A review by bluestarfish
Far From The Tree: Parents, children and the search for identity by Andrew Solomon

4.0

I brought this book up in conversation several times when I was reading it with a whole variety of people as it is such an interesting subject for research and lent itself to discussion on a whole manner of things. The amount of research gone into this book (interviewing hundreds of families over a decade) is impressive and Andrew Solomon's skill at interviewing people and getting them to share their family's, or their own, story allows for the most interesting parts of the book. Each chapter focuses on a different difference some of which I knew more about and others where I learnt a lot. (I was astounded to learn that the Holland story was written by a real person and not just an internet thing!) Love is amazing. I was also really depressed at times reading this about the lack of support some families and individuals face: hard work being made even harder. But people are amazing. I didn't always agree with everything Andrew Solomon was saying, nor would I expect to in such a massive tome covering so many different subjects, but kudos for raising as many questions as he did and providing a fascinating read.