New! Blazing My Trail: Living and Thriving with Autism
“A brilliant book by one of the most outspoken, insightful, and individual writers in the autism community.” — Gavin Bollard, author of Life with Aspergers
This new autobiographical work is a sequel to The Uncharted Path, Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg’s memoir about her childhood on the autism spectrum and her life after diagnosis as an adult.
In Blazing My Trail, she chronicles the many ways her life has changed since the publication of The Uncharted Path. This new book describes her process of creatively adapting to life with a disability, advocating for full inclusion, and reclaiming her independence, her power, and her engagement with the world.
Blazing My Trail is available in paperback and as an e-book from Amazon.com. You can also purchase Blazing My Trail as an e-book from eBookIt! and the Barnes and Noble online store.
The Uncharted Path: My Journey with Late-Diagnosed Autism
“Rachel’s book is an insightful gem.”—D.S. Walker, author of Delightfully Different
“The Uncharted Path is an autism autobiography unlike any I’ve ever read…..I’d recommend The Uncharted Path to anyone on the spectrum, to anyone who has friends or relatives on the spectrum, and to anyone who cares for people on the spectrum. Her book is written straight from the heart.” —Gavin Bollard, author of Life with Asperger’s
“Cohen-Rottenberg is emotionally honest and skilled at relaying the stories from her childhood and adulthood that made her the person she is today….A highly recommended read.”—Kate Goldfield, author of Common Scents: Adventures with Autism and Chemical Sensitivity
“What Rachel has written, few others would be able to….An enlightening journey.”—Jon Gilbert, author of Same Child, Different Day
“This self-examination in the public view is one conducted with grace, dignity, and profound insight. It is a book that should be read and embraced by all. It becomes a cornerstone for self-awareness and provides a foundation for self-advocacy that is so desperately needed in today’s world.”—Philip Dzialo, former high school principal and father of a severely disabled young man
To purchase the paperback edition of The Uncharted Path: My Journey with Late-Diagnosed Autism, visit Amazon.com.
To purchase the book as a PDF file, please click the Buy Now button to be redirected to PayPal.
A Sense of Place: The Story of the Williams Family Farm
While volunteering at the Buckland-Shelburne Senior Center in Buckland, Massachusetts, Rachel met Francis Williams, a man who had lived and worked at his family’s multigenerational farm in Buckland from his birth in 1915 until he sold the farm in 1963.
With their friendship came the discovery of photographs and stories that formed the basis of A Sense of Place.
Rachel’s initial conversations with Francis and his son, Russell, led her to inquire as to whether they had any photographs of life at the farm. To her delight, she found many boxes of old photographs, both studio portraits and family snapshots, from the late-nineteenth century on.
Over several months, Rachel sat with father and son, painstakingly identifying the people and places in the photographs. Some showed farming tasks—plowing with a team of horses, picking apples, and sugaring. Others showed family members in their Sunday best, the adults posed elegantly with small children on their laps.
Just as fascinating as the photographs were the memories they inspired. Using a small, hand-held recorder, Rachel taped many hours of stories. Francis talked about growing up in Apple Valley, attending the one-room Apple Valley School, and anticipating the arrival of electricity in 1929. He also told of working the farm—growing apples, raising cattle, gathering eggs, curing meat, and bringing in the hay.
“Francis remembered his days on the farm vividly,” Rachel says, “and he was an excellent storyteller. His eye for detail, the way he described what happened, and the cadences of his speech, all made for excellent listening. I am very thankful to have known Francis, and for the opportunity to have brought together his memories and photographs in A Sense of Place: The Story of the Williams Family Farm.”
To purchase a copy of A Sense of Place, please contact the author at rachel@journeyswithautism.com.