March 25, 2024
British travel guide Manni Coe’s heartfelt debut chronicles his close relationship with his younger brother, Reuben, who has Down syndrome. The title comes from a text a 38-year-old Reuben sent Manni from the adult care center in Dorset his brother and his parents had selected for him. Recognizing the message as “clearly a cry for help” rather than an innocuous expression of affection, Manni flew from Spain to retrieve Reuben from his room at Portland Place and bring him to live in his family’s cottage in the English countryside. Manni was alarmed by his brother’s physical and mental regression—Reuben hadn’t spoken in nearly a year—and resolved to help reverse the damage, even as he fought off dizzying waves of guilt and self-doubt. Part memoir, part therapeutic exercise (the text is dotted with colorful felt-tip illustrations from Reuben, which are included in an attempt to “give Reuben his voice back”), the book alternates between a touching account of the brothers’ adult reconnection and moving sections on their boyhood, when Manni, who is gay, intuitively connected to his sibling’s outsider status. This deeply felt ode to brotherly love will melt readers’ hearts. Illus.
June 14, 2024
While living in a small village in Spain in November 2021, Manni Coe received a text--"brother. do. you. love. me"--from his youngest brother Reuben, who was 38 at the time. Reuben, a person with Down Syndrome, was living in a home for adults with learning disabilities. It was located in England. Reuben's text alarmed Manni; he immediately sensed that his brother wasn't doing well. To help him, he moved Reuben out of the care facility and into a cottage in the countryside, where the two lived together. Manni soon discovered that the culture--not just individuals or institutions--surrounding the care of people with disabilities is problematic and in need of change. In this candid memoir, he recalls the failures and successes loved ones experienced and learned as caregivers throughout Reuben's life. Manni's writing and Reuben's illustrations paint a story of heartbreak and upheaval, but ultimately, this narrative is about finding deeper meanings in brotherly and familial love. VERDICT Readers who are or have been caregivers will relate the most to this moving, highly recommended work, but readers who enjoy stories about people uniting to overcome obstacles will appreciate this title too. Coe's touching illustrations adorn and enhance this book.--Steve Dixon
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