The Boy Who Loved Too Much cover art

The Boy Who Loved Too Much

A True Story of Pathological Friendliness

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The Boy Who Loved Too Much

Written by: Jennifer Latson
Narrated by: Heather Auden
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About this listen

What would it be like to see everyone as a friend?

Twelve-year-old Eli D'Angelo has a genetic disorder that obliterates social inhibitions, making him irrepressibly friendly, indiscriminately trusting, and unconditionally loving toward everyone he meets. It also makes him enormously vulnerable. Eli lacks the innate skepticism that will help his peers navigate adolescence more safely - and vastly more successfully.

Journalist Jennifer Latson follows Eli over three critical years of his life as his mother, Gayle, must decide whether to shield Eli entirely from the world and its dangers or give him the freedom to find his own way and become his own person. By intertwining Eli and Gayle's story with the science and history of Williams syndrome, the book explores the genetic basis of behavior and the quirks of human nature. More than a case study of a rare disorder, however, The Boy Who Loved Too Much is a universal tale about the joys and struggles of raising a child, of growing up, and of being different.

©2017 Jennifer Latson (P)2017 Tantor
Children's Health Parenting & Families Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Relationships Social Sciences Inspiring Health Genetic Disease Mental Health

What the critics say

"Always empathetic and consistently insightful, Jennifer Latson's deep dive into Eli's life not only illuminates an under-known condition, but made me rethink the very nature of human connection. I cannot recommend this book highly enough." (Kate Bolick, author of Spinster: Making a Life of One's Own)
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