The Horse Boy

The true story of loving parents undertaking an incredible journey to help their autistic son learn to communicate.

When his son Rowan was diagnosed with autism, Rupert Isaacson was devastated, afraid he might never be able to communicate with his child. But when Isaacson, a lifelong horseman, rode their neighbor's horse with Rowan, Rowan improved immeasurably. He was struck with a crazy idea: why not take Rowan to Mongolia, the one place in the world where horses and shamanic healing intersected?

The Horse Boy is the dramatic and heartwarming story of that impossible adventure. In Mongolia, the family found undreamed of landscapes and people, unbearable setbacks, and advances beyond their wildest dreams. This is a deeply moving, truly one-of-a-kind story—of a family willing to go to the ends of the earth to help their son, and of a boy learning to connect with the world for the first time.

“This is a story everyone needs to hear.” —New York Times–bestselling author Temple Grandin

“Isaacson charts his son's progress and regressions with an endearing tenderness. . . . Readers also follow the rare moments when Rowan expresses affection for his father, who is honest and humble throughout. . . . Any good travel memoir needs both internal and external journey, and The Horse Boy delivers.” —The Cleveland Plain Dealer

“If you are a parent of a child with autism, if you are an educator, a psychologist, or a therapist whose work involves autistic children, this book will astound you. It is honest, bold, touching, and radical.” —Book Reporter