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6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
 Keeping it Real! Mar 02, 2006
By BeatleBangs1964
This is one of the best children's novels about a character with autism that I have ever read. Mr. Littman has drawn a plausible cast of very eclectic characters and this work is nothing short of brilliant. I just LOVE it!
Nine-year-old Eddie has Asperger's Syndrome (AS) which is the spectrum partner to autism. Since autism/Asperger's (a/A) is a continuum, there are many overlapping behaviors and Eddie's behavior often appeared closer to the autism end of the spectrum.
When readers are introduced to Eddie via his Uncle Natie, he greets his uncle wearing his ubiquitous fire helmet, underwear and a smile. He insists on drinking from a baby's bottle at night and his divorced mother (aptly nicknamed the Ice Queen) speaks disparagingly of Eddie and often in the boy's presence. Why the Ice Queen would give a 9-year-old a bottle and then complain about it never made sense to me.
Natie, the Ice Queen's brother has returned home to Los Angeles after an unsuccessful stint in New York. A frustrated reggae guitarist, Natie's goal is to secure a reggae band. A Jamaicaphile, he learns Caribbean patois; wears dreadlocks and teaches Eddie how to play guitar. Eddie, a musical prodigy takes to it like his idol Chuck Berry took to duck walking.
Natie becomes more than a mentor for Eddie. He's the boy's friend. He attends class with Eddie as a support person; cheers Eddie's brilliant questions in class despite his teacher's dismay; helps Eddie bring his reading level up to speed; regales the class with music and jokes at the teacher's expense. Since Eddie's teacher is ill suited for the job, Natie takes full advantage of it in very humorous ways.
Natie insists that the Ice Queen level with Eddie about his father - the man is not dead; he is simply no longer a part of their lives by his own choice. Eddie has some very interesting allies - his Uncle Natie; the school custodian, a man with a lot of heart, Natie's friend Jake who built a pirate ship on his junkyard and Sharon, one of Jake's customers who has her car serviced there.
Sharon is a wonderful and very interesting character. A wiccan, she teaches Eddie and Natie about her holistic remedies and beliefs. The bond between this self proclaimed New Age healer and the boy is heartwarming.
Jake, a self-proclaimed pirate is a delightful, funny and VERY interesting character. I like the way he and Natie take Eddie into the world of male bonding and shared masculine humor. Jake and Natie were really good for Eddie.
Natie is a delightful and very funny character. He steps up to the plate for Eddie at all times; he copes with his strident family and finds the humor in traditional Jewish ceremonies. Eddie's inadvertant upstaging of his pompous cousin's Bar Mitzvah was just too funny. Natie's crass older brother Abe was just the right thorn in the side to work as comic foil for Natie, who always managed to have fun at his expense.
Natie brought fun into Eddie's life; Eddie made a very poignant observation about how Jake's junkyard was a metaphor for his own life. He describes himself as being like the junked cars - at one time they were new and welcomed by their owners only to end up as scrap metal. He describes how he is unable to follow rules; a day at the playground underscores the challenges people with Asperger's contend with.
Even that dark cloud had a silver lining - an unexpected messenger recognizes Eddie's AS and comes through like the cavalry for him.
This is a truly extraordinary book with a cast of unforgettable characters and a lot of delicious irony and wicked humor. I just love it!
Read this with JACKSON WHOLE WYOMING, which is a good companion book to this one.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
 Reviewed by Barb Radmore Jan 24, 2007
By Front Street Reviews www.frontstreetreviews.com
Reviewing is an interesting profession. You get to read an amazing selection of books- never one particular style, genre or subject. There is never an expectation going into the first page, the first chapter or the book itself. itself. A clever cover, a slick media package or lack of media blitz, subject matter or author web site can create no preconceived notions, no assumptions. So when a truly unique book appears with creative characters, an engrossing plot and a message appears it is moment of joy. Eddie and Me on the Scrap Heap was my time of joy.
"Rub-a-dubdub, three adults in a tub and who do you think they be? A pirate, witch and reggae singer, the only three friends for me."
Eddie is a 9 year old boy with Autism. His mother loves him dearly but life with Eddie is not easy. Mothering Eddie alone while working full time leaves her tense and frazzled. At a weak moment she allows her brother to move in with them to give him a place to stay and to help take care of Eddie. But Uncle Eddie, a guitar playing, dread locked Jamaican wanna-be reggae singer, does not make her life any calmer. Eddie and Uncle Nathan find refuge in their friend's junkyard, a magical place of scrap pirate boats, wiener mobiles and treasures galore. Here Eddie is able to be the guitar playing, mechanical wizard, loving boy he is. A friendly and attractive woman, Sharon, wanders into the junkyard to add a welcomed female influence, even if she is a witch.
But life outside the junkyard is still impossible. The adults in Eddie's world are not the caring, sympathetic people he needs. His teacher is the man who should never be allowed in a classroom, his mother's family does not understand, nor care to try to, his Autisms and peers as friends are nonexistent. But the world at Jolly Roger's U-Pick gives him the world every person deserves, especially a child- a world of friends who accept each other for who they are.
