Book Reviews

If you have ever wandered into the self-help, parenting, or mental health sections of your local library or book store then you know just how many options you have and how overwhelming it can be to pick the book that is right for you. In fact, sometimes it feels like all we do is search for books that will give us the resources we need, and far too many books just don’t help. Because we are parents too, we know you don’t have a lot of extra time, so as we find books that have helped us we will add them to our list.

Every family is different, so the books that have helped us may not help you, but take a look and see if our suggestions will get you started on the right track.

If you have a book you would like to add to our list, just let us know!

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Check out the books already reviewed by parents below!

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Drowning with My Hair on Fire: Insanity Relief for Adoptive Parents

Drowning with My Hair on Fire
Categories: ,
Author:
Publisher:
Page Count: 344
Published: 2016-03-18
Relief for Adoptive Parents of Traumatized, Attachment-Challenged Children. . . Drowning with My Hair on Fire is a lifeline for adoptive parents trying to navigate the choppy waters of raising adopted children from difficult beginnings. Author Ce Eshelman's beautiful heart really shines through in the hundreds of letters to parents to read each day when needing hope, inspiration, advice, direction, reminders, or practical help. She deeply understands them and the chaos of their lives and…

Mom from Boise says:

Are you tired of the long books that tell you much of the same things before you get to the nugget of info that relates or is helpful to you?  Eshelman’s experience and understanding shines in these letters to parents that you can read each day.  When you’re needing (brief – some insights are less than a page) help, hope, inspiration, advice, direction or reminders, Eshelman, founder of The Attach Place Center for Strengthening Relationships and in practice since 1987, with her wry humor and serious insight can make your next few hours or days less heavy.  Here’s an example:  “A shame-free life feels like walking on marshmallows.”  My copy has a lot of tabbed pages! (I couldn’t find this in my library.)

“When a stranger calls you mom”: A child development and relationship perspective on why abused and neglected children think, feel, and act the way they do

"When a stranger calls you mom": A child development and relationship perspective on why abused and neglected children think, feel, and act the way they do
Categories: ,
Page Count: 235
Published: January 1st 2004

Parent in Boise says:

This book gave me a new and truly different parenting model, as coach instead of loving parent.  It took some of my hurt away of loving w/o reciprocation from my sons and coaching made sense to the athlete in me.  Who hasn’t heard of that great coach who “saved” a kid?  After explaining child development, traumatized children and how they think, feel and act the way they do, Leslie, a Ph.D. and mother of four adopted children, explains parenting strategies that include relationship coaching.  By switching to a structure and rehabilitation approach from love and affection, the boys and I felt less strain to pretend that we were a loving family and were able to do the work that would help us move toward a feeling of well-being and safety.  If you’re a seasoned frontal lobe/neglect/attachment parent already, just skip to the chapter, Parenting (page 142 – 187) for the coach model.  (Found in some libraries.)

Wrightslaw: Special Education Law

Wrightslaw: Special Education Law, 2nd Edition
Page Count: 442
Published: 1/1/2007
Wrightslaw: Special Education Law, 2nd Edition is designed to meet the needs of parents, teachers, advocates, attorneys, related services providers, school psychologists, administrators, college professors, hearing officers, and employees of district and state departments of education.

A Parent in Ammon says:

Once I realized my child needed special education services, I quickly figured out that I needed to know everything there was to know about my child’s rights.  This book is technical and explains the federal laws that govern special education. It includes case law to help you know how the laws have been interpreted.  I would buy a copy (instead of borrowing from the library) and use a highlighter and sticky notes to index everything that applies to you child.  I have referred to it many times over the years. In our special education journey, this has been my go-to book, but it is not an easy read.

The Price of Silence: A Mom’s Perspective on Mental Illness

The Price of Silence: A Mom's Perspective on Mental Illness
The author of “I Am Adam Lanza’s Mother” speaks out about mental illness. Like most of the nation, Liza Long spent December 14, 2012, mourning the victims of the Newtown shooting. As the mother of a child with a mental illness, however, she also wondered: “What if my son does that someday?” The emotional response she posted on her blog went viral, putting Long at the center of a passionate controversy. Now, she takes the…

A Parent in Iona says:

Reading this book was a turning point in our journey with raising children with mental illness. It brought a sense of peace and comfort to know that we were NOT alone. It validated the thoughts, feelings, and experiences we have had raising children with extremely difficult behaviors and being blamed by family, friends, neighbors, professionals, law enforcement, and society as a whole.

The author brings awareness to the many systems we interact with and difficulties we face getting the proper support, care, and resources we need to help our loved ones. I believe this book is for everyone, not just families with mental illness. If all teachers, social workers, law enforcement, law makers, all medical and mental health providers, friends, neighbors, families, and society as a whole read this book and let it penetrate their hearts, it would bring about a mighty change for good.

How to Advocate Successfully for Your Child: What Every Parent Should Know about Special Education Law

How to Advocate Successfully for Your Child: What Every Parent Should Know about Special Education Law
***Winner of 5 National Book Awards, including 2016 Outstanding Human Relations Advocacy Indie Book*** In this new book, Greer M. Gurland, Esq., Harvard Law School, '94, delivers a mega-dose of power for parents with passion and insight. Greer is a seasoned special education attorney--and a mom of five special needs children--who clearly works hard to level the playing field for parents. On each page, she demystifies special education law and answers the most troubling questions…

Parent from Chubbuck says:

Don’t let the crazy long title intimidate you! This is a great book about navigating the IEP process. It’s maybe 100 pages long and is easy to read. The author is a mom to special needs kiddos and is an attorney so she understands the legal jargon and puts it in simple, understandable terms. She lays out the IEP process and how to prepare for meetings. She uses her own experience as a guide to the most important steps and how to build a good relationship with schools. I have read this book cover to cover twice and reference it often when it’s time for a meeting or I want something new in my sons IEP.