Happiness Falls: A GMA Book Club Pick: A Novel

Thoughts about communication & words = intelligence

This is a very meaningful book that also talks about the problems with our society associated with being non-verbal. It opened my mind to an entirely new world that I have yet to immerse myself in. And the thing is, not only are autistic people being looked down on having 'poor' cognition, even those who speak a different language and don't speak another language fluently. I've been quite sensitive about the latter in recent years. Just because one doesn't speak English fluently doesn't mean they can't speak another language you don't know fluently. And I think it's on my mind a lot because there are people in my life who do make fun of those who have bad English pronunciation, and so on. It irritates me all the time, and when I have the chance, I'd like to remind them that they don't know this other person's native language. You go to a place like Japan and expect them to be able to communicate fluently in English, and when they can't, you get frustrated? Did you even try to learn THEIR language? The entitlement in some people is astounding.

I know. I'm ranting. And you'd think that Mia's ramblings would be my cup of tea - but it wasn't. Which is why I've given it 4 stars. Nevertheless, definitely worth the read. Interesting family and characters. A very deep and insightful read.

Kinda hard to get into at first, as it felt very YA at the beginning, but I ended up really enjoying this book! Very grateful to pick it back up. Lots of smiles, thinking moments, and some tears.

One of the best books I read all year. Smart, gripping, interesting characters, and even educational.

Very fast paced. Too much so at times. Autism is such a complex issue, and for non verbal autistics- life is extremely hard- for all the reasons Kim mentions. The one good thing she says, in the afterwords is to read Ido Kedars’ book In Autismland. He has since written a novel In Two Worlds. A much more realistic view of someone who can’t speak. Btw, he wrote both books with one finger. I didn’t like the overarching story of missing Dad. I didn’t like how quickly the police become ‘the bad guy’. I hated Mia- she too is on the spectrum- and it is completely ignored. I am so tired of immigrants complaining about being outsiders. To my mind, not much was resolved- except that once Eugene could communicate- dynamics instantly change in the family. I guess it was sensory overload and too much crammed into one not very good novel