For much of her life, Stephanie believed that belonging came by following the rules: be the good girl, the good wife, the good mom--never deviate, never differ. But when both of her children were diagnosed with autism, everything shifted. Suddenly the life she had carefully curated to fit in began to unravel, forcing her to confront not only her children's differences, but her own. As Stephanie navigated this unexpected version of motherhood, she discovered that everything she'd been taught to fear--grief, trauma, a disabled child, an unconventional marriage--wasn't bad. It was actually better. It was the key to a more connected and meaningful life.
That's Not Normal is her deeply honest, culturally aware, and beautifully written exploration of what it means to release the life you thought you wanted and find freedom on the other side of unmet expectations.
While Stephanie writes from inside the autism experience, this is not simply a parenting or special-needs book. This is a voice-driven personal growth title for women navigating identity, perfectionism, and unexpected life circumstances. She invites readers to stop performing for the life they thought they were supposed to build, and begin calling the life they actually have good. That's Not Normal dismantles the lies we've been told about what makes a "good" woman, mother and child--and invites us to reimagine the beauty that awaits when we decide to do things differently.
