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Paperback
Publisher: Tor Books
Basis for the major motion picture from New Line Cinema —starring John Cusack, Amanda Peet, and Joan Cusack—in theaters November 2007
When David Gerrold decided he wanted to adopt a son, he thought he had prepared himself for fatherhood. But eight-year-old Dennis turned out to be more than he expected—a lot more. Dennis suffered from fetal alcohol syndrome, the son of a substance abuser and alcoholic who abandoned him in a seedy motel at the age of one-and-a-half. His father died of an overdose. Seized by the state, Dennis was shuffled between eight different foster homes in less than eight years. He was abused and beaten severely in at least tow of his placements. Dennis was diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and put on Ritalin and then Disipramine. He was prone to violent emotional outbursts. His case history identified him as “hard to place” —a euphemism for “unadoptable.” But for David Gerrold it was love at first sight…
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| Martian Child, book review |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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great book in excellent condition, seller was fast to ship and accurate in description. :)
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| Way better than the movie |
| Customer Rating: 4 out of 5 |
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This book really has some clever references and humor in it, and I am frankly amazed at the stuff the author puts up with for his adopted son. It is a very realistic and moving look at the results of child abuse. I cried several times during the story, and greatly admire the author's strength and creative methods of dealing with his son. I was also surprised about how much I related to the author, who I expected to have a different perspective than I do as a married straight female. He feels the same way about his son as I would feel. It is a good argument for allowing people other than the Cleavers to adopt.
PS The author wrote "The Trouble with Tribbles" so you know he's hilarious!
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| A GREAT book! |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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I was pleasantly surprised that this book felt so right to me. I have seen the movie and I enjoyed this book much more. A few things are the same as the movie, but this book actually seemed so much more personal and interesting that I finished reading it in one sitting. This is a keeper.
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| A single dad adopting a son. |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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The Martian Child: A Novel About A Single Father Adopting A Son
When David decides to adopt a boy from foster care as a single father he's prepared to deal with the boy's ADHD, reactive attachment disorder and history of abuse ... but he's not expecting to hear that little Dennis also thinks that he's actually a Martian. Fortunately for both of them, this David is David Gerrold, an accomplished science fiction writer best known for writing the Star Trek episode The Trouble with Tribbles, so a boy with a fantasy of being a Martian isn't going to be a problem. But as the pressures and demands of fatherhood mount, soon David begins to wonder ... maybe it isn't just a fantasy after all.
This is a true story about adopting from the foster care system and the process of trying to become a good father. Gerrold is wholly honest without being brutal, depicting not only the realities of foster care and adoption but also the emotional challenges that are an everyday part of fatherhood. Every father, regardless of how he is parenting, will recognize himself in the story of Gerrold's journey.
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| Sometimes we'd all like to leave Earth... |
| Customer Rating: 4 out of 5 |
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Long interested in adopting as a single dad, Gerrold details his experiences with eight-year-old Dennis, an abused and neglected child abandoned by his birth mother and shuffled through the foster system.
In this semi-fictitious account, Gerrold details his struggles in trying to secure Dennis from the foster system (especially as a single gay man), in trying to establish a bond with a boy that many said wouldn't and couldn't do so; and the overall progression of their daily lives over the first two years together.
Despite the choppiness of the book overall, and many unanswered questions (Gerrold seems to employ a curious style of selective anecdotes, abruptly skipping about) his sincerity in wanting to be a good parent shines through every page. Like any new relationship, David and Dennis have their share of difficulties getting adjusted to a common life. However, the love and good humor between them is enough to carry through the days -- even as little Dennis insists he's a Martian and will be returning to his "home planet" shortly.
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