This is not the in depth, well rounded plot summary as is usual required part of all reviews. This is a book of characters; it is the people and their affects on those around them that is the foundation of this novel. With his fire hat on his head, Whoville in front of him, and a million questions on his lips Eddie is a boy you will love and cheer as he teaches those around him the ultimate lessons in patience, perseverance and passion.
Marc Littman is the father of a son with Autism. He uses this debut novel to both entertain, it is a wonderful read, but also to educate. The chapter "No Cure-All" is a vivid portrayal of the judgmental, even if meant as helpful, suggestions every parent of a child with special needs encounters. The IEP meeting scene is too realistic to be anything but eye opening. He has written a wonderful story that makes the readers laugh out loud while tears run down their face.
Maybe the next time the child behind you in line or at the next table in a restaurant makes you take a deep breath, you'll think of Eddie and smile.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Brilliant debut Jul 09, 2006
By www.frontstreetreviews.com
"Front Street Reviews"
Reviewing is an interesting profession. You get to read an amazing selection of books- never one particular style, genre or subject. There is never an expectation going into the first page, the first chapter or the book itself. itself. A clever cover, a slick media package or lack of media blitz, subject matter or author web site can create no preconceived notions, no assumptions. So when a truly unique book appears with creative characters, an engrossing plot and a message appears it is moment of joy. Eddie and Me on the Scrap Heap was my time of joy.
"Rub-a-dubdub, three adults in a tub and who do you think they be? A pirate, witch and reggae singer, the only three friends for me."
Eddie is a 9 year old boy with Autism. His mother loves him dearly but life with Eddie is not easy. Mothering Eddie alone while working full time leaves her tense and frazzled. At a weak moment she allows her brother to move in with them to give him a place to stay and to help take care of Eddie. But Uncle Eddie, a guitar playing, dread locked Jamaican wanna-be reggae singer, does not make her life any calmer. Eddie and Uncle Nathan find refuge in their friend's junkyard, a magical place of scrap pirate boats, wiener mobiles and treasures galore. Here Eddie is able to be the guitar playing, mechanical wizard, loving boy he is. A friendly and attractive woman, Sharon, wanders into the junkyard to add a welcomed female influence, even if she is a witch.
But life outside the junkyard is still impossible. The adults in Eddie's world are not the caring, sympathetic people he needs. His teacher is the man who should never be allowed in a classroom, his mother's family does not understand, nor care to try to, his Autisms and peers as friends are nonexistent. But the world at Jolly Roger's U-Pick gives him the world every person deserves, especially a child- a world of friends who accept each other for who they are.
This is not the in depth, well rounded plot summary as is usual required part of all reviews. This is a book of characters; it is the people and their affects on those around them that is the foundation of this novel. With his fire hat on his head, Whoville in front of him, and a million questions on his lips Eddie is a boy you will love and cheer as he teaches those around him the ultimate lessons in patience, perseverance and passion.
Marc Littman is the father of a son with Autism. He uses this debut novel to both entertain, it is a wonderful read, but also to educate. The chapter "No Cure-All" is a vivid portrayal of the judgmental, even if meant as helpful, suggestions every parent of a child with special needs encounters. The IEP meeting scene is too realistic to be anything but eye opening. He has written a wonderful story that makes the readers laugh out loud while tears run down their face.
Maybe the next time the child behind you in line or at the next table in a restaurant makes you take a deep breath, you'll think of Eddie and smile.
5 of 6 found the following review helpful:
Right on the money! Feb 28, 2006
By Linda Zupan
My son is autistic. I appreciate how Mr. Littman showed the special qualities and talents of the autistic boy in this book. The story was full of interesting characters, too, so even if you do not have an autistic child in your family, you will enjoy this book.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Enjoyable and inspiring! May 17, 2006
By Armchair Interviews
Marc Littman has a hit with Eddie and Me on the Scrap Heap. This was a quick but enjoyable read. As the story progresses, the reader begins to feel sorry for Eddie's mother because she did not receive proper counseling about what to expect after her son was diagnosed as being autistic.
Eddie has Asperger's-type autism and this complicates everyone's life and makes Eddie aware that he isn't like other kids. This struggle to do the right thing and make his mother proud is the basis of this story.
Natie Newman, Eddie's long-lost uncle, comes to aid the family by becoming the "nanny." Eddie takes Natie on the wildest trip of his life, trying to prove that he is worthy of something and not a total mess up, or junk to be put on the scrap heap.
We are shown the family's strife in dealing with Eddie as well as his inner turmoil as he tries to fit in.
I really enjoyed the story as it developed. There were humorous moments throughout as well as many tear-jerker ones. I have to admit that the "An Angel Sent to Hell" chapter really made me want to go find the person and beat him up. Since this book is based on the author's child, I can only hope that this did not really happen to William or Marc. My heart goes out to them if this occurred in their lives.
Overall, this book does bring together the nonbelievers, the believers and everyone in between. My applause to the author for bringing a bit of a special-needs child into my life.
Armchair Interviews says: A very enjoyable and inspiring read.
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