House Rules

So far this summer my reading list has consisted of re-reading a bunch of my older Jodi Picoult books! She is my favorite author and I just love all of her books… some I haven't read in YEARS so it is great to re-read them! 

I started off with Change of Heart and recently finished House Rules!

 

Book Overview: 

"Jacob Hunt is a teenage boy with Asperger's syndrome. He's hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others, and like many kids with AS, Jacob has a special focus on one subject — in his case, forensic analysis. He's always showing up at crime scenes, thanks to the police scanner he keeps in his room, and telling the cops what they need to do...and he's usually right. But then his town is rocked by a terrible murder and, for a change, the police come to Jacob with questions. All of the hallmark behaviors of Asperger's — not looking someone in the eye, stimulatory tics and twitches, flat affect — can look a lot like guilt to law enforcement personnel. Suddenly, Jacob and his family, who only want to fit in, feel the spotlight shining directly on them. For his mother, Emma, it's a brutal reminder of the intolerance and misunderstanding that always threaten her family. For his brother, Theo, it's another indication of why nothing is normal because of Jacob. And over this small family the soul-searing question looms: Did Jacob commit murder?"

If you know anyone who is on the autism spectrum this is a highly interesting read. You can tell Jodi Picoult did a lot of research on Asperger's syndrome in order to write the chapters from the point of view of Jacob. I loved the book because it had a bunch of twists and turns while allowing you to put yourself in a lot of different characters shoes. 

When in college I was in the Alpha Xi Delta Fraternity whose philanthropy is Autism Speaks so autism awareness has a special place in my heart.  

Did You Know???

1 in 68 children is diagnosed with autism

1 in 42 boys is diagnosed with autism

A child is diagnosed with autism every 8 minutes

Autism costs a family $60,000 a year on average

House Rules is also chock full of autism facts without being obvious about it! Definitaly a fantastic book if you are looking for a beach/vacation read! 

The next Jodi Picoult book on my list is The Pact! I'm about half way through with this one and will probably finish it this week! Woohoo!