Not My Boy!

A Father, a Son, and One Family's Journey with Autism

By: Rodney Peete, Danelle Morton

Narrated by: Richard Allen

"Like most fathers, I'd dreamt of doing all sorts of things with my son. I had so many plans, but when I was told my son was autistic, those plans seemed more like a fantasy. Well, eight years after that dreadful diagnosis, I am writing this book to let every father know that your plans for you and your son can still be a reality. It's just the path that takes you there that has to be altered."

Autism affects four times as many boys as it does girls. For their fathers, expectations and hopes are drastically changed - NFL star Rodney Peete's were when his son R. J. was diagnosed at the age of three. After a period of anger and denial, an all-too-common reaction among fathers, Rodney joined his wife, Holly, in her efforts to help their son. With determination, love, and understanding, the family worked with R. J. to help him once again engage with the world. Eight challenging years later, R. J. has gone from the son one doctor warned would never say, "I love you," to a thriving, vibrant boy who scored his first soccer goal while his dad cheered from the sidelines.

©2010 HollyRod Entertainment (P)2010 Tantor

Critic reviews

“Rodney Peete writes a compelling book that will help fathers emotionally deal with the challenge of raising a child with autism.” (Alonzo Mourning, former NBA player)

A good read for the dad of a newly diagnosed kid

My son was diagnosed on the ASD spectrum earlier this year, and like any good book lover I sought out answers in books and first-hand accounts from other parents. Peete's book stood out because of his popularity (I remember watching him play in the NFL as a kid) and his wife's advocating efforts for autism awareness. So it seemed like a safe read, and it definitely was. The majority of the book is the story of how the Peetes approached the challenges of autism with their son. If you're looking for a story about how a family deals with the diagnosis and the first few years with autism, this is a pretty good read, down-to-earth and without the scientific terms that other books throw in. I particularly enjoyed Peete's honesty about his own denial and poor choices after the diagnosis which only increase his credibility as a source of information about autism and how parents deal with it. I would also love to have another conversation with his daughter, the "Professor," since she gave some great advice on how to incorporate an autistic child into mainstream elementary school classes. Peete's "tips" at the end of chapters were sadly over-generalized pieces of advice that I've heard from many others before. But the honest recounting of his feelings, thoughts and experiences make this book a worthwhile read for any dad with a kid recently diagnosed on the spectrum. It's always good to hear there are others out there with similar if not identical experiences, and this book will certainly provide that. Perhaps it will have a stronger impact for other dads than it did for me, but I am glad that I read it.

Eye opening

A call to arms for Dads with a kid on the spectrum....should be on every parents list

Great for Dads/Husbands

It was great to heard Rodney's account of working with a special needs child. There were some situations that he shared I could definitely relate to. Wonderful listen and a great resource for Dads (and Moms too!).

Good book, can connect with stories

Amazing, Had a connection all throughout the book. will listen to book again and recommend.

Loved This Book. Thank-you to the Peetes for sharing your Autism journey as parents.

Loved This Book like I love their reality show (Meet The Peetes) that comes on the Hallmark channel at 10pm Eastern time on Sunday. It hits home because one of their children is autistic. Thank-you to the Peetes for sharing your Autism journey as parents. So much of this hit home. I am a Autism parent who child was recently diagnosed. There are no road maps or blue prints. I love my child like any parent and would do anything but feel lost. So many of the things in this book, me and my husband have experienced in the beginning of our journey such as after getting the diagnosis... they send you on your way without any additional info or suggestions on what to do. Like,The Peetes we felt lost. The Peetes are so real to be so transparent about their autism journey and the problems that came about in their marriage after the diagnosis. I applaud Rodney for helping from a man view point, which helped my husband. But this book also helped and inspired me because he gave so much information on what they did step by step from preschool through grade school to help their autistic son. Thank you for being so transparent and real. This book meant a lot to me. On behalf of me and my husband... Thank You For Writing It. Thank you for doing your reality show, Meet the Peetes. There is no representation of real families dealing with autistic children that I know on TV. You were more open in this book than some of the parents that I’ve met with autistic children. (People are sometimes not that open until they get to know you better. And from this book, you explain why. Even you weren’t openingly talking about Autism in the very beginning.) That’s why people like, you, who are willing to be open and transparent is very important to parents.