The Spark by Kristine Barnett

This is the true account of Jake Barnett, a little boy with autism, who defied his prognosis and went on, at the tender age of nine, to attend university and begin working on an original theory in the field of relativity. In The Spark, his mother, Kristine, describes his journey from infancy and how she helped Jake engage with the world through nurturing his passions.

With an IQ greater than Einstein’s, Jake astounds everyone who witnesses his seemingly limitless ability to learn. But no one predicted success for him as a toddler. Despite developing normally in his first year, Jake’s mother started to notice changes in his behaviour when he was about 14 months. Slowly, he started to lose the language he had developed and he stopped engaging in hugs and playful games such as peek-a-boo or rough-and-tumble. Jake had started to withdraw into his own world; staring into space for hours, repeatedly lining up his Matchbox cars, or upending any cereal box he came across.

What no one knew at the time was that Jake had a mind so attuned to the laws of maths and science that he was working out for himself things like volume and the way light moves through space. Watching his boredom and frustration with countless hours of therapy and special education, which focused on what he couldn’t do, Kristine came to realise that giving Jake the chance to learn what he was passionate about increased his ability to do the ‘normal’ things. So, it was off to astronomy lectures, where his language miraculously started to return.

There is more in the book than Jake's story though; Kristine writes it from her perspective as a mother and early childhood provider.  It is very much intended to be a source of inspiration for other parents and educators, but really, it's Jake's story that is absolutely fascinating. His mother was advised he wouldn’t probably read or talk, and yet he now teaches advanced maths and physics to others, whilst studying, and being paid to do research. His mind is so extraordinary it’s hard to believe that a human brain, not physically that much different from mine and yours, can be capable of so much.

Reviewed by Spot


Catalogue Link: The Spark