This is a wonderful book, and it's very hard to sum it up. I've always been curious about people's lives if they have disabilities, especially intelectual ones, so reading an actual first-hand experience memoir on it was wonderful. Especially because I've recently read a book about a patient with Alzheimer's, and DS is quite connected to Alzheimer's, as it turns out.

You could say I was glued to the book for the two or three days I was reading it. God, I even went to a bubble bath with the kindle in a plastic bag, that's how much I couldn't let it go. The memoir is both factually accurate, not overdone with emotion (because the author is a journalist), but at the same time gripping and warming, it just makes you root for the little girl named Sophie. As of the very beginning it seems that we are dealing with a high-functioning girl with DS, because throughout the whole book from the start even I as a reader had much more confidence in Sophie's abilities than the author herself (the mother). Sophie seems to be an incredibly smart girl as a person suffering from DS, and it only goes to show you that with disabilities like that - you get what you put in. And Sophie was incredibly lucky to have parents as wonderful as she did. To be honest, I think Sophie had a better childhood than a lot of us. It certainly sounds like she had a better time at school than I did - and she owes it all to the wonderful people around her, especially her parents and teachers.

Books like this should be read widely, I will go as far as saying they should be on school reading lists - we need to educate society about people with disabilities, bridging the gap about "how different" they are and showing that they are more LIKE us, rather than unlike us. And I think this book does show this very well. This book made me want to meet Sophie, or meet other people like her, to get to know them. If you are curious about this subject, you should definitely read this book, and let your teens read it. Even if you just stumbled upon it and know nothing of the subject - go ahead and read it. We should all know more about this. ( )

My Heart Can't Even Believe It chronicles Sophie Silverman's life with Down Syndrome, and is written with love and startling honesty by her mother, Amy. It covers about 13 years: the struggles, the little joys (and the big), the journey to acceptance.

There are two large draws to this book. The first one is how easy it is to read—it’s clear that Silverman has a background in writing even before she mentions her journalism career. Everything is clear, concise, and engaging, written in what amounts to a collection of personal essays. When the narrative takes time to explain the medical and scientific aspects of Down Syndrome (not nearly often enough, I think, to warrant the tagline of “A Story of Science, Love, and Down Syndrome”), it does so in easy-to-follow language. The tone veers a little here and there, but mostly sticks to conversational and a little humorous.

Good, because the second draw of the book is the frankness behind the narrative. Silverman goes from ‘woman with no background or interest in special needs cases’ to ‘mother of a baby with Down Syndrome’. The sudden shifting of worldview would be tremendous to anyone and Silverman doesn’t hesitate to go into some of the darker and more personal line of thoughts she had when she was first told that her daughter had Down Syndrome. The road to not just acceptance, but love and enlightenment threads through the narrative well, and is both honest and touching as the reader sees a mom grow along with her daughter.

That said, there are drawbacks that kept this book for being a true five-star read (I have rounded up from about a 4.5): Many chapters end on a punch sentence, an encompassing thought or culminating idea structured around the whole chapter. Sometimes this ties the whole chapter together, sometimes it leads to the next chapter. Sometimes it’s unclear or brings up a subject that isn’t touched on again. The book certainly keeps moving forward in varied subjects and is cohesive overall, but the transitions are not as solid as they could be.

Beyond that, the book ended on a bit of a flat note—it just felt like there should be more, or a different sort of ending. Even taking into account the fact that this could have been presented in a way to encapsulate the continual progression of Sophie’s life, the final chapter/essay feels unfinished and dissimilar to the rest of the chapters in the book. The metaphor given for determination to continue bravely onward in life is nice, but doesn’t quite have the impact that you would expect for the ending of this book.

This is a memoir. As such, there are strong opinions present that everyone may not agree with, and portrayals of an experience with raising a child with Down Syndrome that may not resonate with everyone (culturally and fiscally). Overall though, this book was an enjoyable read, interesting for those who have children like Sophie in their lives or even just people who are interested in the subject in general. I can see this book being beneficial and educational for almost anyone looking for some light or an experienced voice on Down Syndrome and raising a happy girl (who just happens to be born with it). ( )