With a Little Help From my Friends, by Michelle Daly

I read this on the strength of a mumsnet review and I'm glad I did! Very touching and very well written! Get this book!

I really enjoyed “With a Little Help from my Friends”. Michelle Daly is a natural born story-teller and I was drawn in from page one, wanting to know more about this extraordinary woman and her life. Michelle was just a teenager when she began caring for children with learning disabilities and has dedicated her life to their cause, not only adopting and caring for Marie, a severely learning-disabled child (now a woman in her forties) but also fostering and fighting for the rights of other disabled children along the way. Michelle documents her journey with humour and pathos, never dwelling for long on the battles she has lost (the break-up of her marriage, the death of little Alison - a blind and learning disabled child - and the expulsion of her children from school by way of retaliation from an ignorant teacher who, like many, could not deal with Michelle’s forthright refusal to bow to the system and to allow injustice and mistreatment to happen to any child).

Michelle’s personality shines through this story like a beacon and though she gains the disapproval of many members of the institutions that at that time showed little consideration for the individuals that were part of the care system, she also attracts friends wherever she goes.

A must-read for all parents of children with learning disabilities and an interesting read for those without.