Far From the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity

I listened to this book as an audiobook, narrated by the author, and hearing his voice led me to understand why the people he interviewed were so open in sharing their experiences and feelings with him. As he narrates the results of extensive research on parents whose children, for a wide range of reasons, lead lives that are very different from their own, his genuine compassion and honest curiosity are evident. Solomon developed his interest in this topic as a gay man with 2 straight parents and through work as journalist with members of the deaf community and their hearing parents. Among the other experiences he examines in this book are those of parents of children with Down’s syndrome, parents of children with mental health disorders, parents of musical prodigies, and parents whose children commit crimes. Because Solomon is a talented interviewer, families...