Award-winning Author and Speaker
Winner, International Book Award:
http://www.internationalbookawards.com/2010awardannoucement.html
Winner, Eric Hoffer Award:
http://www.hofferaward.com/HAbookwinners.html
Watch Video Interview of Mary Calhoun Brown by Craig Evans of The Autism Hangout.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNB8EXM49j0
WOWK TV Interviews Mary Calhoun Brown
http://wowktv.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=74212
CNN Interviews Mary Calhoun Brown
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/02/11/aspergers.autism.dsm.v/index.html
The Huffington Post Interviews Mary Calhoun Brown
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/halle-tecco/can-jamie-oliver-really-s_b_512529.html
http://www.boomboxradio.net/boombox/PlayerSetup/Players/WOWKTVPlayer.aspx?FileId=243181_wowk
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-12171-Lexington-Literature-Examiner~y2010m2d16-CalhounBrown-finds-the-words-in-her-latest-novel#comments
Listen to Audio Interview of Mary Calhoun Brown on The Author's Show with Don McCauley.
(Coming Soon)
Listen to Audio Interview of Mary Calhoun Brown on Empowering Educators Radio.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/empowering-educators/2010/01/14/there-are-no-words-author-mary-calhoun-brown
"I can definitely say that your book will be chosen for the "Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities 2011" by the IBBY Documentation Centre in Norway. Usually about 120 titles from all over the world are submitted to these biennial projects, of which 50-60 are chosen for the annotated (and beautifully illustrated) catalogue and travelling exhibition, which will be launched at the Bologna International Bookfair. (The next catalogue comes in Spring of 2011.) Your book is a beautiful, genuine story about love and friendship, and I think you have captured the true hyper sensitivity to touch and sounds that so many autistic persons experience. I can honestly tell you that when Jaxon said goodbye to her new friends and slipped back through the painting and into her own world, it brought tears to my eyes." “Mary brings her characters to life with an infinite attention to detail and infuses them with depth, humor and selflessness. ‘There Are No Words’ propelled me into a time and place in which even children were faced with the realities of racism and war.”
Heidi Cortner Boiesen
IBBY DOCUMENTATION CENTRE
OF BOOKS FOR DISABLED YOUNG PEOPLE
Haug School and Resource Centre
Bærum Kommune
N-1304 Sandvika
Norway
" I am so impressed with your attention to detail and beautiful descriptions, not to mention your stick-to-it-iveness in getting it published. I'm taking a lesson! It is one thing to have empathy and another to be able to put across on paper the super-sensitivity to sound and touch. Wow. Your love of the characters shines through and the use of photos is brilliant. Boy, I could sure smell those roses and the leaves on the forest path. Great
job!"
Sara Hunter,
Sara Hunter Productions
Award-Winning Author of "The Unbreakable Code,"
a Smithsonian Notable Book for Children
Mike Grady,
CEO,
Autism Services Center
I found “There Are No Words” to be a very interesting, informative and easy read. Jaxon MacKenzie is an autistic twelve year old girl living in the modern world and yet this story seems firmly rooted in a past era. I attribute this “feel” to two separate but intertwined things. Jaxon lives with her grandparents who come from an older generation which encompasses a different set of values and she gets pulled into a painting that sends her back in time to July of 1918. “There Are No Words” is the story of Jaxon’s life here as well as her adventure in the past.
I definitely appreciated the historical facts which were used in the telling of this tale as it made the book very interesting to me. I also enjoyed the various photographs and pictures which were used throughout the book. They were an authentic touch and consequently they made the story that much more realistic. I am sure that the younger readers will greatly enjoy this aspect as well.
It was also wonderful to read the book from Jaxon’s perspective and to be present during her different stages. She starts out as an autistic child unable to really communicate with the world around her yet once she goes through the painting she suddenly finds she is able to interact with people in what we would consider a “normal” manner. How wonderful to finally have the ability to talk with people outside of her head! How amazing to have people treat her the same way they treat everyone else!
I give high praise to the author, Mary Calhoun Brown, for being able to help me understand and experience life in a way that an autistic child might. How many times do we overlook or simplify what Autism is simply because we do not understand it or have never experienced its effects in our lives? How frustrating it must be to be that child. To have to wonder about life every day and yet never have any answers to your questions. Jaxon was truly blessed to live with someone as intuitive as her grandparents.
“There Are No Words” is a charming and likeable story and I recommend it to readers of all ages.
Charline Ratcliff for
Rebecca's Reads
Feathered Quill Book Review
Jaxon also proves to be a strong, quick-thinking girl with a crush on a black boy and a friend who, in 1918, likes to wear boys' pants and shoes under her dresses. Author Mary Calhoun Brown defies many stereotypes. Teachers and parents looking for a book with strong female characters or gentle, nurturing men will find them here. The book also promotes awareness of autism without presenting it as a problem to be overcome. In fact the main problem from Jaxon's point of view is that other people do not understand autism and treat her as though she is stupid or, to use her word, unworthy.
