Peter and Amy Julia Becker weren’t expecting a special needs diagnosis after the birth of their first child. When the doctor said he suspected their daughter Penny had Down syndrome, Amy’s life and her expectations for her daughter changed.

A Good and Perfect Gift: A Mother’s Memoir

A Good and Perfect Gift: Faith, Expectations, and a Little Girl Named Penny is Amy Julia Becker’s memoir about the first three years of her journey as the parent of a child with special needs. Becker describes the grief she experienced after the diagnosis. She details her reluctance acceptance of her role as Down syndrome advocate and expert, as well as her anger and frustration with the responses of well-meaning, uninformed friends and acquaintances.

Questions Pondered

The book also provides an accounting of the faith questions that plagued Becker during her daughter’s first months and years. Was Penny’s Down syndrome caused in part by Becker’s struggle with eating disorders in high school? Would her faith be strengthened or broken by this special needs diagnosis? Was God in control? Did Penny’s Down syndrome make her less perfect than other people? The author honestly recounts her thought processes, tracing her changing perspectives as she sought answers.

Beautiful Writing and Quiet, Intelligent Faith

Clear, beautiful prose mark this memoir. Becker writes transparently, sharing her doubts and feelings without becoming overly emotional or sentimental. She presents her faith quietly and intelligently, never shying away from complex theological dilemmas. She accomplishes this without being preachy or self-righteous. In fact, humility and brokenness pervade the pages of this memoir.

Thank You, Amy Julia Becker

I am thankful someone recommended Becker’s book to me. It is, perhaps, the best special needs parenting memoir I have read in either the Christian or general market. I will recommend A Good and Perfect Gift to friends whatever their faith affiliation may be. In fact, if you haven’t read it yet, I recommend you do so as soon as you can. If you have read it, what did you think of the book. Leave a comment about your response to Amy Julia Becker’s memoir about being the parent of a child with special needs, A Good and Perfect Gift.

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