Autism and its effects on a Chicago family in Robert Hughes's Running with Walker.


Running With Walker:
a book about a boy, a family and autism


Advance praise for
Running With Walker
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"Such an affecting and instructive story, and one told so very well: a father's relentless love for his son, offered time and again, no matter the boy's troubles. Here is human connection at its stirring, challenging best - and here is a lesson of family love for us all to consider."

- Robert Coles,
Harvard University
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"There's scarcely a page in the whole book that doesn't contain some kind of startling, inventive piece of art, usually of a very subtle kind, but sure to be cherished. I say to myself, is it right that I'm finding this terrifically serious book so entertaining, so fun to read?'

- Christopher Herbert
Northwestern University
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By the time he was three, Walker's parents were concerned enough about his delayed development to consult a paediatric neurologist. Doctors diagnosed autism and issued a grim prognosis: 'I hold out no hope for this child'. But they hadn't accounted for Walker's intelligence, affection, and sense of humour - or for the remarkable bonds that grew within his family.

Walker's father, Robert Hughes, tells a touching and inspiring story of discovering that their 'perfect little boy had a problem'. With disarming honesty and humour, the book tells how a family copes and keeps hope alive despite the staggering difficulties autism presents.
Robert Hughes teaches English at Truman College in Chicago. His articles have appeared in
Newsweek, the Chicago Tribune, Parents Magazine and Chicago Magazine.
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Autism and its effects on a Chicago family in Robert Hughes's Running with Walker.