The Martian Child
Based on a true story, The Martian Child is a heartfelt novel about a single gay father adopting a son--the basis for the major motion picture starring John Cusack, Amanda Peet, and Joan Cusack.
When David Gerrold decided he wanted to adopt a son, he thought he had prepared himself for fatherhood. But eight-year-old Dennis turned out to be more than he expected--a lot more. Dennis suffered from fetal alcohol syndrome, the son of a substance abuser and alcoholic who abandoned him in a seedy motel at the age of one-and-a-half. His father died of an overdose. Seized by the state, Dennis was shuffled between eight different foster homes in less than eight years. He was abused and beaten severely in at least tow of his placements. Dennis was diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and put on Ritalin and then Disipramine. He was prone to violent emotional outbursts. His case history identified him as "hard to place" --a euphemism for "unadoptable."
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"[A] very personal account of a middle-aged gay man's adoption of a high-risk eight-year-old boy... Charming and funny, the adopted single dad wins our sympathy." --Kirkus Reviews
"The heart-searing moments are many but never overwritten, thanks to Gerrold's bright, efficient exposition." --Booklist "Gerrold, a Nebula and Hugo Award winner...deals with being a single, gay parent of a child who insists he is a Martian, a common defense mechanism used by abused and neglected children. The account moves quickly through months of adjustment, doubt, and finally acceptance of a situation that often has the potential for disaster." --Publishers Weekly "Sometimes parenting can be an encounter with aliens. The Martian Child is based on the author's true story of parenting as a single gay man. In the course of his undertaking, he becomes acquainted with the habits and behavior of an even more exotic creature, the Earth boy. It's a quick read, and a humanizing one." --Bay Area Reporter
