Posted - February 6, 2012

Author of Memoir About Family, Asperger Syndrome to Speak at Eureka College

March 2 - 1:00 pm

David Finch, the author of “The Journal of Best Practices: A Memoir of Marriage, Asperger Syndrome, and One Man's Quest to Be a Better Husband,” will speak at Eureka College at 1 p.m. March 2 in the Cerf Center. Admission is free. A book-signing will follow. The book will be available in advance at the Eureka College Bookstore.  

The book published by Scribner and released Jan. 10 chronicles the months after Finch’s diagnosis with Asperger Syndrome and his efforts to win back his wife, Kristen, when their marriage seemingly was falling apart.

In 2008 Kristen Finch had helped Finch complete a 200-question analysis that, as she predicted, diagnosed him with Asperger Syndrome, which later was confirmed by a doctor. Asperger Syndrome is an autism spectrum disorder characterized by difficulties in social interaction alongside restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. The diagnosis explained Finch’s egocentricity; odd and often repetitive behaviors, like checking the position of all the light switches in the house;  his driving focus on particular topics, like making traps; and other  activities, like jumping over things.

In order to help repair the marriage, Finch took notes on his behavior and how to change it. The notes became his essay “Somewhere Inside, a Path to Empathy,” which appeared in The New York Times. The notes also were the basis for his book, which explores how he turned his compulsive focus into correcting his behavior and attitudes with a primary goal of being a better husband, a better father and a better human.

“The book is engaging, relatable, very sweet, instructive and more than a little bit funny,” said Eureka College education professor James Miller, who is organizing the event. “Anyone who has ever struggled to balance self and family, the brain and the heart, will be touched by David’s triumphs and folly,” Miller said.

Finch grew up on a farm in northern Illinois and attended the University of Miami, where he studied music engineering technology. He lives in northern Illinois with his wife and their two children.

Finch’s book tour has included stops in New York City, New Jersey, Michigan and cities throughout Illinois.

For more information, contact Miller at (309) 467-6328 or jmiller@eureka.edu.

-30-

Contact:

Michele Lehman

Media Relations Coordinator

mlehman@eureka.edu

(309) 467-6318