Lauren writes about family and friendship; love and loyalty; prejudice and perseverance
Out Now Those who will not see
The story of a young boy with autism growing up in a world he struggles to fit into.
Lauren writes about family and friendship; love and loyalty; prejudice and perseverance
The story of a young boy with autism growing up in a world he struggles to fit into.
The Sunday Times, October 2013Lauren Woodcock’s novel, Those Who Will Not See, is both a great read and a perceptive insight into that much misunderstood condition, autism. It is written from the heart (she grew up with a brother who is autistic), and her work as a therapist for people with autistic-spectrum disorder brings the wisdom of experience, too.
I was born in Sheffield, United Kingdom in 1987, and my passion for the written word started from an early age. I was the five year old tucked up reading Enid Blyton while my friends played outside; the ten year old writing stories on the beach rather than building sandcastles; the sixteen year old spending hours each night filling in my diary instead of watching TV … or sleeping. I kept the fire for writing burning throughout my degree in Speech and Language Therapy, penning my first full length story in the breaks between classes.
In 2010 I began working in a college for young people with autism, another area of interest for me since my brother’s diagnosis with the disorder when I was seven years old. I decided to combine my experience here with my passion for writing and started work on what would later become my debut novel, Those Who Will Not See, which focuses on the life of a young man growing up with autism. In 2012 my daughter Ellie was born, and while on maternity leave I ignored the advice to 'sleep when she sleeps', and instead began to 'write when she sleeps', allowing me to finally complete the writing and editing phase of my now full-length novel.
Those Who Will Not See was published in November 2012, and has since received acclaim for its 'stark depiction' of living with autism. It was recommended in The Sunday Times in October 2013 as 'a great read and a perceptive insight into that much misunderstood condition, autism', and went on to receive Number One Best Seller status in Amazon's Special Family Needs sector.
I am currently working on my upcoming novel, and preparing for my second Maternity leave later in the year.
A young boy’s life path is changed forever when he receives the diagnosis every parent fears. Although autism may have very little meaning to four-year-old Matthew, it is set to take on great significance for him throughout his teenage years and into his adult life. Judgement and discrimination face him on a daily basis, but when those whom he loves the most seemingly turn against him too, his life begins to take a dramatic downward turn. With a blizzard of emotions he doesn’t even understand controlling his unusual and violent behaviours can anything, or anyone, save Matthew from himself?
'A great read and a perceptive insight into that much misunderstood condition autism'
The Sunday Times