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Product Description
Product Description
Expecting Adam is the beautifully written, poignant, achingly funny true story of John and Martha Beck, and of the extraordinary child they brought into the world. John and Martha were an exceptionally ambitious and driven all-American couple. With six Harvard degrees between them, and living in the refined and competitive atmosphere of the Harvard campus, the last thing they expected was to become parents to a Down's Syndrome baby. Refusing to believe her child was 'defective', Martha decided to trust in the tiny life she felt growing inside her. And her hitherto ordinary life was transformed by magical visions and strange, heartstopping experiences which persisted throughout her pregnancy. By the time Adam was born, Martha and John had to redefine everything of value to them, question their deepest beliefs, and put all their faith in miracles. And it worked.
From the Publisher
I'm Martha Beck's editor; here's why I love her book so much
I wanted to tell you more about EXPECTING ADAM because it's the freshest, funniest, wisest book I've come across in years.
I wanted to tell you more about EXPECTING ADAM because it's the freshest, funniest, wisest book I've come across in years.
At its heart, this is a memoir about learning to live through the fear of change and trusting that the forces around you will watch over you. It's an account of the life-transforming things that happened to Martha when she discovered during her second pregnancy that the baby--whom she and her husband John later named Adam in utero--had Down Syndrome. The miraculous events that followed this crushing discovery forced Martha and John to trash their carefully planned lives in Harvard's ivory tower and make fearless, unconventional choices instead. As Martha told me, "That was when I lost my life, but fortunately, it was the wrong life."
I've gotten amazing quotes for this book from Anne Lamott, Marion Winik, and Jacquelyn Mitchard--none of whom knew me or Martha--among others. But just as important, I've gotten more raves for EXPECTING ADAM from my coworkers than for any other book I've edited since I started in the business in l98l; our marketing director told me that "reading this book made me a better person." I've gotten so many calls from our sales reps about it that I picture them basically trying to love this book onto the shelves. I've got to believe that all this is because EXPECTING ADAM is such a genuinely fulfilling reader's book. I've also come to admire and adore Martha--okay, flat-out love her--because she's so terrifically funny, warm, and inspiring. I really think she's helping me get a life too.
I hope you'll be as moved and surprised by EXPECTING ADAM as I've been. Let me know what you think of it.
Yours,
Elizabeth Rapoport, Executive Editor, Times Books --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
This is my all-time favourite book! I have read and reread it and never become tired of it. I love everything about it; especially the fact that it forces one to look at what appears to be a disasterous situation - the birth of a baby with Down's Syndrome into a family of almost fanatical intellectuals - with a completely new perspective. It validates the cliche that "everything happens for the best"...even though it might take some of us a very long time to realise how we have benefited from some of the more traumatic experiences in our own lives. The miracle of this book is that the author has taken a subject which one imagines is going to spawn a very grim read and, instead, has managed to create an incredibly moving, warm and - yes! - very funny book. A great triumph!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I have a daughter with a very severe genetic syndrome which is why I bought this book. I have read several books in the disablitly genre and therefore believed this book would be very predictible. Boy was I wrong!
Little did I know that Martha Beck would speak directly to my heart and make me realize that life is too short to persue goals for the sake of achieving the goal. Rather, we must listen to our hearts and sometimes be willing to take risks. Thank you Martha Beck...with your guidance I was able to take action and free myself from a completely unrewarding career.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Thank you, thank you, thank you Martha Beck for this marvelous tale of your journey. I have been spinning my wheels agonizing over admission to the graduate school of my dreams and postponing motherhood for the sake of academic pursuits. Martha's book spoke to me on so many levels, but the most inspirational message is that of finding one's calling. She reminded me that my worth can not be measured by a pedigree or climbing a corporate ladder. My value is intrinsic and I already possess the key to my serenity and peace. As a dear friend recently reminded me, "The things you're looking for are right under your nose. Don't miss out on your blessing because it isn't packaged the way you expect." Martha reminded me of this once again. Allow her story to speak to you!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Approach with an open mind
This is an account of the experiences of a highly-educated and academically-successful couple expecting a child, prenatally diagnosed, with Down's syndrome in the eighties. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Dona Rendell
Beautiful book
Expecting Adam is a heart warming experience for the reader. It shows how courage and conviction will almost always triumph over adversity. Read more
Published 14 months ago by marjorie narey
Fantastic!
This book is one of the best books I have ever read. All the way through it was making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and even now when I discuss it with my mom (who... Read more
Published on 15 Mar 2010 by Mrs. T. G. M. Bond
A Touching True story re. Downs Syndrome Baby
This is a very touching, true story about a successful, Harvard educated couple who had a Downs Syndrome baby and how this child tought the educated parents a lot re. life...
Published on 3 Aug 2009 by Mr. DL Holmberg
What an insightful, lesson filled, uplifting book
I was kindly given this book as a gift and from the moment I started reading it I simply couldn't put it down. Read more
Published on 29 July 2009 by NewEarthGirl
Brave Uplifting True Story
An amazing book written by a brave lady. Having had a Down's Syndrome child myself I could relate to so much of what she experienced, despite the fact that I hadn't known before... Read more
Published on 20 Jun 2009 by Daybreak
Heart stopping
Sobbed for the whole nite I stayed up reading it. I couldnt go to sleep. It blew my mind away. It almost made a believer out of me.
Published on 9 Sep 2007 by L. Vila Moronatti
Totally inspirational!
This is my all-time favourite book! I have read and reread it and never become tired of it. I love everything about it; especially the fact that it forces one to look at what... Read more
Published on 11 Feb 2006 by Successful
Expecting Adam - a mind-changing experience
My wife and I read this amazing book this summer while on holiday and have been talking about it to one another - and to our friends and family ever since. Read more
Published on 6 Oct 2003 by Eric Bone
Expecting.......miracles
I had never even heard of this book until it plopped into our mail box a couple of days ago, sent by a kind friend - mainly, I imagine, because she had heard that there is a Down's... Read more
Published on 7 Sep 2003
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