My very good friend Rob has a book hitting store shelves tomorrow.

It's called "Schuyler's Monster" and you all need to go and buy it. And not just because I make an appearance in the book, or because Rob makes me sound like the nicest person ever in it - both of which are, of course, impossibly true.

I kid, I kid. Well, about the latter.

No, you need to go and buy Rob's book because he's not only a talented, wonderful writer but also - and most importantly - because stories like Schuyler's aren't told nearly enough. It's not my place - nor my intention - to dog on other books about broken kids (as Rob likes to call them), but it's all too often that these kids are discussed in fluffy, overwrought terms. Schuyler, like many kids with disabilities to deal with, is a scrappy little fighter. She doesn't need anyone to call her "Angel" or similar descriptions. Knowing Schuyler, she'd prefer "Ninja."

Seriously. The kid is a fighter. And takes shit from no one. You want an example of girl power, well, Schuyler's your girl.

It's been several years since the Rummel-Hudson clan stayed at my house that fateful week when they learned that what they'd feared would be the worst was the reality. From my father on down, everyone in my life knew what a nerve-wracking time that was for me. I never told them how nervous I was, and when you read Rob's book, you'd never know it either.

I was so worried about being the right kind of support for them - I cooked a lot, bought them all winter hats and gloves, picked up a bunch of toys for Schuyler, threw a dinner party, arranged for private museum trips, bought booze, anything I could think of. I worried about being too obtrusive and too distant. I called Tracey for advice, my friends ... In the end, as JP predicted, I was able to give them the one thing they needed, which was to make them feel less alone.

The wonderful thing about Rob's book is its honesty. Schuyler's condition may be rare, but as a family they are as normal as one can be, and I say this beyond just my own personal experience with them. Families have loads of crap to deal with, lots of baggage, lots of things we do to each other in service of our own agendas, and so in that vein, their story is relatable in that bittersweet way that true stories of family often are.

I'm proud of my friend and what he's accomplished with this book. It was a long time coming.

Posted by Erin at 07:59 AM | filed under: Odds and ends