I second the suggestion! I hope that the discussion leaders for classes
will be knowledgeable--especially since the word autism is never
mentioned.  Susan

Linda Walling wrote:

>     I thought you'd be interested in knowing that the wonderful book,
> The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, is the book all
> freshmen at USC will read and discuss this fall. The following is an
> article from The State newspaper about the book. If you haven't read
> it yet, I recommend that you do so!  Linda
>
> Posted on Tue, Jul. 19, 2005
>
> USC hopes autism novel inspires freshmen
>
> By CLAUDIA SMITH BRINSON
>
> Columnist
>
> Across South Carolina, and here and there and elsewhere, about 3,600
> 18-year-olds should be carrying around a little red book.
>
> The readers are USC's incoming freshmen. The book with the bright red
> cover is Mark Haddon's "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the
> Night-Time."
>
> For the first time, all freshmen are participating in USC's First-Year
> Reading Experience. Before, participation was limited to several
> hundred students in the S.C. Honors College or University 101, the
> school's college introduction course.
>
> During summer orientation, each freshman is being handed a copy of
> Haddon's international best-seller. At 8:30 a.m. Aug. 15, all will
> gather in the Carolina Coliseum to talk about the adventures of
> Christopher John Francis Boone.
>
> But first, they will hear from Mary Meghan Martin, 20, a
> second-semester junior from Bothell, Wash., who is majoring in
> biology. Mary Martin's younger sister and two cousins are autistic, as
> is the narrator of Haddon's novel.
>
> Mary Martin's participation marks another first. Eleven years - and
> books - into the program, this is the first time a student will be the
> featured speaker at the student welcoming. Martin will share the stage
> with associate provost Karl Heider and English professor Ed Madden.
>
> When Dan Berman, USC's director of University 101, heard of Mary
> Martin's deep and personal connection to the subject matter of "The
> Curious Incident," he took the leap. "I know it will be inspiring for
> other students," he says.
>
> Mary Martin is still working on her speech. Right now, she has three
> versions. But in any version, she's a fierce advocate for her sister,
> Kristen Martin, and "The Curious Incident."
>
> She sees an opportunity to dispel stereotypes: "Most books or movies
> about autism show extreme cases, like in 'Rain Man.' ''
>
> She sees an opportunity to better describe autism, a neurological
> disorder affecting 1.5 million American children and adults. Autism is
> described as a spectrum disorder because it affects individuals in a
> variety of ways, at a variety of levels, from severe mental disability
> to extreme intellectual or artistic gifts.
>
> Most people with autism do experience difficulties communicating,
> socializing and dealing with change. Christopher explains, "... when I
> am in a new place, because I see everything, it is like when a
> computer is doing too many things at the same time and the central
> processor unit is blocked up and there isn't any space left to think
> about other things."
>
> In Mary Martin's family, one cousin is classically autistic. Another,
> like the narrator of "The Curious Incident," has Asperger syndrome,
> sometimes described as high-functioning autism. Kristin Martin's
> diagnosis is PDD-NOS, which stands for Pervasive Developmental
> Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified.
>
> Kristin Martin, 18, also has Turner syndrome, which delays puberty and
> inhibits growth. She is deaf and mentally disabled.
>
> "My first memories are of her in the hospital," Mary Martin says. "We
> didn't expect her to live past her first birthday, so every year is a
> shock and amazing and wonderful.
>
> "Of course there were times I didn't understand what was going on and
> wanted her to be normal. But I've learned a lot from her. She has
> always been a blessing, except for a few years in elementary school,
> when I thought, 'Oh, my gosh, I have a sister who is handicapped.' ''
>
> Kristin Martin has shaped not only her big sister's past but her
> future. Mary Martin names handicapped children her passion and hopes
> to earn both a medical degree and a Ph.D. to combine research and
> teaching in that area.
>
> Mary Martin already has practice, attending medical appointments,
> adding her point of view at meetings about her sister's public-school
> education.
>
> "My family, the way we get things to work is we're all involved," she
> explains. Her father is a senior systems administrator with a
> pharmaceutical company who goes to work before dawn so he can be home
> in the afternoon. Her mother works at home for Hewlett-Packard.
>
> Among their most important offerings is "regulating life so there's a
> constant balance," Mary Martin says. "I am absolutely awed by my
> parents and how much they do."
>
> Much is needed, she notes. "Like any little sister, my little sister
> hugs you, laughs and plays - but on her terms. If you introduce her to
> a new situation or a new person, and she wasn't prepared, she will go
> into a temper tantrum."
>
> Mary Martin particularly likes how "The Curious Incident" depicts the
> stress families endure. She offers as a personal example a Christmas
> Day spent in the emergency room. The Martins had visited relatives;
> Kristen Martin, unable to handle the variety, threw daily tantrums,
> needing medical assistance to stop.
>
> This is the sort of thing, Mary Martin notes, that estranges
> relatives, ends marriages, results in violent responses. "The Curious
> Incident" tackles just such problems in a tender and surprising way.
>
> "The best thing about the book is it's fictional," Mary Martin says.
> "If it were nonfiction, you wouldn't get the whole story" because real
> people wouldn't tell how tough it actually gets.
>
> Berman notes "The Curious Incident" is difficult to put down. "It's
> deceptively simple but really loaded with powerful issues."
>
> He says expanding the First-Year Reading Experience should challenge
> students to do "something academic during the summer."
>
> He reflects on the book's quality, as well as the persistently upbeat
> Mary Martin, and adds, "The only thing I'm worried about is: How do we
> follow this up?"
>
> For more information about the First-Year Reading Experience and a
> reader's discussion guide, go to www.sc.edu/univ101.
>
> (c) 2005 The State and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.
>
> http://www.thestate.com
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Linda L. Walling
> Columbia, SC
> 803/779-4127
> http://www.libsci.sc.edu/facst/lw.htm
>
> "Our choices are always made in the
> context of the stories we tell." --Alan Jones