In "I Dream He Talks to Me", Allison Moorer details the lives of herself and her autistic son. While there are more memoirs out on the market from a caregiver's perspective than from individuals on the spectrum, I do appreciate Moorer's voice. As a neurodiverse person, it sometimes feels like our struggles are shrugged off by others frequently. Even a parent of a neurodiverse individual can wonder why their child is struggling so much with something a neurotypical individual finds natural. For Moorer, whose son has high needs, I don't feel like she is disregarding her son's struggles, but I can also feel the hardships she is going through while not having a neurotypical child.

This Memoir is insightful and thought provoking. It is filled with happy moments and daily struggling's, that parents of children with Autism go through. It had me crying at times and overcome with joy from others. The writing was well done but some parts, I felt were a bit too long and so took me out of the story. Reading about these small moments that seem insignificant to others on the outside, gives them a small glimpse into the daily life of families with Autism. But to parents who know, reading about the joy of a hug or small amount of eye contact and what that means the world to us and it feels like your heart is going to burst. As a parent, who also has a child with Autism, I completely relate to a number of topics that were mentioned and others I could not, but I enjoyed the perspective and hearing another parents experience, it is still eye opening. I would highly recommend this book to anyone!
I received this advanced ebook, via Netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion.

Autism. Level 3. Your son. Those are words no mother wants to hear. There are other words too. Angry complaints from neighbors. Comments from strangers. Allison Moorer negotiates a path for her and her son John Henry through all these words with grace and love, patience and joy. John Henry, born in 2008, was diagnosed with nonverbal autism before the age of two. Songwriter Moorer uses her gift for storytelling and poetry to share her experiences. From boring long days spent with a child who wants only frequent baths and popsicles, to handling his headbutting anger, to the frustration she feels for not being able to fix things for her son. She balances this with solutions, those suggested by others and her own personal success stories. Throughout this memoir, her love for her son, her ”shining star”, radiates. Her words are beautiful, as is her philosophy: ”Acceptance is being here, right now, instead of looking ahead to the day when this will all be over. It isn’t going to be over…Today is the day. Today can always be the day that all of this changes if I change the way I see it.” I Dream He Talks to Me is a beautifully written jewel that will appeal to anyone facing challenges. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Books and Allison Moorer for this ARC.