Price: $19.95
Page Count: 253
Publication Date: October 2014
ISBN: 978-1-927335-91-8
“People often said, ‘I don’t know how you did it.’ As if I had any options.”
Not Exactly As Planned is a captivating, deeply moving account of adoption and the unexpected challenges of raising a child with fetal alcohol syndrome. Linda Rosenbaum’s life takes a major turn when her son, adopted at birth, is diagnosed with irreversible brain damage. With love, hope and all the medical knowledge she can accumulate, she sets out to change his prognosis and live with as much joy as she can while struggling to accept her new reality.
Not Exactly As Planned is more than a story of motherlove. It’s about birdwatching, bar mitzvahs, the collision of ’60’s ideals with the real world, family secrets and woodcarving.
“Not Exactly As Planned is a powerful story filled with a wisdom and humility that can teach us all something about family, life and love. Despite the difficulties raising her adopted son with FASD, Rosenbaum’s book is filled with a zestful happiness that will touch everyone who reads it. I couldn’t put it down.”
—Bonnie Buxton, co-founder of FASworld and author of Damaged Angels
“Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is the most common cause of developmental disability in North America. Linda Rosenbaum’s book is a mesmerizing personal account of this epidemic. Her unique ability to capture the powerful effects of FASD and deliver it as a stellar narrative makes it ‘a must read.’”
—Dr. Gideon Koren, director of the Motherisk Program, the Hospital for Sick Children and the University of Toronto
“Rosenbaum beautifully captures the joys and the challenges of being fully present, being fully Jewish, and being a global citizen of this crazy world, all with humour, depth and insight.”
—Rabbi Elyse Goldstein, City Shul, Toronto, and author of New Jewish Feminism
Not Exactly As Planned - A Must Read Book About Family and Disability
Linda Rosenbaum lives on Toronto Island where she raised her family. She is a writer, has worked in TV and on documentary films, and advocates for children with special needs. Her story about her son, “Wolf Howling at Moon,” won the 2013 Canada Writes Readers Choice award for creative-non-fiction. lindarosenbaum.com
