever have to deal with. Thank you, Martha, for writing this book.
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Summary: Adam brings his parents out of prisons of the ideal
Review: The bare facts of this book: Martha Beck recalling her pregnancy and birth of her second child, Adam, including the impact of how her life and her family's life is changed. Adam is the pebble that hits the water and those ripples move outward touching far beyond his parents as Beck reaches each and every one of us through the experience and privledge of Adam being in her life...suddenly our own personal views of happiness and tragedy; how we look at our lives, the reality and dreams of being happy or "making it" - those are brought into this experience of reading Beck's journey and lessons Adam teaches her. Adam has Down syndrome - the nightmare of those who worship IQ and academics - with parents that are the posterchildren of driven Harvard graduate students. The writer reaches readers with incredible wit, openess and talent for telling it like things were and sadly still are in many ways, but they are taught by Adam and she in turn, teaches those who will look beyond and examine their own standards, goals and beliefs. As a mother of a five year old son with Down syndrome, I can attest with some sense of wisdom in what Martha Beck finds through being Adam's mother - intense emotions that forces one to examine and seek within - to learn what's really important and what's basically (...) that we have bought into thinking has signifcance and many in our society often build their lives around.
This is a book to be read and shared with others. Not to be mistaken for a sweet, tear jerker "inspirational" book about a mother who is "so blessed" to have a special child. Martha and Adam Beck are too smart, wise and incredibly generous in sharing insights that so many are too blind to realize as they are caught up in being the best, better or looking towards the somedays. We, in turn, are given Adam's gift - if only we could hang out with him.
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Summary: One of the best reads ever
Review: Martha Beck writes like a dream. This book will be shared with all my friends, parent or not, for it transcends the story material -- having a child with Down's Syndrome. It is a fine piece of literature and a testament to the Becks' love and determination.
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Summary: Super well described situations.
Review: Facts of this story, that can happen to any woman, are tould straightforward.
I agree on how meaningless a degree feels once you graduate and look backwards at all the crazy things you did (besides from studing) to get it. And how cold and absorbing a place like Harvard can be, where people sometimes forget what life is all about!!
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Summary: Review of Expecting Adam
Review: This is a fantastic journey into the magic that we must all continue to see in order to appreciate life. The book is not what one expects from an expectatant mother. It is easy to be skeptical about the story told by Martha Beck - but if you allow yourself to truly open your mind to the possibilities of what can't be known factually - this book will be a special experience.
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Summary: I'm reading it again!
Review: This is a beautiful, funny and moving book. I loved it so much that as soon as I finished it, I began reading it again just to continue the experience. I laughed out loud at some parts and was so moved by other parts that I read them to my husband. Reading about Martha Beck and her son, Adam, was very uplifting and helped me through a tough time. Although the circumstances of my life are very different, I was surprised at how connected I felt to her and her family. I am now reading her new book "Finding Your Own North Star" and I am enjoying it very much, particularly because I know she speaks from her own experience.
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Summary: An eloquent discussion of what few are willing to discuss
Review: For those who are criticizing Beck (the few who do), remember the Indian adage about walking a mile in someone else's shoes. Beck does a fabulous job of sharing intimate details of her life and her struggle in accepting her son's physical condition. She is an excellent writer who narrates the story very well, and a sensitive mother who is doing a fabulous job raising her special child. Those who deserve the boos are the members of the Harvard (and general) community who discouraged her, criticized her, and would not look her in the face when the condition of her expected child became known. As for the mystical aspects, if Beck were a Latina and wrote this as a novel, people would commend her for her excellent use of magic realism. Her title acknowledges that this is part of the story. I for one wouldn't mind meeting the healing presences who guide her along the difficult path to becoming Adam's mother.
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