I Dream He Talks to Me

A Memoir of Learning How to Listen

De: Allison Moorer

Narrado por: Allison Moorer

From a Grammy-nominated musician comes a lyrical testament to love and resilience through the lens of parenting her young son, who has nonverbal autism.

When Allison’s son, John Henry, stopped using his growing vocabulary just before his second birthday, she knew in her bones that something was shifting. In the years since his autism diagnosis, Allison and John Henry have embarked on an intense journey filled with the adventure, joy, heartbreak, confusion, and powerful love lessons that are the hallmarks of a quest for understanding.

In I Dream He Talks to Me, Allison details the meltdowns and the moments of grace, and how the mundane expectations of a parent turn into extraordinary achievements. The saying goes, “If you know one person with autism, you know one person with autism”; no two stories are alike, and yet there are universal truths that apply to all parent-child relationships. With gorgeous prose, Allison shares her and John Henry’s experience while also creating a riveting narrative that will speak to anyone who parents—and who has questioned their own ability to do so. An exploration of resilience and compassion—both for ourselves and for others—I Dream He Talks to Me is also a moving meditation on our place in the world and how we get there; what words mean, what they don’t; and, ultimately, how we truly express ourselves and truly know those whom we love.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Moorer’s candor and self-doubt are achingly honest and oftentimes funny, making this not a story of heartbreak but a celebration of life’s struggles and rewards. This is a parenting book worth reading twice."—Publishers Weekly

“I love every inch of Allison Moorer—her brilliant mind, her poetic melodic voice, her huge heart and humanity, her guts and courage, and those feet planted so solidly and soulfully on the earth. Blood was a tremendous achievement, so lyrical, wise, heartbreaking, charming, and beautifully written; and so is I Dream He Talks to Me, both a memoir of her non-verbal autistic son, and a journey into the truth of who we all are.”—Anne Lamott

"Life can wear us down and make us bitter, or it can soften our hearts and make us wise. I can think of no one who personifies this wisdom better than Allison Moorer. Her luminous, beautifully written book is a paean to maternal love and devotion, and also something more: befitting a songwriter of her great gifts, I would call it a hymn."—Dani Shapiro, New York Times bestselling author of Inheritance and Family History

"Poignant and profoundly humane, this book plumbs the depths of a mother-child connection and celebrates the human capacity to grow into graceful acceptance... A lyrically candid and heartfelt memoir."

—Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Blood
"Beautiful, heart-wrenching . . . Moorer's masterful, comforting storytelling may serve as solace for those who've faced abuse, a signal for those in it to get out, and an eye-opener for others."—Publishers Weekly starred review

"Moorer's memoir is full of backstory-memories, current notes and thoughts, and well-described metaphors that come together fluidly, all told with grit and lyrical prose. ...Her writing is beautiful and gripping and will stop readers in their tracks...a must-read."
—Booklist starred review

"There is much wisdom in her experience as well as in her reflections on what she has read and heard....Much different from most musicians' memoirs and of much interest to all who wrestle to understand tragedies of their own."
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Allison Moorer is known for songs of ragged, poetic honesty -- and for the emotional clarity of her country western ballads. Her debut memoir exhibits these qualities and more."
—LitHub, one of the most anticipated books of 2019

"There are few writers -- few people, in fact -- who could examine with such profound bravery the immense suffering and trauma in her story, infuse it with a lyrical sense of timelessness, and make us feel grateful for the telling. Blood is both unflinching and redemptive: a song of loss and courage."
—Rosanne Cash

This is an extraordinary memoir

I was blown away with how beautifully written this was. I’d enjoyed (not quite the right word for such a harrowing story) Allison Moorer’s previous memoir, “Blood,” but I would actually say this is even better—a more nuanced work, as a whole, by a by now more seasoned writer. Her compassion, honesty, and vulnerability are in every sentence. A+ narration as well.

Grace

A wonderful, sad, funny, and moving story. Thank you, Allison Moorer for sharing your son’s and your story.

If I Didn't Know Better, I'd Think This was My Son

I felt every moment of this book. I made the mistake of listening to this while driving. The chapter "Grace Note" had me bawling my eyes out and I had to pull into the nearest parking lot. Allison, you're note to yourself made me feel as if you might be talking to me. Listener beware if you are driving while listening to this!

I've heard people tell the stories of their struggles and hopes and never really connected with them. Not that I didn't care, but our struggles weren't even close to the same. But this book....this book hit me several times. From the severity of our sons on the spectrum to the wholly surprising moments (but always cherished and always welcomed) of affection, it hit all the notes.

I dream every now and then that my son is talking to me and I wake up every time so happy yet so sad. Allison Moorer hit that note too.

Thank you so much for an amazing book. I've told my mom about it, my ex husband, my husband,
two of my best friends, and almost ALL my coworkers about this book. AND I JUST FINISHED IT LAST NIGHT!

Thank you so much. It brings me great solace to hear about someone going through almost the same identical thing as me and she still has hope and the courage to believe in herself. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Amazing

I felt this book deep in my heart. It hit home for me and my family. Thank you

Absolutely Beautiful

After the heartbreak of Blood comes this equally personal story of heartache and the daily process of letting go. I’m sure reading it would be wonderful but hearing Allison Moorer’s voice catch, her raw emotion where she seems almost on the verge of tears, brings this book to a whole new level. ❤️