Many of you who follow my blog are aware that my older brother Michael has been a profound influence on my life. He is autistic, nonverbal and very low functioning. Since 1989, Mike’s 40th birthday, I took hundreds of rolls of film of him in his group home, on outings and at his Day Program. I completed a draft of what I call a photographic memoir (for lack of a better term) more than 10 years ago. My efforts to publish at that time were not successful.
Below is an updated draft of my proposal:
Title:
My Brother Michael
Summary:
This book is my memoir about growing up as a brother to an autistic, low functioning, nonverbal individual in the 1950s and 1960s, when there was very little support available. Although times are different today, it is important for other siblings to read my book to know they are not alone. For those who have not had first hand experience, this book is important in its exploration of the impact of autism on family relationships.
Synopsis:
Michael is my older brother. He is autistic, very low functioning, and he does not talk. Communication seemed impossible as he never seemed to acknowledge my presence. He was at home for the first ten years of my life before going away to a large institution on the East Coast of the United States, which was shut down in the 1970’s for wide spread abuses. Michael was an enormous influence on my parents, my younger brother and me. I started taking Mike’s picture in earnest on his 40th birthday. I had always wondered about him and I wanted to figure him out, or at least my relationship with him, through my photography, other arts and the sciences.
In this book, I incorporate the family snap shots and scrap books with my own photos as a glimpse into the many feelings I encountered growing up with a severely handicapped sibling.
As an epilog, I include the watercolors I painted to understand my brother through the eyes of an artist.
Relevant journal/magazine articles and other information:
- Photography Exhibition: Brotherly Love at Pulse Art Gallery, NYC, 1995
- Artist’s Statement included in Photography Quarterly (#66) 1996, Publication of the Center for Photography at Woodstock
- Michael Advocate (November-December 1996), The Newsletter of the Autism Society of America
- Review in Art in America: Jack Davis At Pulse Art, Art In America May 1996.
- Visual Essay: Visual Communication October 2007 v6(3)
Part 2 include a listing of similar publications and a review of the market for this kind of book.
I would be so grateful for any feedback. Thank you.
Reblogged this on perfectlyfadeddelusions.
Which publishing companies did you try? I’ve worked in publishing for many years, although not on the acquisitions end. I worked for Sterling Publishing (a subsidiary of Barnes & Noble) for a few years doing manufacturing work. Sterling publishes books on a very wide variety of topics, one of which is autism. I handled the printing for this book when I was with the company: http://www.amazon.com/Day-Time-Journal-Parents-Children/dp/B0091XFYXA. Perhaps you could try Sterling? Sterling publishes many books with photos, although there was always more text than photos in the books I worked on. How much text will accompany your photos?
Thank you, Maureen! I will give Sterling a try. At the moment my book is about 130 pages with 90 photos. I appreciate the lead.
Jack
Hi Maureen, Do you have a contact person at Sterling? If so, could you send me the info here or to my e-mail (davisbrotherlylove@gmail.com).
Thank you so much!
Jack
I think your premise is really intimate and personal. I’d love to read it!
For the text you do include, you could write the ins and outs of how your brother’s condition effected your life, to give the reader the full impact and experience.
For example, a scene could have a younger you talking to your friends or colleagues explaining why you want to go into this line of work and dedicate your career to Michael. Informing them on how much your brother means to you.
I think it would just be interesting to learn about the social developments you experienced as a result of your journey.
Thank you, Dominic. The book is more ‘show’ than ‘tell’. It is mostly about growing up, told in my voice at the time: how I felt, what my parents told me, and so on. The actual process of shadowing my brother to take photos of him at his group home and other venues, is another story, that could somehow be included. My work life didn’t have much to do with Mike although I have been driven by him on some levels throughout my life.
I appreciate your comment. Thank you again.
Jack
I think the times are more favorable for finding a publisher, although I haven’t a clue about finding one. Perhaps through an advocacy organization for autistic families? I would also like to see your paintings integrated into the rest of the book. They are both mirror and illumination to everything else. (K)
Thanks, K. I tried the mental health press (Jessica Kingsley, and others like them) but I believe they are not interested in a book that may require a high production cost. I believe that many of the pictures warrant a high-quality rendering. I agree that the paintings are something of a culmination of the creativity forged by my relationship with Mike and how he affected the dynamics of my growing-up life.
Thanks again, Kerfe.
j
It always comes down to money.
Amen to that.
J
I like it, try again.
Thank you Dr. D. Will do!
j
I think that is a great idea. I realize that times have changed but really, even when DC was diagnosed back in ’94/95 – there still really wasn’t much information and supports to be had. At that time we were just coming out of the “refrigerator mother” way of thinking. They had disproven that theory, but it takes a very long time for some theories to leave the public mind. I think your account of what is was like even farther back would be a very interesting and educational read for many people. Good Luck, I really hope you can get someone to publish this.
Thank you. I didn’t realize that the ‘refrigerator mother’ theory survived the 1970s. My mom never accepted that label, but as a kid I remember being outraged by that accusation… You’re right though, a lot has happened during the intervening 20 years since your son was dx’d. Thank you for your encouragement.
jack
The theory may have been debunked in the 70’s but we all know how long it takes for those theories to die. When my son was diagnosed, I was told specifically not to read anything over 10 years old – so it hadn’t been long enough apparently. Like your mother, I would not have accepted that label either, but it must have been difficult to know that most people probably thought his Autism was her fault. I really feel for parents that had to endure the accusations, whispers and finger pointing back then. Again, good luck.
Thank you V. I did a lot of reading, including Kanner’s and Asperger’s papers. Kanner unfortunately began the r.mother fiction but disavowed it. However, that bum Bettleheim moved it to a much higher level. Good advice from your advisors about not reading early literature. Of course I’m a sib not a parent so I was not a ground zero target. Thank you so much again for your comments.
jack
I actually like this idea and I would purchase the book for my older son. I have a middle son who is developmentally challeneged
Thank you for that. There are sibling support groups around (on yahoo and facebook). I do hope my book could contribute to support for sibs as well.
Thanks again!
j
I love the idea behind this book, Jack, as you know. Within an English landscape it sits across a number of different disciplines (in terms of audience/marketing). It could be constructed as photography, autism or anthropology-related, for example. Maybe you would have to be clearer which place it sits? It could be developed as a ‘photography as a way of knowing’ book, but would then (I am guessing) require commentary with the photos and reflections on the visual image as methodology. I would be interested in the book whatever way it was categorised – just trying to think about ways of signalling its audience to a publisher. Good luck 🙂
Thank you Liz. I hadn’t thought of the anthropology side of things. In my part 2 of the proposal, I suggested several different markets including Fine Arts. I’m interested on your take of part 2, particularly the list of books. That list is not very up to date. Thank you again for your support.
best,
Jack