My Invisible World: Life With My Brother, His Disability and His Service Dog Paperback – January 24, 2012

This is a book I purchased to read with my daughter, who is 11, after reading in her mom's more recently published memoir that this book was written. I had a pretty strong suspicion that she could relate to what Morasha would have to say (she too has a sibling with an FASD and multiple other diagnoses), and might even handle this book better as it doesn't go over the end of Chancer's life (she is quite the animal lover and I knew that would make her sad). For my daughter, sometimes it is hard for her to feel like other people understand what she is going through because of how specific and how unusual her brother's combination of diagnoses is compared to anybody we know of in our area. So I had high hopes that this would help connect her to a sense that other people can understand some of what her world looks like, even if not everything is exactly the same. So I am going to share her thoughts on the book and then my own.First, these are my daughter's thoughts, typed exactly as she has given them to me: "I really loved the book!!! It was really good because I could compare to her and I could relate to her a lot. And she seems really nice because she understands her brother like me, and she doesn't get as much attention and she's sad about it like me. It's a good book for other people who have siblings with disabilities. I suggest it to parents who have kids with disabilities who have siblings so they can understand how the siblings of the kid with disabilities feel."As her mom, I think it really helped a bit that my angel is the same age Morasha was when she wrote this. Morasha speaks with maturity well beyond her years as she gives voice to some of the difficulties that can exist for siblings and families of children who have a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. As her mom, we knew about the FASD when we adopted her brother, but as we watched additional diagnoses come in one after another, as we were living with the effects of those symptoms and disabilities in our family and came to realize what the impact of these additional conditions would be, part of my heart has always hurt for the negative ways in which these things can impact a normally developing child. Namely, there is no way to make the attention balance seem equal because of the level of assistance he requires. She gets half an hour a day alone with each of her parents separately, so we do the best we can, but nothing can make it equal and that does leave an emotional mark. But I would also like to mention, that it can also promote many positives, like deep compassion for others in a wide array of disabilities and difficult circumstances, which both Morasha and my daughter exhibit.I also really love that she does some education about not drinking at all during pregnancy. For every kiddo who has ever read this book they will now go forward with a piece of information about the dangers of drinking during pregnancy that could bless the lives of their children that they may not have had otherwise.And, as a parent, I am so thankful Morasha took the time to give voice to her feelings. I think it has done my daughter a great deal of good to feel like there is someone out there who *does* feel like she does in many ways, even if the exact list of conditions and symptoms isn't entirely the same. I think when we build more on the things we *do* have in common, we can support one another in ways that can help carry us more safely across the oceans of heartache that can come from these types of invisible disabilities. And really, some of the things Iyal struggles with can be experienced by children with Autism or other neurological disorders as well, so I think it could even be a very helpful read for a sibling of a kiddo with *any* type of disability. We loved this book and in this house, this is a daughter and mother highly recommended book.

This book has been a fantastic resource for helping our preteen daughter understand her younger brothers disability. Its also been an eyeopener to us. We will be looking into a service dog for our own FASD child. I can't recommend this book enough for parents of children struggling with explaining FASD to their other children.

Awesome book with lots of input for young kids about a hidden disability. FAS can be prevented and definitely needs to be this way. Chancer was the inspiration too. Whole book A++++++++

This shows you the world of family living with a family member affected by FASD. I enjoyed the honesty and faith from the author.

This book has not arrived yet. I had specific reasons for this book, its not a special need I have often heard or read about. I believe I will a present a great assignment on the topic in The Invisible World, and I will use it for my presentation.

Morasha Rael Winokur rocks. She's authentic. Morasha knows that her brother's constant babbling isn't his fault, but sometimes she just wishes she could be a regular eleven-year-old girl. Not exactly possible, when brother Iyal, born with FASD, is unpredictable and emotional no matter where he is. At times, part of her wishes he would just shut up, while another part says, "But deep inside, I love him so much."There are plenty of "That's not fair" times for Morasha, but also amazing amounts of family love, insight, and support. And an FASD service dog named Chancer for Iyal. With Chancer, Morasha says, she has a chance for a life of her own.Read this book and I guarantee you'll never think the same about the outcome of drinking while pregnant. But it's much more. It's an opportunity to meet a delightful family that advocates for children with FASD.Morasha's book is the "must have" of the 2009 holiday season and the coming year. A perfect gift, regardless of whether the reader has family or friends with special needs.

Words of wisdom from such a little person! I loved this book. My 10 year old son loved it as well. You see, we are a blended family of bios and adopted. Our domestically adopted daughter has FASD and our biological children are challenged with the daily struggle of understanding her moods and behavior. Morasha so amazingly described the paradox of her feelings towards her brother, it couldn't have been more on target! This book so effectively advocates for our special FASD children that I applaud it and hope that every child who struggles with the challenge of growing intellectually beyond their sibs with FASD reads it and knows that everything they think and feel is normal and welcome in the process of loving their sibling for everything they are and aren't.

My Invisible World is a wonderful book. It provides a caring and thoughtful perspective on living with a sibling who has developmental challenges. Morasha is a very insightful, honest and intelligent author. When you realize how old she is it is absolutely incredible. I think this is a "must-read" for families, young people, professionals and anyone who wants to read about a remarkable family, a remarkable young lady, and living with someone who has FASD. It is really a great read! For the professionals....it does provide an invaluable perspective on how siblings affect each other.