Michael Fitzgerald

Antoinette Walker

How much of what exceptional people achieve can be put down to their own efforts and inner drive, and how much to fate? In this groundbreaking study, the authors argue that the extraordinary achievements of key figures in Irish history were indeed unstoppable - a product of their character and unique way of interacting with the world. In a series of fascinating character studies, Antoinette Walker and Michael Fitzgerald argue that many of those who were crucial to the development of Ireland's political, scientific and artistic traditions - the revolutionaries Robert Emmet, Pádraig Pearse and Éamon de Valera; the scientist Robert Boyle, mathematician William Rowan Hamilton and ethnographer Daisy Bates; and the poet W. B. Yeats and writers James Joyce and Samuel Beckett - would, if they were alive today, be diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome. The authors examine the character quirks that lead them to believe that all nine can be seen as 'Asperger geniuses'. They assert that this condition meant that all nine were virtually predestined to become exceptional figures in their chosen field and that, moreover, Asperger's syndrome can be seen as the key to genius in all ages and all cultures.

Irish Geniuses and Asperger's Syndrome

Unstoppable Brilliance

Caroline O'Flaherty

Baby Ava is the moving and insightful account of Caroline and Niall O'Flaherty's struggle to have a baby. Faced with infertility after Caroline's battle with cervical cancer, the couple begin to explore various options. However, with the usual pathways of IVF and adoption proving too problematic, all hope seems lost until Caroline happens to see a TV documentary about surrogacy in India. Buoyed by the possibility of a child, the pair contact the Akanksha Infertility clinic run by Der Nayna Patel and set about making arrangements to travel to India. This book details their remarkable journey through the surrogacy process, from Caroline and Niall's first trip to India, to the arrival of their beautiful daughter. Following Ava's birth, however, the O'Flaherty's meet a further obstacle; with no surrogacy legislation in place in Ireland, they cannot obtain an Irish passport for their child. Niall immediately embarks on a campaign to bring his family home, as Caroline adjusts to motherhood while stranded in a foreign land. The O'Flahertys' story is both poignant and powerful. Their personal exploration of this emotive issue provokes thought on the wider questions of morality and ethics surrounding surrogacy, making Baby Ava as enlightening and challenging a read as it is heartwarming.

Antoinette Walker

Books

Your next favorite book is out there