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Autism is a complex, painful mystery.

With the Light: Raising an Autistic Child is about a family whose son Hikaru is autistic. The manga series begins with Hikaru’s birth and how his mother Sachiko gradually comes to realize that her son is ‘different.’ Hikaru’s condition is initially faced with denial and lack of understanding within the family and extended family, and later with the prejudice, ignorance and indifference of many in society. The initial volumes focus on Hikaru’s situation at school – where the faculty is ill-equipped to deal with autistic children – and with the other special needs children in Hikaru’s class and their families. Hikaru’s parents eventually have a second child, a daughter named Kanon, who does not have autism.

The story touches your heart on nearly every page, and the reader will shed more than a few tears – both sad ones and happy ones – throughout the reading of it. The courage of Sachiko and of the other parents who are raising autistic children is inspiring. This story is truly about the power of love; and you also learn a lot about autism and what can be done to help those who have the condition. It’s a beautiful, moving story – and ultimately a very uplifting one as well.

With the Light: Raising an Autistic Child, a manga series by Keiko Tobe, is published by Yen Press. In Japan, the story has also been made into a TV series, and both the manga and TV series have won awards for excellence.

Note: Yen Press publishes With the Light: Raising an Autistic Child in books that contain two volumes each and are usually stocked at the beginning of the manga shelves, since they don’t fit in with the regular-sized manga books.

Jan Suzukawa works in the manga industry as a freelance editor and English adaptation writer. Website: www.jansuzukawa.com. Blog: jansuzukawa.blogspot.com.