Publisher's Synopsis
Before becoming a father, Chris Gabbard was a fast-track academic finishing his doctoral dissertation at Stanford. A disciple of reason and all things steeped in the ideas of Enlightenment thinkers, Gabbard was influenced by his favorite philosophers-Socrates, Aristotle, John Locke, Peter Singer. That is, until he had August. August was born nonverbal, unable to walk or feed himself due to an injury that was the result of medical malpractice. Despite his faith in modern medicine, the very science Gabbard touted as infallible fails him. In the midst of adjusting to a life of intense caregiving, doctor's visits, negotiations with Medicaid, and the pressure of mounting debt, he becomes obsessed with uncovering what doctors should have done differently to save his son from what he, at first, can only see as a life of suffering. But, as Gabbard connects with and cares for August during his short fourteen years of life, he experiences a profound evolution as the monumental truths of his idols give way to the understanding that his son is undeniably a person deserving of life. Writing from the perspective of both a grieving father and an awakened advocate for disability rights, Gabbard tells aa searingly honest story of a personal and philosophical transformation.
