Parents of Children with Disabilities: A Survival Guide for Mothers and Fathers. Press Barnhill and Gena P. Barnhill. Liberty University Books (2010).

Book review by Christine Guth

For people of faith, learning that our child has a disability inevitably raises questions about how God is involved in the circumstances of our lives. As years go by, the disability and our child teach us a deeper faith, along with many practical skills.

Press and Gena Barnhill have written Parents of Children with Disabilities to share with younger parents some of the lessons they have learned through their decades of parenting a son on the autism spectrum. Reading it is like sharing a cup of coffee at the kitchen table with a friend. The book focuses on needs of parents, and on the experiences parents of children with disabilities have in common, whatever the disability. A strength of the book is its heartfelt stories from family life—-the authors’ and those of other families. 

The Barnhills’ honest theological wrestling helps us face important questions, whether or not we arrive at the same answers they do. Their conservative take on theology and family roles will appeal to some of our readers and not others.