I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect when I first started reading A Boy Made of Blocks, but what I got was a beautiful, heartfelt story of Alex Rowe, a man who has somehow taken a wrong turn in life and lost his connection to both his wife and their 8-year old autistic son, Sam. The novel follows Alex’s journey as he is determined to figure out where he went wrong and how he can turn things around so that he can get his family and his life back.

I have to admit that it did take me a while to warm up to Alex. I couldn’t understand how he couldn’t see what he was doing wrong, that he was either treating everything to do with Sam as a chore or even worse, was ignoring it all together, saying that he was busy at work, and leaving the brunt of raising Sam on his wife. I kind of wanted to throttle him and tell him to grow up and stop being so selfish. The more I got to know Alex, however, the more I realized how much he truly did love his son and that he just needed to find a way to connect with him on a real level so that everything else would sort its way out. And even though I was initially annoyed at Alex for having gotten himself into such a self-inflicted mess with his family in the first place, I grew to admire his effort and determination to right his wrong. No matter how many missteps and wrong moves he makes, he never gives up on trying to reconnect with Sam.

I thought the author did an especially beautiful job of portraying the vulnerability of a child who has autism, the strain that trying to raise such a child can put on a marriage, and the overall determination of parents to do whatever it takes to make sure their child feels safe and secure and has every opportunity to live a happy and successful life. Sam was also absolutely precious and I was moved to tears watching his own emotional growth as he and his Dad begin to reconnect in a meaningful way.

A Boy Made of Blocks was an emotional and moving read for me. I think my favorite quote from the book best sums it up: “Life is an adventure, not a walk. That’s why it’s difficult.” Alex and Sam’s adventure is one you won’t want to miss. 4 STARS

FTC Disclosure: I received A Boy Made of Blocks for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This book has been in my queue for months. Literally, months. I don't know why it took me so long to pick it up. I finally did though and I couldn't read it fast enough.

This is the story of Alex, his wife Jody and their son Sam who is autistic. Alex doesn't understand Sam and is content to let Jody deal with the day to day, ins and outs of Sam's life. The story begins when Jody has had enough and puts Alex out to "figure things out." As the story progresses, we see how Sam and a video game called Minecraft, begin to change Alex in ways he never dreamed possible.

I truly loved this book. I could have started reading it again the minute I finished it. In fact, I think I will.

Absolutely loved this book. Well written. I felt I knew the characters personally. Look forward to reading the next book by this author.

I listened to this book on a long road trip using my text to speech Kindle touch. It was a perfect way to read this book. It is a light read, but a little bit longer than it really needed to be. This story is about a family that has allowed autism to take over their lives by not facing the challenges and drifting apart, or mostly, the father has ignored the situation. It also shows the benefits of some video games to assist an autistic child to direct their focus and allows them to interact with other children via a shared game experience. Alex, the father is the main focus of the book, with Sam, the autistic child as the cause and effect.
We follow Alex as he attempts to overcome his failings as a father, his dealing with the death of his brother years ago, his lack of participation in his marriage and his job he hates. Then we add in a bunch of other characters, with their own issues and problems, but I never got to the point that I was invested in any of the people. I wouldn’t call it the best feel good book of the year, there was only one part that invoked a lot of emotion in me, and it had to do with Sam’s experience with his fellow class mates. It was nice to see Alex on his journey to becoming a better father but I never developed an attachment to him. I can only give this book a 3 star rating, yes, I did learn quite a bit about the video game, because other than Alex, the game was the center focus of the book.
I do thank Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read this book for my honest review.

For some reason, I just couldn't put this book down. It wasn't at all action-packed and you can pretty much guess where the story's going to end up, but still. Maybe it's because I know people who have children on the autism spectrum or because I just like knowing about all kinds of people and I found Sam (the autistic main character of the book) intriguing. Anyway, the father (the other main character) started out as a first-rate jerk, but improved greatly by the end. I think I mostly enjoyed the interactions between Sam and other people and learning about the adjustments his family made to meet his needs. Also, I guess I have a fairly dim view of the benefits of video games, but the role Minecraft played in this story was astonishing!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me a free e-ARC of this book.

This was a well written book describing what it's like to parent an autistic child. Interesting seeing how the father developed a common interest in a video game and how that helped them relate. If I had personal experience with autism it would be very interesting, but a little boring otherwise.

