The Boy Who Loved Too Much

A True Story of Pathological Friendliness

Jennifer Latson

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN:
  9781476774053
• eBook ISBN:
  9781476774060
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Cognitive Neuroscience & Neuropsychology
• Index: Social Sciences

The acclaimed, poignant story of a boy with Williams syndrome, a condition that makes people biologically incapable of distrust, a "well-researched, perceptive exploration of a rare genetic disorder seen through the eyes of a mother and son" ( Kirkus Reviews ). What would it be like to see everyone as a friend? Twelve-year-old Eli D'Angelo has a genetic disorder that obliterates social inhibitions, making him irrepressibly friendly, indiscriminately trusting, and unconditionally loving toward everyone he meets. It also makes him enormously vulnerable. On the cusp of adolescence, Eli lacks the innate skepticism that will help him navigate coming-of-age more safely—and vastly more successfully.In "a thorough overview of Williams syndrome and its thought-provoking paradox" ( The New York Times ), journalist Jennifer Latson follows Eli over three critical years of his life, as his mother, Gayle, must decide whether to shield Eli from the world or give him the freedom to find his own way and become his own person. Watching Eli's artless attempts to forge connections, Gayle worries that he might never make a real friend—the one thing he wants most in life. "As the book's perspective deliberately pans out to include teachers, counselors, family, friends, and, finally, Eli's entire eighth-grade class, Latson delivers some unforgettable lessons about inclusion and parenthood, " ( Publishers Weekly ). The Boy Who Loved Too Much explores the way a tiny twist in a DNA strand can strip away the skepticism most of us wear as armor, and how this condition magnifies some of the risks we all face in opening our hearts to others. More than a case study of a rare disorder, The Boy Who Loved Too Much "is fresh and engaging…leavened with humor" ( Houston Chronicle ) and a universal tale about the joys and struggles of raising a child, of growing up, and of being different.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Dedication
• Epigraph
• Author’s Note
• Preface
• Chapter One: Unlocked
• Chapter Two: Diagnosis
• Chapter Three: Putting Williams on the Map
• Chapter Four: Milestones
• Chapter Five: A Genetic Street Lamp
• Chapter Six: Eli Turns Twelve
• Chapter Seven: Elves on Earth
• Chapter Eight: School
• Chapter Nine: Missing Genes, More Personality
• Chapter Ten: People Like Eli
• Chapter Eleven: Eli Goes to Camp
• Chapter Twelve: Learning Curve
• Chapter Thirteen: The Note Home
• Chapter Fourteen: Treating the Friendliness Disorder
• Chapter Fifteen: Eli Turns Thirteen
• Chapter Sixteen: What the Future Holds
• Chapter Seventeen: Progress Report
• Chapter Eighteen: Where the Hugging Never Stops
• Chapter Nineteen: Tough Love
• Chapter Twenty: Confrontation
• Chapter Twenty-One: Born to Be Kind
• Chapter Twenty-Two: Science Class
• Chapter Twenty-Three: Graduation
• Epilogue: High School
• Acknowledgments
• How to Get Involved
• About the Author
• Bibliography
• Copyright