We see the world through the eyes of someone who is extremely sensitive to touch and to sounds. Jaxon also pays close attention to details and colors. The descriptions of the world around her-- the feel of the carpet, the sounds of the rain-- are peaceful and poetic. Jaxon, who has much difficulty communicating with others, including her own mother, is still able to paint for us beautiful images of the world as she sees it.
When Jaxon is magically transported through a painting and back in time, she finds that she is able to speak. In fact she seems to have no trouble communicating whatsoever and to be unusually good at intuiting the feelings of others. In Tennessee in 1918 Jaxon's autism is not a problem, but she soon discovers that racism, an issue that she had been unaware of before her time-travel adventure, is a huge one.
Ms. Brown more than once compares racism to the discrimination that Jaxon faces as a person with autism. Brown's presentation of race issues in the United States does not go very deep. Happily the black character, Oliver, has three wonderful white friends who are willing to risk their lives for him. Also, Jaxon seems to believe that racism is all but gone in her modern world. We can forgive, perhaps, her surface-level observations on race, knowing that Jaxon almost never leaves her grandparents' house and interacts with few people outside of her family. Though readers may not feel convinced that the experience of a black person in the south parallels that of an autistic child so neatly, teachers and students will appreciate Brown's message of tolerance toward all others.
The strongest aspect of the story is the unfolding mystery and adventure as Jaxon and her friends race against time, hoping to stop a train wreck and to rescue Oliver. There is real suspense, and Brown describes the action with vivid images, employing the same poetic language that she uses for the pastoral scenes in the beginning of the book. Despite the excitement of a train hurtling toward tragedy in the hours before dawn, the book maintains its peaceful, dreamlike feel throughout.
There Are No Words is a quick read with thoroughly likable characters. The relationships between the characters are sweet while still being very real. Readers will be inspired by the patience of Jaxon's grandparents and the kindness of her friends.
Quill says: A dream-like adventure that reads like poetry while challenging stereotypes.
Midwest Book Review
"The most terrifying future is a future you cannot change. "There Are No Words" tells the story of a mute girl who finds herself with a voice, but sent back decades ago. With the knowledge of a train wreck that will kill one of her grandfather's friends, Jaxon MacKenzie finds herself in a time before said accident. But a twelve year old girl can't do much to stop a government train...can she? "There Are No Words" is a charming story of determination and friendship, highly recommended. "
http://www.midwestbookreview.com
http://flamingnet.com/bookreviews/newreviews/newbookreview.cfm?title=There%20Are%20No%20Words
Flamingnet Student Book Reviewer MKat_JMajor
In the book, "There Are No Words," Jaxon Mackinze, an autistic 12-year-old girl, is always missunderstood. Even though she may not be able to talk, she's very smart and looks at the world in a diffrent way. She even knows how to read! But to everyone that is a secret, so, one night she sneaks past her grandparent's bed to get a book, and when she starts to read an old newspaper falls out. The newspaper talks of one of the greatest train wrecks in history with 121 people dead and 57 badly injured. When reading the names of the people who died in a train wreck she runs over in specific, Oliver Pack, her grandpa's best friend who died years ago. When Jaxon gets stuck inside a painting and learns she went back in time right before Oliver gets on the train, she realizes it's her destiney is to save Oliver Pack! With some friends help along the way, can Jaxon save Oliver in time or will it be too late?
"There Are No Words," is very moving, it tells you to never stop believing, because even though Jaxon was autistic she never stopped believing that one day she could talk. And, it happened. "There Are No Words" is one of the best books I ever read. I loved how the author also put pictures of the family to put a background to the story. I very strongly suggest you read this book.
Reviewer Age:11
Reviewer City, State and Country: Nokomis, IL USA
“Mary Calhoun Brown has given us an unusual path in getting to the story of autism. Young teenagers, their teachers and parents will be happy to have this one in their library.”
Dr. Ruth C. Sullivan,
former President
Autism Society of America
Reader Views
The author, Mary Calhoun Brown, brings her characters to life in There Are No Words. It is a wonderful story of a twelve-year-old girl, Jaxon, being raised by her grandparents. Jaxon loves going for walks with her grandfather and listening to his stories about his life. Although she tries, she is unable to speak, but she can read even though she keeps that a secret.
Although the story takes place in the present day, Jaxon has the unique opportunity to go back in time to save her grandfather’s best friend. During her adventure, she meets a wonderful group of children and is given a voice. Through her adventure she learns about prejudice and comes to realize that she too has challenges to overcome. However, she is proud and happy to be Jaxon!
The author writes with so much detail that you will find yourself cheering for Jaxon during her adventure and learning so much from her even though she is unable to speak. This book will be adored by young teens, teachers and parents.