This book drew me in from the very beginning. This story is told from Alex's point of view, the dad, after being kicked out of his home to start a trial separation between him and his wife so he can deal with and come to accept things in his life, not just how to cope with Sam's autism but also Alex's own past. The narrative is funny, insightful, and beautiful on many levels; and it moves the story along well, with humor, anger, frustration, personal introspection.

Yes, Alex is an idiot when we join him in the story, but we are right there with him on every step of his journey to come to terms with life and what it has thrown at him. The inclusion of the game "Minecraft" and the roles it plays in the characters' lives is very well woven into the story line and added a very interesting depth and, of course, leads to the title of the book.

I was cheering for Alex and Sam from the beginning and completely drawn into their lives, watching the progress they make with each other, as well as others around them. Each character is well developed and adds their own element to what is going on throughout the book. Emma and Dan, Clare and Matt, Emma and Alex's mum, and Jody, Alex's wife and Sam's mom, even the peripheral, smaller-role characters in the cafe, the pub, Alex's friends, etc., all blend together perfectly to tell Alex and Sam's adventure.

By the end of the book, I was in tears and then back to laughing again. This is a novel, but in his acknowledgements at the end, the author states what aspects of the story he drew from personal experience; and it shows because the story is completely believable and had such incredible depth of emotion. I have not dealt with autism to the degree that a parent would and Sam is high-functioning on the spectrum, but it helped give me an insight into what these parents battle every day, not just with their child but also how it affects their mentality and how they deal with others as a result.

Absolutely incredible book.

Wow!! When I first started reading this, I didn't like Alex very much. I felt that he let his wife deal with their autistic son all by herself; he was very selfish. I would have thrown him out a long time ago. But, I couldn't put down the book, no matter how poorly I thought of Alex.

When his wife, Jody, who's basically raising their son, Sam, on her own, files for a trial separation hoping that this will be a wake up call to Alex; showing him that he needs to be more involved with Sam. Alex knows everything that he hasn't done, but he's not sure how to correct or change his ways.

When a simple videogame becomes the answer to finally connecting with his son, he's thrilled. Yet it also stirs up old wounds and secrets that Alex has been harboring for some time. This allows us to understand why he acts the way he does and all of his relationships get a reboot and are able to start fresh.

This book is a true story about the author's life with his autistic son.

This is a very engaging book. It combines the kind of marital struggles so many people go through with the additional struggles of nurturing a chid with special needs, in this case autism. The main character is just an ordinary guy next door, trying to keep his head above water but disengaging from his family instead. When he loses his job and his wife asks for a separation, he ends up totally adrift. He is uncomfortable with his autistic son and doesn’t feel he can connect. Fortunately, they discover Minecraft, which is a wonderful tool for his son. Minecraft allows his son to control his environment, and it becomes something they share, enabling him to appreciate his son’s actual abilities. The story is told with humor, grace, and great realism because the author HAS a son with autism. It all rings very true. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I recommend this book for just about anyone. Shared on GoodReads and Amazon.

Slow start with long passages of internal dialogue that didn't seem relevant to the story plot

A imaginative story of love and connection. Eight year old Sam has trouble coping with world and the strain has driven his parents, Alex and Jody apart. Alex is determined to find a way to connect with Sam and as he finally succeeds is able to reunite his family.

First off, Alex was an absolute wanker. I'm of the mindset that you deal with the hand you're dealt in life and can't just run away from your responsibilities. I rolled my eyes multiple times and even uttered the words, 'get over yourself' out loud a few times. It took entirely too long to get halfway through this book.

However, at that point, it finally picked up for me and I couldn't seem to put the book down without reading at least another 10% every time I picked it up. By the end of the book, I wholeheartedly was on Alex's side and fully supported his decisions in fixing his life.

I get how difficult it is to raise a child you can't talk to in typical terms. I get that it takes a little bit of patience to raise a child who thinks on his own terms and does what he's capable of doing to understand and communicate effectively. I think Keith Stuart did a fantastic job with the representation of a child and his family dealing with an autism diagnosis.

Also, I enjoyed the side characters and the way they were all written since they were pretty fleshed out for just being friends of this wanker of a man. Overall, I'm glad I pushed through and finished this novel.

“Life is an adventure, not a walk. That is why it’s difficult.” Go on this amazing adventure with Alex as he journeys through self discovery, revelation, second chances, hope and happiness. Travel along as Alex is reawakened and figures out what matters most. A heart touching story of a dad’s struggle coming to terms with, and ultimately understanding his son’s autism. A lovely, uplifting read from start to finish!

