To Siri With Love: A Mother, Her Autistic Son, and the Kindness of Machines

Judith Newman
Star Rating
★★★★
Reviewer's Rating
Oct 26, 2017

Beginning when Gus and his twin brother were born and continuing to the present, Newman shares her sometimes funny, sometimes sad, and always insightful and upbeat recollections of their lives. She touches on many of the issues with autism, but To Siri With Love is not a "how to" book. It is a positive, yet honest look into one family's journey with autism, and among others, how technology, especially Siri, is helpful to Gus. Most helpful is Siri's ability to talk with Gus ad nauseam about whatever he is interested in at the time, be it trains and train schedules, erosion, or climate change for hours on end. Siri is also able to consistently and kindly correct Gus when he isn't being "nice" or polite, which helps reinforce good conversational skills.

At the time the story appeared in the New York Times, the twins were twelve years old and in their early to mid teens throughout the rest of the book. Straightforward and to the point, Newman presents a realistic yet optimistic view of autism in their family. 

Reviewed by Lisa J.
See their Lists and Reviews in our Catalog!