Official Review: The Silence of Ray by Karen Fletcher
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Official Review: The Silence of Ray by Karen Fletcher
The Silence of Ray is a non-fiction memoir by Karen Yvette Renee Taylor-Fletcher commemorating the life of her autistic and developmentally delayed son Raymond (11 July 1987 – 19 October 2003). The book does not simply recount the details of Raymond’s life. It discusses the barriers that individuals with cognitive and intellectual disabilities and their families face in obtaining financial and care assistance, as well as the prejudices that such individuals and their families encounter.
Raymond often wandered away from the house in various states of undress. No matter what precautions the family took, if he wanted to get out of the house, he would find a way to do so. As he got older, he became stronger, and sometimes his anger made it difficult for his mother and siblings to deal with him on their own. He required twenty-four-hour care, but the welfare system did not provide what the family needed. People such as Raymond tend to be viewed as a burden to society on one hand, while on the other hand, their care needs are overlooked by the welfare system.
The author faced the added difficulty of being the sole provider for her family because her husband’s alcoholism and depression rendered him unable to work. There were often members of the extended family staying at the house who did little to contribute. The author also struggled with the judgmental attitudes of everyone from members of her congregation to doctors who misunderstood the nature of her son’s cognitive and intellectual challenges.
When Raymond was found dead on I-95, the police wanted to declare the incident an accident and close the case. The author, however, believes that Raymond’s death was not an accident. She told the police that Raymond liked to run into buildings, not down highways. She believes that Ray was murdered, and his body was dumped on the highway.
I believe that the book was professionally edited. I only found a few small errors. The narrative flowed well and did not repeat itself. Although I had some differences of opinion with the author, I found nothing to dislike about the book and rate it four out of four stars. I believe that everyone from medical personnel to lawmakers to law enforcement should read this book so that they can understand the challenges faced by families in which one of the family members has serious neurological, cognitive, and intellectual impairment.
Autism exists on a spectrum. A person such as Raymond has different challenges than a person like my son, who is on the high-functioning end of the spectrum. My son does not act out publicly to being overstimulated. He tends to withdraw. His intellectual abilities are on the high end of normal and he did well in high school but found college overwhelming and has not been able to hold a job. People on the high-functioning end of the spectrum tend to be accused of faking their symptoms to avoid working, which is false.
I am glad that the author shared her experiences and hope that people will consider reading her brief and compelling account of her son’s life and her struggles working within a social system that denies assistance even to those in dire need. The author writes from a Christian perspective, but I did not find the book “preachy” at any time. Those who enjoy reading biographies and are concerned about social issues will appreciate this book.
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The Silence of Ray
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Thanks for the Review.
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