“Mr. and Mrs. Holloway, I have some news concerning about your son.” When a parent hears this from their doctor, they know right away something is wrong. At first you don’t want to hear it. You don’t want to accept that there could possibly be anything wrong with your child. Yes, he may show some signs of being too clingy, he’s terrified of strangers, won’t look you in the eye, and a simple bubble bath is an excruciating experience, but there can’t be anything seriously wrong with him, it’s just….HIM. But when the Doctor confirms that your son has Autism, and that it is a “lifetime affliction” that there is no cure, it changes your life forever. The first thing that usually pops into a mother’s head is “How am I going to do this? What can I do to help my child? Will he ever know how much I love him?” Monica Holloway is lost in trying to find these answers for herself, but because of her unconditional love to her son she wants to make his transition to life smooth.Many readers know that I love to read books and when it’s my turn at the Recommended Reading section, I like to read a “themed” book. This month is Autism Awareness Month and in honors of those that have Autism or a family member that has Autism I read the book “Cowboy & Wills”. It is a memoir of an unconditional love of a mother whose son has autism. Monica Holloway has read all the books; she read all the forums on the internet; she knew that some way, somehow her son was going to be alright, was going to be able to see the world for what it is and not be afraid of it. Monica didn’t realize that with all the doctors in the world, it was the love from a puppy that would change her sons’ outlook on life.The moment that her son was diagnosed, she went out to buy some fish to get Will interested in something. He seemed to be interested in the fish, in the hermit crab…a rabbit…a hamster and a sea turtle. Animals seem to keep her son stay in tune with life, and not crawl into his own shell. But with all those animals, Monica never imagined how much one Golden Retriever puppy would transform her son’s life….and hers. Because of her love for her son Wills, she bought him a Golden Retriever which Wills named her Cowboy. Cowboy is a female. She has blonde fur. While Wills not be able to look you in the eye, Cowboy would lick anybody close to her. Wills is in love. Where ever the dog went, Wills was sure to follow and vice versa. Wills wouldn’t leave the dog side for anything. And in turn, Cowboy showed that the big world that Wills is so afraid of isn’t so bad after all.A memoir so rich, so unforgettable that had me reaching for tissues, that I know you all will love and cherish. (I would like to dedicate this book to my cousin who has Autism.) -Miss Kelsey's Review This is a touching and humorous true story about how a golden retriever named Cowboy bonded with and helped Wills, a boy diagnosed with autism, to overcome some of his fears. I like how the mother and author would head to the pet store and handle hardships by bringing animals into their lives. I agree that pets can heal people from hurt and foster special relationships. It was great to see Wills progress so much by the end of the book.
Do You like book Cowboy & Wills: A Love Story (2009)?
Make sure you have a kleenex. It was wonderful. Three hours and I was finished.
—ari
A great non-fiction book about autism. I actually cried at the end.
—theethaa