About the author: Mary Calhoun Brown has spent much of her professional career writing and editing non-fiction. She wrote for the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce and helped to create the Partnership for Financial Education. She is an advocate for both children and adults with autism. In addition, she partners with educators to create curriculum guides for her novels so teachers and home-school parents can meet state requirements while making the most of classroom and planning time.
Reviewed by Lara Blanchard, M.A., BCBA
MAAP Services for Autism and Asperger Syndrome
“There Are No Words” tells the story of a 12-year-old autistic girl named Jaxon McKenzie. She is mute, but she secretly loves to read. After her father passed away, her mother left her to be raised by her grandparents.
Late one night, Jaxon went downstairs to look at the painting her uncle had made. The painting of a path in the woods with two small figures in the background. One of the figures moves closer. The figure is of a girl. The girl whispers, “Come with us. We’ve been waiting for you.”
Jaxon reaches out for the girl and steps into the painting. She is now out of her time and somehow able to talk. She befriends Sara, Dewey and Oliver. Soon she learns that she is in the year 1918. The year of the great train wreck.
“There Are No Words,” is a fun, exciting adventure. Author Mary Calhoun Brown has created a wonderful tale surrounded by actual events. The book includes a reader’s guide for parents and teachers. Children and adults will easily connect with the main character, Jaxon. I enjoyed reading the book and recommend it to anyone who likes historical fiction.
Reviewed on 02/11/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Billy Burgess
This book is one that makes the reader look at lives of others I a whole different light while it adds a bit of whimsy and “what if” to round it out. I suggest this book for readers of all ages, and especially those who want a more positive book about autism than they have previously read. It is a “keeper” in every sense of the word.
Review the Book
Susan Pettrone
http://reviewthebook.com/index.php/book/view/347/There-Are-No-Words.htmlMary Calhoun Brown has provided a voice for the voiceless, in this riveting tale that draws attention to the plight of autism. An epic story that touches the heart “There Are No Words” is truly a story of love and devotion. With actual family photo’s scattered throughout the book and a carefully crafted story Mary Calhoun Brown has given “There Are No Words”, a heart beat of its own. The perfect blend of history and fiction, I would recommend this book to everyone.
Review the Book
Angela Simmons
This was a great historical adventure story. Mary Calhoun Brown made the characters interesting and children will enjoy this story and it will help them to understand others who might be different than they are.
Review the Book
Janice Hidey
"Mary Calhoun Brown is a very talented writer with the ability to narrate the story of Jaxon in a very beautiful way. Her use of language to describe how Jaxon feels and sees the word helps readers understand many of the sensory issues faced by people with autism and increases understanding and awareness of this condition. This is a very educational but also easy to read and entertaining book and I would like to recommend it to people of all ages."
Emma Martin Tobes
Helping Communicate
United Kingdom
http://helpingcommunicate.co.uk/blog/?p=33
http://www.wikio.com/shopping/core/viewreview.jsp?rp=9933944&pt=3&id=1001&rt=6008
"There Are No Words" is wonderful
Published by S. Harz - 01-2010
While the title of this book is "There Are No Words" I found Mary Calhoun Brown's delightful words to be very educational and uplifting. I had no prior knowledge of the train wreck that serves as the backdrop for this novel, and was intrigued enough to then do my own research on the this historical event - I thank Mrs. Brown for this inspiration. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, her handling of the characters was gentle and thought-provoking and the juxtaposition of race relations among a group of friends against the beliefs and actions of their elders was careful but meaningful. All in all I found this book to be wonderfully creative, enlightening, and inspirational. I have passed it along to my 12-year-old son and am confident that he will benefit from is just as I did.
"Your book is amazing- your discriptions are unbelievable! What a talent! Your book is a gift to the world!"
Betts Carpenter-Reed, MD, PhD
Medical Director
LabCorp Charleston Cytology Laboratory
"Just finished the first chapter.... I am LOVING your book! I love the figurative language.... you are a Reading Teacher's dream come true!"
“I just finished There Are No Words, it was a wonderful story, it reminded me of The Wizard of Oz. The way it was written made me really believe the story.”
~Sarah Byrd, author of the upcoming book Guardian Spirits
"I didn't want it to end. I loved how you allowed the readers to experience autism, and your characters were so endearing. I admire your talent, and hope you plan to write more as I would love to read them. "
Mary Griffith
Avid Reader
http://www.herald-dispatch.com/life/schools/x1799858525/Huntington-author-honored-at-book-festival
http://www.examiner.com/x-10971-Education-Collaboration-Examiner~y2010m1d7-Autism-novel-There-Are-No-Words-by-Mary-Calhoun-Brownhttp://www.diyreporter.com/news/news2.asp?news2_id=432
http://thenewbookreview.blogspot.com/2009/10/fantasy-elucidates-autism.html
