Two Books

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

Cecelia Rose Honeycutt's life changed the week her mother died. For 12 years as her mother's mind slipped back to her
time of glory as the Vedalia Onion Queen of 1951, CeeCee had become almost totally isolated. She had no friends. How could she when her mother would go to the Goodwill and buy every prom dress and then dress up in one and stand out in the front of their house and blow kisses to those passing by.
Her father could not deal with any of this and so spent less and less time at home. Her only friend was an elderly widow next door.

After her mother's death, her great aunt Tootee appears and whisks her off to Savannah and a new chapter in her life.



At the same time, I started reading The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog by Bruce Perry. Dr. Perry helped change the image of children as ever resilient and able to overcome any abuse in the early years by showing that the human brain needs love, caring and stability to grow normally. Abused children often have high heart rates because they are hyper vigilent to the circumstances around them. Without love one cannot learn empathy and loving kindness. There are a series of children who early lives he describes including the boy raised in a dog crate. He was left with someone who had no idea how to raise children, just dogs. The story of the 21 children released by the Branch Davidians before the conflagration was so very sad.

What he said though reflected the lucky circumstances that CeeCee fell into, is that much early abuse can be overcome through the presence of a caring and loving adult in a young child's life.

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt is just a fun read, but having read Dr. Perry's book at the same time, gave it greater weight.

Eliza

Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do and What it Says About Us.

In a west coast city, there are pedestrian walk lights that work without human intervention.  Instead, a sensor recognizes that there is someone who wants to cross and gives a green light accordingly.  This lovely idea was put in place to help those who need to cross the street on Sabbath and cannot do any "work" to be able to do so.

It is Tom Vanderbilt's contention that traffic is borne of human nature and culture.  He says so in Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do and What it Says About Us.  And that's self-evident.  In this engaging audiobook (available by downloading here, if you have your library card), Vanderbilt wanders far and wide examining everything from manners to accidents to the age-old struggle of pedestrian versus the machines.  Did you know that the law in most states is that an unmarked (i.e. without paint) crosswalks give pedestrians the same right of way as marked ones do?  If you didn't, you're not alone -- the vast majority of drivers do not.

Did you know the 4th of July is the worst day for traffic fatalities?  Did you know men drive better with women in the car than they drive with other men?  Did you know there are proportionately less fatalities on windy, narrow roads generally than on other seemly safer highways?  These are just a few of behaviors that Vanderbilt investigates.  What do traffic engineers do? Why is merging late actually a good idea?

I loved this book.  Vanderbilt's prose is sturdy and his explanations and narrative clear.  He asked just about every question I would have asked and sought experts all over the world.  If you've ever wanted to know if hunting around for the closest parking spot to your destination is worth  it (generally, it's not) and how traffic engineers can best discourage people who run yellow lights, and what types of circumstances are most likely to result in accident -- this is the book for you.

Yes, there are many, many facts in this book but the tone is generally light and his writing is smooth and entertaining.  And who knows?  It could even make you a better driver.

~mel

Autistic Children & Dogs

There have been two recent books on pairing autistic children and dogs. A Friend Like Henry by Nuala Gardner recounts her sons journey from violent, terrifying tantrums and her journey from starting to prepare a fatal dose of painkillers and sleeping pills to the connection that her son Dale had with a Golden Retriever and how that slowly blossomed into connections with others.

Before Henry, days were 18 hours of tantrums. An hour to get pajamas off. Another hour to get clothes on. A local pediatrician diagnosed Dale with a communication disorder. The family learned to communicate through Henry.

Cowboy was another Golden Retriever bought at a pet store, from a puppy mill and I must admit for me half the time, I just felt sorrow for Cowboy and angry that anyone buys puppys from puppy mills. Cowboy had numerous auto-immune deficiencies and did not even make it to age 3. And thinking of all the difference she made to Wills in that short time, I can only think "What if", "What if they had a long and happy life together. Like Henry, this book, Cowboy & Wills by Monica Holloway, Cowboy brings out the child. Her presence brings his classmates over to say hello. Her comfort allows Wills to play with other children and form friendship.

There are a number of places that you can check out dogs and autism.
Autism Service Dogs of America
North Star Foundation
Canine Companions for Independence

Some train and only place fully trained adult dogs
Some choose a puppy that they think will help a particular child.

Eliza