Synopses & Reviews
Next Stop is the universal story of how children grow up and parents learn to let go—no matter how difficult it may be for both of them. The summer David Finland was twenty-one, he and his mother rode the Washington, D.C., metro trains. Every day. The goal was that if David could learn the train lines, maybe David could get a job. And then maybe he could move out on his own. And then maybe his parents’ marriage could get the jump-start it craved. Maybe. Next Stop is a candid portrait of a differently-abled young man poised at the entry to adulthood. It recounts the complex relationship between a child with autism and his family, as he steps out into the real world alone for the first time, and how his autism affects everyone who loves him.
Review
“This is not a romance, or even just a heart-warmer. It’s a real love story, frank and particular. If you don’t like it, you don’t like love.” —Roy Blount, Jr.
Review
“This is a story that should be read by all parents, both for what it teaches about the limits of love and the power of hope, and for the way it lets us see what it means to let our children go and lovingly watch and guard over them from a distance we cannot violate. . . . You will not soon forget Next Stop.” —Robert Bausch, author of A Hole in the Earth and The Gypsy Man
Review
“A manual on what makes us human. Illuminating, inspiring, and at times heartbreaking. Brilliant.” —Jack McDevitt, Nebula Award–winning author of Firebird
Review
“Remarkable.” —David Rowell, author of The Train of Small Mercies
About the Author
Glen Finland lives in the Washington, D.C., area with her husband, Bruce, and the youngest of their three adult sons, David. A former reporter and a freelance writer, she received her MFA from American University, where she has taught writing.