Lambert's Reviews > Far from the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity

It took me a fairly long time to read this book. Not because it is dry, but because it made me stop and reflect not only on my life, but on those around me. This has to be the kindest book I have read in a long time. Mr. Solomon is so generous and open with everyone he interviews. He also gives of himself to those same people. Many are in very distressing situations, others have coped with awful situations and done so spectacularly, The author is not at all shy to point out what he learned from them. I only wish that some of the textbooks I used in medical school could have been written so engagingly to contain so much information. While reading this book the data regarding the DNA analysis of certain different mental disorders sharing the same genetic aberrations was released. This made understanding this book so much more straight forward. Reading about the families, one almost had to suspect something like that from the case histories and family histories.The book is extraordinarily well written, very approachable, and in terms of typographical or grammatical errors perfect. It has been proofed to be that way. If you are interested in thinking about who is really normal or abnormal, read this. If you have a relative or close friend with developmental disorders or mental health issues, then this book will help you.