Dear Nicky, Love Mommy: A Memior of Mother and Son's Daily Struggles With Autism

Dear Nicky, Love Mommy was a very difficult book for Cheryl A. Borrelli to write-in more ways than one. In an effort to document the life she leads with her autistic son, Nicky, she wrote a first book. Then, one day, she gave her laptop to her son to calm one of his tantrums. He smashed it. The hard drive was not backed up, and the book was lost.

Exhausted and suffering from depression, Cheryl begins journaling to process her emotions and find her way back to emotional wellness. She'd read many books by experts on autism but found they didn't capture the day-to-day realities of dealing with the disorder. Each day she recharges while Nicky is at school. Then he comes home, and she adjusts to his changing and sometimes violent moods as well as the endless struggle to manage his medications.

Then something unexpected happens. Cheryl realizes that through the process of writing, she is gaining a sense of well-being and perspective. By losing everything, she learns how much she has. And her writing doesn't stop at journaling. Cheryl also writes letters to Nicky, explaining things that can't be expressed in verbal conversation. This is Nicky's story-and hers.