For the assignment, I have chosen “Following Ezra” written by a Farther named Tom Fields-Meyer. Tom is a husband to his wife Shawn and a father of three sons (from oldest to youngest) Ami, Ezra and Noam. His cultural background consists of Jewish religion, however not orthodox. Tom, originally established in Portland, lives in New York City located in a small Jewish community with his beloved family. The book Tom wrote is the memoir of his middle son, Ezra. Tom, having a career in journalism, wrote beautifully with explaining Ezra’s story with autism-even though it wasn’t through Ezra’s eyes, but through Tom’s. Reading this really plucks your heart strings and I can honestly say I cried when situations got rough for Tom and his wife Shawn, especially Ezra. The plot of Tom Fields-Meyer’s book is actually stated right on the front cover, below the title, “What one father learned about Gumby, Otters, Autism and love from his extraordinary son.” (Fields-Meyer, 2011) Not only consisting of Tom, but of Shawn, Ezra’s older/younger brothers, grandparents, …show more content…
Hugh says, “People don’t give children don’t enough credit. They’re people.” (Fields-Meyer, 2011) This is a great philosophy when being a parent and teacher. No matter what the child has or doesn’t have you need to give them credit. A good example of Tom realizing Ezra is more capable than he ever thought is in chapter six, “The Reader”. A family friend, Elana, tells Tom and his wife that she knows Ezra is reading. Tom and Shawn wouldn’t believe her until a few things happened. First, there was the spelling of “Dinosaurs” using the ABC magnets from the refrigerator. Second, there was the incident when Ezra pulled down the fire alarm because it said “pull down”. I guess it takes a big mishap to finally notice for Tom because he needed to see the proof that Ezra can do