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Praise for

Far from the Tree

"Reminds us that nothing is more powerful in a child's development than the love of a parent....Remarkable." —

PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON

"One of the most extraordinary books I have read in recent times— brave, compassionate and astonishingly humane. . . . I could not put this book down." —

SIDDHARTHA MUKHERJEE

, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of

The Emperor of All Maladies

"Andrew Solomon has written a brave and ambitious work, bringing together science, culture and a powerful empathy. Solomon tells us that we have more in common with each other—even with those who seem anything but normal—than we would ever have imagined." —

MALCOLM GLADWELL

, author of

Blink

and

The Tipping Point

"A landmark, revolutionary book. . . . Andrew Solomon plumbs his topic thoroughly, humanely, and in a compulsively readable style that makes the book as entertaining as it is illuminating." —

JENNIFER EGAN

, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of

A Visit from the Goon Squad

"Far-reaching, original, fascinating. . . . Perhaps the greatest gift of this monumental book, full of facts and full of feelings, is that it constantly makes one think, and think again." —

PHILIP GOUREVITCH

, author of

We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families

"An intellectual history that lays the foundation for a 21st century Psychological Bill of Rights. . . . Reading

Far from the Tree

is a mind-opening experience." —

ERIC KANDEL

, author of

The Age of Insight

and winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

From the National Book Award–winning author of

Te Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression

comes a monumental new work, a decade in the writing, about family. In

Far from the ree

, Andrew Solomon tells the stories of parents who not only learn to deal with their exceptional children but also ﬁnd profound meaning in doing so.

olomon's startling proposition is that diversity is what unites us all. He writes about families coping with deafness, dwarﬁsm, Down syndrome, autism, schizophrenia, multiple severe disabilities, with children who are prodigies, who are conceived in rape, who become criminals, who are trans- gender. While each of these characteristics is potentially isolating, the expe- rience of diﬀerence within families is universal, as are the triumphs of love Solomon documents in every chapter. All parenting turns on a crucial question: to what extent parents should ac- cept their children for who they are, and to what extent they should help them become their best selves. Drawing on forty thousand pages of interview tran- scripts with more than three hundred families, Solomon mines the eloquence of ordinary people facing extreme challenges. Whether considering prena- tal screening for genetic disorders, cochlear implants for the deaf, or gender reassignment surgery for transgender people, Solomon narrates a universal struggle toward compassion. Many families grow closer through caring for a challenging child; most discover supportive communities of others similarly aﬀected; some are inspired to become advocates and activists, celebrating the very conditions they once feared. Woven into their courageous and aﬃrming stories is Solomon's journey to accepting his own identity, which culminated in his midlife decision, inﬂuenced by this research, to become a parent. Elegantly reported by a spectacularly original thinker,

Far from the ree

ex- plores themes of generosity, acceptance, and tolerance—all rooted in the in- sight that love can transcend every prejudice. Tis crucial and revelatory book expands our deﬁnition of what it is to be human. Watch the trailer: