Louder Than Words: A Mother's Journey in Healing Autism

I have such mixed feelings about this book. Jenny McCarthy, Playboy playmate, MTV vj, actress, and now best-selling author, is well know for her comedic TV roles, and, let's face it, for her Playboy appearances. She again bares herself (figuratively) in her books, where she tells funny stories about her life as a mom and wife. In Louder Than Words: A Mother's Journey in Healing Autism, her usual material takes a different turn when her son is diagnosed with autism. The result is a book, not without some laughs, giving her honest description of her personal struggles and her fight to get her son the best care possible.First, the good. McCarthy is a model for parents in her determination not to give up. When she felt like the doctors were off in their assessment, ignoring signs she was seeing, or brushing aside her complaints, she pressed on, finding other doctors and doing research on her own. As doctors have told my wife, they may be the medical experts, but she is the expert on her child. Parents and doctors have to work together to find answers.So using her celebrity (such as it is), McCarthy can be an inspiration to many parents who might not pick up a medical book or a book by someone they don't know, and will find some good help here as they seek answers for their own child's autism. One of her big themes is diet. She found that feeding her son a gluten-free diet made a world of difference for him. She also suspects that vaccines may have contribute to his autism. I like her common-sense approach here. She is not calling for everyone to stop giving their children vaccines. She simply wonders why, when there is some evidence that certain children may have a negative reaction to a vaccine, there can't be a test for allergies or an option to wait until they are older. That seems reasonable enough to me.For all the good sense and inspiration, McCarthy still comes across as a spoiled Hollywood bimbo. She whines that people think celebrities don't have struggles in life. Has she seen supermarket tabloids lately? They have struggles and make sure their publicist tells us all about it! Then she talks about dropping $5000 for a heart monitor to use at home, setting up an elaborate video monitoring system, which includes a 40" TV by her bed, for watching her son, and waving her credit card around to charter a $7000 one-way plane trip to go home when her son was having a seizure. She lists all the expenses for therapy and medical care, and bemoans the fact that she has to flash her cleavage for a photo shoot to pay the bills. Give me a break. Then after her husband moves out and she's back on the dating scene, this almost-40-year-old mom starts pining over some guy she meets, sounding like a teenager. She can't wait for her son to get over the flu so she can go make out on the couch with dream boy. By the way, several times she refers to her nanny. Sorry, Jenny, many of us can relate to what you're going through with your son, but most of us don't have the resources you take for granted.I also felt a little sorry for her mixed-up religious attitude. Raised a Catholic, she is constantly praying to God for help, as well as a few prayers to Mary and Michael, the archangel (or maybe it was another angel). But when things get really bad, she has some Indian shamans do some kind of chanting, and invites Mormon missionaries to pray for his healing. She also refers to Tarot cards for guidance. I don't know, it sounds like she might need her priest to come over and give her a refresher course!So there's good her and bad here. If she reaches some of her fans with a message of hope for their children with autism, more power to her. But there are much, much better resources out there for parents.

Regardless of your opinion of Jenny McCarthy, she spoke to me through this book. I thoughtl"Thank God I'm not the only one who feels this way!" Regardless of your opinion about vaccines, this is a mother fighting for her son JUST LIKE ME. I went to a large autism conference to hear her speak. My respect only increased. I met her and had her sign my book. No one should judge this mother for challenging the status quo and fighting for her child.

This was a fast read that left me feeling a little less alone in this whole journey. Thanks, Jenny, for putting your story out there. I don’t understand the negative reviews. Yes, it’s a controversial issue, but this is this mom’s personal account. How can you judge that? She is brave for sharing what she went through and learned through her journey. Having a kiddo on the spectrum is not easy and not everyone understands. I am grateful for those who speak of it, making us feel like we have a community, are a little less alone, and most of all have HOPE. ♥️

Her story is touching and Jenny is definitely not the “nut” she has been portrayed as in the media. Her pamphlet at the back of her book is a great jumping off point for parents like me that are just getting this diagnosis for their child. She has given me some hope!

My grandson is pn the Autism spectrum and my daughter asked me to read this book. It was a touching story of how a mother faught the systems and got help for her son with autism. Every parent that has a child on the spectrum should read her book.

Jenny is inspiring and funny and I love how she puts her humor into a tough subject like this one. I am so happy to have read this book, she is truly a caring person who would do anything for her son.

Jenny’s honest and straight forward nature makes this book a great read. She bravely tells her story and offers great advice for those not knowing where to start when it comes to Autism. Very glad I bought it! I’m taking a lot of her advice from her experiences with Evan.

I liked this book. True she probably had more than normal financial resources to help this child, but her dedication to maximize his potential is impressive.

Personal story I could relate to almost 100%. It helps you know there are others out there like you, even if you don't have anyone like that in your life at the moment.