- Mass Market Paperback: 190 pages
- Publisher: Tor Books (Sep 2007)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0765359766
- ISBN-13: 978-0765359766
- Product Dimensions: 16.5 x 10.4 x 2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,040,631 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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First Sentence
TOWARD THE END OF THE MEETING, THE CASEWORKER remarked, "Oh-and one more thing. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
TOWARD THE END OF THE MEETING, THE CASEWORKER remarked, "Oh-and one more thing. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have read several books by David Gerrold (DG), and I had read his first take on this book when it was published on his web page.
The book gives a very touching and personal description on how it is to adopt a kid. Specially when you are alone about it.
The book gives a very touching and personal description on how it is to adopt a kid. Specially when you are alone about it.
Despite the seriousness of the matter the book is also very funny and gives several vivid descriptions of sitations that arises. DG uses a very rich and descriptive language which is very typical for his books.
The book also have many sad moments, as when adoptive son suddenly swings in mood and expect to be sendt away as he never stayed long at a single place.
The prose of the book is easy to read and the story quite captivating. I read the book in about 3 hours in one sitting. Recommended.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Writer David Gerrold, a single gay man, plans to adopt a child, The Martian Child is his account of the lead up to the adoption and the couple of years following.
Th child he adopts, eight year old Dennis, believes he is a Martian, he also has behavioral problems on top of what one would expect of a child who has grown up being shunted from home to home.
Gerrold's account, in addition to relating much of the process of adopting Dennis, provides glimpses of life with Dennis after the adoption and also provides an insight to much of the writers thoughts relating to the problems and pleasures over the period.
I would have liked to have read a lot more of the daily ups and downs of life, learned how Dennis was coping with school, and seen more of the consequences of some actions. However the result is an entertaining, positive, heartwarming and encouraging chronicle.
Th child he adopts, eight year old Dennis, believes he is a Martian, he also has behavioral problems on top of what one would expect of a child who has grown up being shunted from home to home.
Gerrold's account, in addition to relating much of the process of adopting Dennis, provides glimpses of life with Dennis after the adoption and also provides an insight to much of the writers thoughts relating to the problems and pleasures over the period.
I would have liked to have read a lot more of the daily ups and downs of life, learned how Dennis was coping with school, and seen more of the consequences of some actions. However the result is an entertaining, positive, heartwarming and encouraging chronicle.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
43 reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
On Being a Father
4 July 2002
Format:Hardcover
David Gerrold was caught off guard when trying to adopt his son when the caseworker said that the boy thought he was a Martian. I was a bit put off by the cover, which seemed to be poking fun at "the Martian child".
But the story itself is excellent. A child's "I am a Martian" comment CAN be handled without ridicule, and in a way which makes the truth of that statement irrelevant to the relationship.
The important part of this book IS the relationship, and the process of becoming a father. In fact it shows what it MEANS to be a father much better than any book I have read. This is not "Father knows best", where the father is perfect and knows all the answers. It isn't a cute story for children, though I would recommend it for adopted children AND their parents. Instead it is a process of discovery from the father's perspective, where he learns and grows as he goes on. It about the FATHER's insecurities, worries and joys -- something that is rarely discussed or explained.
I strongly recommend this for anyone considering adoption, for any parents with "problem" children (ALL perents, in other words<g>) and for the children themselves, so that they can gain a rare look into what it means to be a parent.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Based on a True Story
6 Nov 2007
Format:Mass Market Paperback
David is a single man who wants to adopt a boy and start a family of his own. As soon as he sees a photo of Dennis, he knows that Dennis is the one. But Dennis is a hyperactive child with emotional problems resulting from his being abused by former guardians. And he believes that he's a Martian. Can David deal with this troubled boy and love him unconditionally?
I read The Martian Child last night in just a couple hours. While it's a short read, I teared-up several times. Dennis is a truly amazing child, and David is a wonderful father. This is a beautiful and humorous heartwarming story about a man who is willing to put the son that he loves above everything else in his life. We not only get to see the change in Dennis as he slowly adjusts to stability and a father who loves him, but also a change in David as well.
I read The Martian Child last night in just a couple hours. While it's a short read, I teared-up several times. Dennis is a truly amazing child, and David is a wonderful father. This is a beautiful and humorous heartwarming story about a man who is willing to put the son that he loves above everything else in his life. We not only get to see the change in Dennis as he slowly adjusts to stability and a father who loves him, but also a change in David as well.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
An unexpected discovery.
10 Jun 2002
Format:Hardcover
I happened upon this in the local bookstore today, and read it in one sitting. Quite effective novel that appears to be very closely tied to the author's own experience as a single father in adopting an 8 year old boy. Mr. Gerrold doesn't sugarcoat the experience, as chroniclers of adoption often do. He makes very clear the doubts and indecision that can bedevil anyone taking this step. But he also doubly underlines the rewards.
He has found a unique way to give a structure to the story, by wrapping it in the concept of a child who thinks he's an alien. But for the first half, this book seems pretty much a typical journal of the the adoptive experience, when it makes a 180 degree turn. Not right or left either, but up. I was really worried at first at what the heck Gerrold was up to, but by the ending, it all makes more than sense--or logic.
This book has has helped me realize that I really do want to make this the next step in my life.
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