LOOKING AFTER

A beautiful bracing gem of a book quite unlike any other family memoir I ve ever read Polly Morland author of A FORTUNATE WOMAN Beautifully written erudite and important Looking After is a love letter to an autistic brother and to family itself and a reminder of the power of empathy to save lives Christie Watson author of THE LANGUAGE OF KINDNESS held me captive to the very last page Wise compassionate and compellingly told Monica Ali author of LOVE MARRIAGE This life spanning memoir is an affecting and affectionate tribute Bookseller Editor s ChoiceMeet Lionel Caroline s older brother Born in the late 1940s when little was known about autism Lionel was considered a peculiarity From the beginning he was a silent child oblivious to the people around him and intent only on playing with his toy trucks By the time he turned four doctors declared him ineducable and advised that he be institutionalised a shockingly standard practise at the time No one could have predicted that Lionel would go onto music college and find his place in the world With the help of his mother who refused to send him away Lionel lived a life that was certainly unusual but never dull He had perfect pitch could multiply three figure numbers in his head or work