The summer of 1998 was a time of peaceful anticipation for Nia Wyn, a Welsh journalist, and her partner, Alex, as they awaited the birth of their first child. But their joy at delivering a boy, Joe, in late August was almost immediately transformed into fear and disbelief when the baby began having seizures and other alarming symptoms. After several fraught months, the diagnosis was devastating: brain damage and severe cerebral palsy. Joe "would never know" his parents, doctors told Wyn. He was blind and would be unable to walk, talk or perform the most basic motor functions. Even as the shock of this pronouncement reverberated, however, Wyn refused to accept it. Like countless mothers before her, Wyn looked into the eyes of her child and found hope, life and intelligence.Blue Sky July is adapted from Wyn's diary entries over the course of eight summers, ending in 2005 when Joe turned seven. The book's style--a series of impressionistic, poem-like passages--takes some getting used to. Although Wyn's use of language is consistently lovely, her material could use a little more density. Nevertheless, the narrative is immediately compelling and deeply moving as Wyn describes her and Alex's relentless efforts to help Joe and defy the doctors' dire predictions. Most of these efforts involved traditional therapies, but Wyn also tried remedies such as a "light room" and sought the help of healers, most of whom turned out to be charlatans. Unsurprisingly, Wyn got little support from medical professionals who had already made up their minds about Joe's future. She was often accused of being delusional or, worse, endangering her son. The 24-hour-a-day cycle of care and therapy took its toll. Like so many parents of challenged children, their relationship ended and Wyn struggled with depression.
Yet by the time this book was completed, Joe not only "knew" his parents but was talking clearly enough to be understood in his mainstream classroom, seeing well enough to participate in school plays and moving well enough to feed himself and operate his state-of-the-art wheelchair. Beyond his achievements, however, Joe's sunny, loving and indomitable personality shines through these pages. "Inspirational" is an overused word when it comes to describing stories like this one, yet Wyn does inspire; not with emotional manipulation but with her dogged persistence and unyielding faith in her son and in her own instincts. And of course there is love, which ultimately is what this book is all about.--Debra Ginsberg
Shelf Talker: An inspirational story of parents who refused to give up on a child whose future doctors wrote off as bleak, Blue Sky July is a testament to love and hope.