Far From the Tree

Most forms of identity within families are 'vertical', passed on from one generation to the next, but less explored are 'horizontal identities', those shared not between parent and child but across communities between people with an uncommon trait. Andrew Solomon spoke to 200 families to record their experience of dwarfism, autism, deafness, Down Syndrome, schizophrenia, prodigies, transgender, disability, as well as children with a predisposition to commit crimes and those born out of rape. Drawing on personal testimonies of overcoming prejudice and intolerance and his own experience as a gay man of straight parents, Andrew Solomon explores how parents bridge the gap between their child and themselves and records the voices of families seldom heard. Publisher: Random House Australia ISBN: Publish Date: Feb-13