After the pain of a miscarriage and, later, the inability to have children, author Lauren Casper and her husband, John, adopted an Ethiopian baby whom they named Mareto. A while later, just as the adoption of another child from the same country was completed, Lauren and John’s fears about Mareto’s regressive condition were confirmed—he had autism.
As the parents navigated the emotional roller coaster of their “new normal,” Mareto’s emerging ability to communicate gave them an enlightening window into his world, as well as a new way of looking at their own lives, past and present.
In each chapter of this soul-baring memoir, Casper highlights one of Mareto’s oft-repeated phrases and spells out how his words and perceptions of life helped her gain new spiritual insights.
Casper covers themes such as barriers (pointing to the detrimental effect of the current United States political leanings to build walls and keep out refugees and immigrants), the dark side of social media, the pressures American women face in regard to childbearing and motherhood, and the current discussion about autism, its causes, and whether or not a cure is possible.
Throughout her book, Casper showcases God as the good author of our life stories, sovereign over all, no matter what he allows us to experience. (Thomas Nelson)
About the Author
Sonya VanderVeen Feddema is a freelance writer and a member of Covenant CRC in St. Catharines, Ontario.
