Publisher's Synopsis
Published in 1996, Life as We Know It introduced Jamie Bérubé to the world as a sweet, bright, gregarious little boy who loves the Beatles, pizza, and making lists. At four, he is like many young people his age, but his Down syndrome leads most people to see him only in terms of his disability. Twenty years later, Jamie is no longer little, though he still loves the Beatles, pizza, and making lists. In Life as Jamie Knows It, Michael Bérubé chronicles his son's growth and his growing love of the world, writing as both a disability studies scholar and as a father. He follows Jamie through the transitions within his family and home life, through his school years, through the complicated process of entering the workforce with a disability. In a book that joins stirring memoir and sharp philosophical inquiry, Bérubé guides us through the labyrinth of ethical issues surrounding how we approach disability and uses Jamie's story to argue for a deeper understanding of disability that challenges us to move toward a more just, more inclusive society.
