Spelling Love with an X Paperback by Clare Dunsford

Product Details

• Publisher: Beacon Press (2008-10-01)
• Language: English
• Paperback: 216 pages
• ISBN-13: 9780807072806
• Item Weight: 226.8 grams
• Dimensions: 21.11 x 13.97 x 1.27 cm

When her son, J.P., was first diagnosed with fragile X syndrome, the most common inherited form of mental retardation, Clare Dunsford discovered that she and three of her four siblings carried the fragile X premutation and had therefore passed on the full mutation to J.P. and several of his cousins. An English professor by training, Dunsford draws on poetry to explore her new identity as a "mutant" and reflect on her life with J.P., a colorful young man with great verbal dexterity and a lovable cheeky streak. Brimming with warmth, Spelling Love with an X shares the disarming insights of a compassionate scholar on motherhood, disability, and genetic inheritance.

About the Author

Clare Dunsford is an associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences at Boston College and has been a contributing writer for Boston College Magazine. She was named a 2008 Genetic Alliance Award Recipient. She was previously an adjunct lecturer in English at Boston College and Harvard University.