A wonderful book with many layers of complexity. Alex finds his world torn apart: he cannot make a connection with his autistic son,Sam, his marriage is on the rocks, he loses his job and he cannot recover emotionally from a childhood tragedy. Through the loss he builds a relationship with Sam through playing the video game Minecraft.
This is the first novel by the writer who has a son on the autism spectrum. It is an outstanding novel that deals with many emotional issues. I highly recommend it and am looking forward to Stuart’s next work.

Alex is pretty lost. He has a job he hates but that pays the family bills. He has an eight-year-old son with autism. He can't figure out how to help his wife or to make things better. And after years of working long days and weekends to provide a home for his family, he is kicked out of it and finds himself on a friend's leaky air mattress. Could things get worse? 

Of course they could.

Alex loses his job. His wife Jody asks him for help with their son. And he has to watch as his wife finds things that make her happy and help her to blossom again. Meanwhile, he lives on his leaky air mattress and sleeps, cries, plays video games, and watches television. He falls deeper into his depression, hiding from everything he is scared of instead of living his life. 

And then he finds a way to connect with his son Sam. Sam has discovered Minecraft, and it's all he wants to do and all he wants to talk about. So Alex gets the game and some manuals to help him get started, and soon he finds that he has something he can talk to his son about. Slowly, block by block, they start to build a real relationship. 

As you may have already figured out, everything that goes wrong in Alex's life is a blessing in disguise. Getting fired from the job he hated helps him find a job that he loves. Being forced out of his unhappy marriage helps him find the relationship that makes him happy again. And being forced to face his son's autism helps him see his own childhood differently, freeing up a lot of love for him to share with others in his new life. 

A Boy Made of Blocks is about a man who figures out how to build a bridge to his autistic son. But it's more than just that. It's about a man building a bridge back to himself after spending years buried in guilt, shame, and obligations. And it is one of the most moving stories I have read in years. 

Author Keith Stuart wrote this novel based in part on some of his own challenges communicating with his autistic son. He also writes about video games and technology, so he knows what he's writing about. And he writes beautifully.

A Boy Made of Blocks is an exceptionally moving story of family, forgiveness, and finding happiness, and I recommend it to anyone who is struggling with an autistic child, anyone who knows someone struggling with a child who is different in any way, or anyone who is struggling to find more from life. So basically, anyone. And everyone. It's a beautiful book, and it needs to be read and shared. 



Galleys for A Boy Made of Blocks were supplied by St. Martin's Press through NetGalley.com, with many thanks.

To be a parent to a special needs child is oh so difficult. Jody is the mother of Sam who has autism, enters the father who has no clue how to handle this situation. Walk through the pages of this book and learn how the father cops with this situation when he has much baggage of his own.

In brief - I did really enjoy quite a lot of this book. I just felt some parts were a bit contrived and unbelievable, making it a 3 star book in my review..


"A Boy Made of Blocks" is the story of Alex, his son Sam, and his wife Jody.. In part it is based on the author's own experiences with his autistic son which I think lent validity to the book. The main focus is on Alex's relationship with Sam - initially not really a relationship at all - more the absence of a relationship.. At the start I didn't find Alex to be very likeable. He seemed a bit full of himself, but with no idea how to deal with the problems in his life. My opinion slowly changed as I read on, but the first impression took awhile to get over.

I was increasingly drawn in to Alex's life and his problems as they become more apparent.. I guess a vital aspect of the story is the online game Minecraft. It is key to Alex's changing relationship with his son. I found it fairly interesting that the game became a bridge to understanding and was charmed by its effect on both of them. The book follows changes in Alex's relationship with Sam and other people in his life.

I'm a little unsure about how I really felt about this book. On one hand, I was really drawn in to Alex's story. His vulnerability both in terms of himself and the rest of his family were endearing and easy to identify with. On the other hand, some aspect of the storyline seemed contrived and rather obvious.

A Boy made of Blocks is a very well written book about real life with a child that has Autism. Alex the father has a hard time bonding and connecting with his 8 year old son. This causes problems in his marriage. Alex has other issues that also play into all this that he needs to work out. Once Alex leaves his home he tries to start building a relationship with his son. Many trials and errors but he is getting better. This story really tugged at my heart because I have a daughter with Down Syndrome and I went through something similar. Not with the same results though. While reading this book I laughed, I cried but thoroughly enjoyed it. The book was easy to read and very touching.

Book was really hard to get into and while I finished the book, I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone else. It just wasn't interesting to me.

This book was in turns funny, touching and insightful and a really pleasant surprise, when I hadn't been sure what to expect from it. Recommended!