The Anti-Romantic Child

Priscilla Gilman, a teacher of romantic poetry who embraced Wordsworth's vision of childhood's spontaneous wonder, eagerly anticipated the birth of her first child, certain that he would come "trailing clouds of glory." But as Benjamin grew, his remarkable precocity was associated with a developmental disorder that would dramatically alter the course of Priscillas dreams.

In The Anti-Romantic Child, a memoir full of lyricism and light, Gilman explores our hopes and expectations for our children, our families, and ourselves—and the ways in which experience may lead us to re-imagine them. Using literature as a touchstone, Gilman reveals her journey through crisis to joy, illuminating the flourishing of life that occurs when we embrace the unexpected. The Anti-Romantic Child is a profoundly moving and compellingly universal book about family, parenthood, and love.

The Anti-Romantic Child, Gilman's first book, was excerpted in Newsweek magazine and featured on the cover of its international edition in April 2011. It was an NPR Morning Edition Must-Read, Slate's Book of the Week, selected as one the Best Books of 2011 by the Leonard Lopate Show, and chosen as a Best Book of 2011 by The Chicago Tribune. The Anti-Romantic Child was one of five nominees for a Books for a Better Life Award for Best First Book.

"This is a fascinating, tender, illuminating book about an extraordinary boy and his equally extraordinary mother. Their story will remind you that our fantasies about the way life should operate are both infinitely simpler than the complexities of the real world, and infinitely less beautiful. A wonderful read." Martha Beck, author of Expecting Adam

“Every parent should read this luminous book to absorb or absorb again the truth that every child is a surprise—a revelation—to be uniquely learned and understood as well as loved.” Mary Catherine Bateson, author of Composing A Further Life: The Age of Active Wisdom

“What a glorious book Priscilla Gilman has written. Lively, eloquent, straightforward, and insightful, The Anti-Romantic Child deftly delineates and negotiates the complex cross-currents of a life of the mind and a life of the heart.” Sandra Boynton, children's book author and illustrator

“Priscilla Gilmans lyrical narrative is profoundly moving and ultimately joyous. It eloquently touches the universal.” Harold Bloom

“The Anti-Romantic Child is beautiful, poetic, and heartfelt. Its more than a mother–child story; its a journey of self-discovery. Its a book every parent should read.” Kathryn Erskine, bestselling author of < i=""> Mockingbird <> and winner of the 2010 National Book Award

"THE ANTI-ROMANTIC CHILD is such a profoundly moving book. It is so riveting, I couldn't stop. It is rich, informative and gorgeously written. If you don't love it as much as I did, you must have left your heart in the taxi cab." Andre Gregory, theater director, writer, and star of My Dinner with Andre

"With unforgettable honesty, Priscilla Gilman recounts how the reality of a challenging child transformed her dream of the perfect family. I couldn't put this book down." Gretchen Rubin, bestselling author of The Happiness Project

"The Anti-Romantic Child is remarkable. This haunting and lyrical memoir will be an invaluable and heartening guide to all who find themselves in similar situations and indeed anyone confronting an unforeseen challenge." Marie Brenner, writer at large for Vanity Fair and author of Apples and Oranges

"[A] lovely, thoughtful memoir." Boston Globe

"A riveting and original book about love." Ann Beattie

“Unforgettable. . . . I couldnt put this book down.” Gretchen Rubin, bestselling author of The Happiness Project

“Rapturously beautiful and deeply moving, profound and marvelous.” Andrew Solomon, author of < i=""> Far from the Tree <>

“A book for all parents. . . . [Gilmans] poignant story of reconciling fantasy with reality is a universal story of parental growth. A story to inspire us all.” Ellen Galinsky, < i=""> the Huffington Post <>

“A fantastic memoir. . . . I loved this book.” KJ Dell'Antonia, lead blogger for the < i=""> New York Times <> Motherlode

“Smart, soulful, and involving.” Nick Hornby, < i=""> The Believer <>

“This is a fascinating, tender, illuminating book about an extraordinary boy and his equally extraordinary mother. A wonderful read.” Martha Beck, author of Expecting Adam and columnist for O magazine

“TheAnti-Romantic Child is remarkable. This haunting and lyrical memoir will bean invaluable and heartening guide to all who find themselves in similarsituations and indeed anyone confronting an unforeseen challenge.” —MarieBrenner, writer for Vanity Fair andauthor of Apples and Oranges
 
With an emotionally resonant combination of memoirand literature, Wordsworth scholar Priscilla Gilman recounts the challenges ofraising a son with hyperlexia, a developmentaldisorder neurologically counterpoint to dyslexia. Gilman explores thecomplexities of our hopes and expectations for our children and ourselves. Withluminous prose and a searing, personal story evocative of A Year of MagicalThinking and A Year of Reading Proust, Gilmans The Anti-RomanticChild is an unforgettable exploration of what happens when we lean toembrace the unexpected.  

Priscilla Gilman grew up in New York City and is a former professor of English literature at Yale University and Vassar College. She has taught poetry appreciation to inmates in a restorative justice program and to New York City public school students. The Anti-Romantic Child, her first book, was excerpted in Newsweek magazine and featured on the cover of its international edition; it was an NPR Morning Edition Must-Read, Slate's Book of the Week, and selected as one the Best Books of 2011 by the Leonard Lopate Show. Gilman writes regularly for publications including the Daily Beast, the New York Times, and the Huffington Post, speaks frequently at schools, conferences, and organizations about parenting, education, and the arts, and is a Scholar/Facilitator for the New York Council for the Humanities. She lives in New York City with her family. The Anti-Romantic Child has been nominated for a Books for a Better Life Award for Best First Book.