Boy Alone: A Brother's Memoir Audiobook (Unabridged)

" I really enjoyed this book. To get the perspective of the non-autistic brother about his autistic brother was really interesting. There was some usage of the f-word, however, so beware. "

" Meh. Pretty darn conceited and self-serving. I guess it's my fault for picking up the near-autobiography of someone I would not like to meet. "

" I asked my pals at HarperCollins for this book because I used to babysit (in college) for two brothers, and one was autistic while the other was not. Although I was a bit on-again/off-again with my interest level on this book, I mostly found it fascinating and heartbreaking...and guilt-inducing, since I quit babysitting the brothers when the autistic one started getting old enough (and big enough) to hurt me when he was frustrated. Boy Alone is also eye-opening, to say the least, with regards to the giant holes in care options for the severely autistic - and, in particular, autistic adults. "

" I didn't really like this book, I felt like it was really boring and not my type of book. I expected something more exciting? Karl's younger brother had autism and wasn't able to speak which made it hard for his family to give Karl attention. I would recommend this book to someone who feels the same as Karl or a person who is older and can understand how Karl and his younger brother felt. "

" I picked up this book after hearing Karl Greenfeld in an interview on NPR. I was fascinated by the idea because most memoirs of families with disabled members focus only on triumph over adversity and while hope of truimph is necessary, focusing only on the positive aspects negates some of the feelings that caregivers and families of the disabled have every day. Greenfeld is open and honest about his feelings growing up with Noah and the effects it had on his family. Without spoiling anything, I was totally dissapointed with the turn the book took just after the halfway point. It seemed like a cop-out to me. I understood what Greenfeld was trying to do, but it didn't work and made me lose faith in him as a narrator. "

" How does a family survive with a severely autistic child? What happens to the "normal" brother when everything centers around the "abnormal" one? This book is alternately fascinating, brutally honest, disturbing, sobering. 3 1/2 stars. "

" very good memoir, difficult subject, but he handled it well and I appreciated his honest reflections on having a brother with severe autism, very glad to have read this book "

" Amazing, inspiring, saddening, maddening . . . "

" This is one of the saddest books I have ever read. "

" This book was a solid 4 stars for me until the author decided to toy w/ his readers. I felt like I was punched in the stomach with his turn of events and that's why it had to lose a full star. Other than that I found it to be an honest, eye opening account of a boy living with his autistic brother. "

" I loved it. Was especially rocked by the plot twist at the end. He's a very assured writer, emotionally intelligent and precise. "

" A rare memoir that portrays autism with total honesty, even the most hopeless and despairing moments. The writing is - at times - a little bit self-indulgent, but the content is so profound that my mild stylistic disapproval can be overlooked. "

" Great account of what it means to have a special needs sibling and all the conflicting emotions that come with it. I thought it was an honest and well written book. "

" Yikes. I read this whole book in one very hot afternoon, and I think it's going to stay with me for a while. It's searingly honest -- I've been trying to think of a word to describe a memoir that's the opposite of "sugar-coated" (raw? flayed?) -- and very well written. "

" Riveting and absolutely heartbreaking. A completely unforgettable book. "

" Having read all 3 Noah books reading the story from a siblings perspective was interesting and devastating. "

" Am halfway through this, and am finding it difficult to put down. Fascinating perspective on families with special needs children. "

" Beautifully written, yet extremely painful to read and ultimately ends with a betrayal to the reader. Haunting. "

" Sad story but interesting insight . . . "

" This was due back at the library before I had the chance to finish it. It was pretty good, might have to go back and get it again. "

" Read it for a class, I was very interested in the sibling perspective of autism, he wrote it as an adult of all stories from the past, he has a very negative opinion but has come to terms with it "