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    Schuyler's Monster: A Father's Journey with His Wordless Daughter
    Schuyler's Monster: A Father's Journey with His Wordless Daughter
    Schuyler's Monster: A Father's Journey with His Wordless Daughter
    Audiobook9 hours

    Schuyler's Monster: A Father's Journey with His Wordless Daughter

    Written by Robert Rummel-Hudson

    Narrated by Johnathan McClain

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    When Schuyler Rummel-Hudson was eighteen months old, a question about her lack of speech by her pediatrician set in motion a journey that continues today. When she was diagnosed with bilateral perisylvian polymicrogyria (an extremely rare neurological disorder), her parents were given a name for the monster that had been stalking them from doctor to doctor, and from despair to hope, and back again.

    Once they knew why Schuyler couldn't speak, they needed to determine how to help her learn. They took on educators and society to give their beautiful daughter a voice, and in the process learned a thing or two about fearlessness, tenacity, and joy.

    More than a memoir of a parent dealing with his child's disability, Schuyler's Monster is a tale of a little girl who silently teaches a man filled with self-doubt how to be the father she needs.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateJan 24, 2018
    ISBN9781977371935
    Author

    Robert Rummel-Hudson

    Robert Rummel-Hudson has been writing online since 1995. During that time, his work has been recognized by the Diarist Awards at diarist.net, including citations for Best Writing (1999), Best Overall Journal (2000), Best Account of a Public or News Event (2001, on the execution of Timothy McVeigh), Best Dramatic Entry (2002), and the Legacy Hall of Fame Award (2004). He has served as a featured panelist at JournalCon, an annual conference for online writers, in 2001, 2003 and 2004.  His online writing has been featured in articles in the Austin Chronicle, the Irish Times and the New Haven Register. Robert and his family live in Plano, Texas.

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    Reviews for Schuyler's Monster

    4/5

    51 ratings6 reviews

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    • 3/5
      This book wasn't what I expecting at all, it surprised me more than anything. It leads you from the birth of Schuyler up to the age of 7. And what we get is the uphill battle that this family has faced in getting an 'actual diagnosis' of Bilateral Perisylvian Polimicrogyria to then fighting for her to have a way to communicate. I'm shocked that this proved to be so difficult and they had to be persistent in order to get the aids that Schuyler needed.I enjoyed learning about Schuyler's perseverance and happy way that she seems to view the world. And its lovely that at the end of the book, we find that she is doing okay, well good actually. She appears to have a fighting, feisty personality which I loved. Her parents are still a little bit in the world of the unknown but they will try their hardest - even moving, to make sure that her needs are met.
    • 5/5
      Pageturning, heartbreaking, wonderful.
    • 5/5
      I just finished reading Schuyler's Monster - one of the finest books I've ever read. The book is Robert Rummel-Hudson’s account of his young daughter’s life and his relationship with her. Schuyler was born with a disability that has hindered her ability to speak and Rummel-Hudson documents what every special needs parent knows all too well – grieving at the loss of a “perfect” child, well meaning but impersonal medical professionals, lack of information and resources and the feeling of being alone. Moreover, the book examines faith and asks the basic question, “How can a caring God do this to an innocent child?” One of the amazing things about this book is Rummel-Hudson’s ever growing love for his daughter. Their story will make you laugh at times and cry at others.This book is a must read for everyone. Parents of neurotypical children should read it to understand what it is like to be a parent of a special needs child. Special needs parents will enjoy knowing that they are not alone and their feelings of inadequacy are quite normal. Most importantly, every medical professional and educator should read Schuyler’s Monster to learn the challenges of being a special needs parent.
    • 5/5
      5.0 out of 5 stars This is a wonderful story~, June 20, 2009By Kathleen Wagner "*Mitakuye Oyasin or We are A... (SWPA) - See all my reviews(REAL NAME) This is a story of loving (and all too human) parents, and an extraordinary child. Rarely do you find a child who has special need described with such humor. There is always love, just as there was in this story, but humor and honesty and passion have equal roles.I work with children who have special needs. Even though none of them have the same diagnosis as Schuyler, some of the obstacles they face are the same. The most difficult, is always communication. It is what the parents want the most, the children need badly and what is all too often not given enough attention.This is a story of Schuyler's life, from conception to present day, more or less. The reader learns all about the world she developed in and how she began to grow. We learn what Mom and Dad are like, and how they learned along with their daughter what she needed to be happy and purposeful.I wish that more of the parents had the gumption of these two, instead of sitting in IEPs and just going with the flow. I wish that more use was made of these communication devices, and not just 10 or 20 minutes during the day. I would like to give a copy of this book to every single family in our school.( Things would really start hitting the fan, then!)Well done Schuyler's daddy...! Good job Schuyler's mom. Keep up the good work, because I am sure that there will be more beneficiaries from it than just your amazing little girl.I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a child, and anyone who does not. I particularly recommend this book to anyone who works with or runs schools for special needs children...or typical children. You are the ones who need to learn to reach for the stars.
    • 4/5
      I've been reading the author's blog since about the time Schuyler was born. In that blog, Rob Rummel-Hudson recounted many of the same events as are in this memoir, as they happened. He didn't, however, look back and tie them all together into a coherent narrative, as he has done in this memoir. Nor did he discuss his wife Julie's role the way he is able to in this book in which he documents the first six years or so of Schuyler's life and the journey to finding the tools she needed to thrive despite the "monster" that inhabits her "broken" brain. This monster, a rare disorder, makes speech through her own voice impossible for her and signing language also a challenge. Ultimately, her parents come to find a device they nickname the Big Box of Words which enables Schuyler to begin better communicating with the outside world. It's the story of Rob's fierce love for his daughter, and his and his wife's trials in making sure Schuyler gets the best treatment to allow her to evolve and thrive. It's inspirational while remaining fully grounded in reality.
    • 4/5
      As a long time reading of Robert Rummel-Hudson's various blogs, I was fairly familiar with his daughter's story. His portraits of Schuyler revealed an other worldly child who seemed to be more than the challenges that were facing her. That sense is retained here, as is the overwhelming evidence of a father's deep, transformative love of his daughter. It was interesting to see the story of fatherhood retold from now, with the knowledge of the monster, and the bits of hope that eventual do come. It all leaves me with a continuing interest to see what kind of person Schuyler will become, and a certainty that though she will always have her monster, that will never be all that she has.