An emotional, revealing memoir of one family’s life in seclusion—and the love, strength, and faith it took to save it.Seahawks star running back Curt Warner and his wife, Ana, were prominent figures in Seattle in the early 1990s. When they dropped from the public eye after Curt’s retirement, everyone assumed it was for a simpler life. But the reality behind their seclusion was a secret they hid … secret they hid from even their closest friends: their twins, Austin and Christian, had been diagnosed with severe autism. What followed was a painful struggle to hold their family and their marriage together in a home filled with chaos, emotional exhaustion, and constant fear for the safety of their unpredictable but beloved boys.
Now, after years of silence, the Warners share their inspiring journey from stardom and success to heartbreaking self-imposed isolation. Above all, it’s a story of the life-changing truth that love for family and each other—no matter how challenged—is the path to healing and peace.
The Warner Boys is the true story of a family who fought for their children and how they grew stronger against all odds.
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Curt Warner was an All-Pro running back for the Seattle Seahawks after enjoying an outstanding college football career at Penn State. He met and married a striking woman from Brazil, Ana and after their first son, Jonathan, was born, it seemed like they would be able to live a comfortable life as Curt was smart with his money while he was a professional athlete.
However, all that changed when their twin sons, Austin and Christian, were born. Early in their lives, it was apparent that something was different about the twins and they were diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder. Of course, this profoundly changed the dynamic of the Warner family and their story is told in this unforgettable memoir co-written by Curt and Ana.
The book covers so many different aspects and topics. Not only about the Warner’s life trying to raise two boys with autism and all of the challenges that encompasses, but they also talk about their own feelings, their own actions and there is even a chapter in which Jonathan talks about his struggles, especially when he was a teenager and he would not have friends come over to his house for fear of not only embarrassment, but also for the protection of his brothers.
There are many different events that run the gamut of emotions for the Warners. The hopes and disappointments when treatment options don’t work. The never-ending vigilance they exhibit to ensure that neither boy harms himself or others when they express themselves in ways such as biting or hitting their heads against objects. The fear and subsequent relief when their house was destroyed by a fire set by Austin trying to reenact a scene from a Disney movie. The adoption of a little girl, Isabella, in the middle of all this and her immediate taking to her older brothers (all three of them). The pride of seeing Austin and Christian graduate from high school. This is only a small sample of the events that are described by the Warners that had to be difficult for them to say, but felt that they had to share.
Words in a review cannot do justice to describe the feelings one will have when reading this book. It is both sad and happy. It is both hard to read and very uplifting. The best description of what this book is truly about was written by Curt – “When we tell them about the things that have given us strength, some say that ours isn’t an autism story – it’s a love story.” That sums up what I took away from this book – it is truly a story of love.
Anyone who has family members who are autistic, or anyone who wants to learn more about what it is like to live with loved ones suffering from this disease needs to read this book.
A great recollection of one family’s experiences navigating life with two children on the autism spectrum.
An interesting story of life with autistic twin sons.
A frank, unflinching account of a family with autism — because autism affects everyone in a family — The Warner Boys is at once touching, devastating, inspiring, and powerful. While revealing the intimate details of their own struggles and small victories, Ana and Curt Warner also point to a much larger problem our world faces: how we, as a society, deal with the massive increase of severe ASD, and the need for empathy, understanding, funding, and, most of all, an honest and transparent accounting of how we got here. This book does not portray the high-functioning, ‘quirky genius’ variant of ASD that is so much more readily reflected in today’s media, but rather, the shattering side of autism that has increased exponentially in recent decades. This is not a book about ‘other people’s problems’; it is a book that everybody needs to read.
This is an educational book for those who don’t understand or criticize families that they have no idea what they are going thru. Worth the read and to share.
Great book for any family that has children with Autism. It clearly outlines the challenges these families experience.
Heart wrenching, inspirational, and a roller coaster of emotions. This family’s story is a real life drama.
A very inspirational and informative read. I learned so much about autism
Interesting read.
Very inspirational. An eye opener as to the devotion and care involved in dealing with autism. Very educational.
This book was hard to put down! I just kept trying to comprehend what this family was going through. It’s so worth reading!!!
The Warners serve as an inspiration.
Very informative , true story , insp how the family pulled together through some very tough times
Such strong, admirable parents that one wishes all parents could be as resolute to find answers and promote the success of children when it would be likely that they could not be productive to society. Many kudos to them!
I have great respect for parents who have accepted their children as they are and have done their best as parents to provide the best home possible.
Amazing story of a families struggle to find treatment for their autistic twins. Kudos to the parents for having the strength to share their journey of providing the best life possible for all their children. By connecting with other parents of autistic children they share the knowledge of things they’ve tried that did and didn’t work. Show others they are not alone that someone does truly understand what they are going through.
I cried with them over their frustrations, shared their joy of each forward step. But mostly their abiding faith and love for each other as a couple, as parents, as a family. Thank you for letting me share in the journey.
I have an autistic grandson so it was interesting to see how their family handled their kids. What a loving family. It is very hard work raising autistic children with love and compassion.
Unless you have a real interest in the subject it was just very dull. Almost like reading a long magazine article.