The Horse Boy

Rupert Isaacson's The Horse Boy is one family's epic journey to rescue their son.

Rupert and Kirstin Isaacson were heartbroken when they learned that their two-year-old son Rowan was autistic. And with each passing day, Rowan's growing isolation, his uncontrollable fits, each failed treatment, filled them with despair.

Then one day Rowan escaped and ran into a field of horses. Rupert watched in horror - but saw a miracle occur. The horses responded lovingly to Rowan - and he to them. Could Rowan's affinity with these animals save their son from his condition?

The Isaacsons left their home in Texas and travelled to the plains and mountains of Mongolia - the spiritual home of the horse - risking everything - their happiness, future and sanity - on an arduous epic horseback journey in search of a cure for Rowan . . .

'An elegant, affecting narrative...a triumph of the human spirit' Daily Telegraph

'Captivating, incredible, a magical journey, an impossible dream'Telegraph Weekend

'It is probably only once in a critical lifetime that one will be moved almost to tears by [such] an account ... the excellence of his writing [creates an] elegant, affecting narrative ... a triumph of the human spirit'Telegraph

'Magical, miraculous, uplifting'Daily Mail

Rupert Isaacson is British but lives with his family in Texas, USA. He is an ex-professional horse trainer and founding director of the Indigenous Land Rights Fund. He is the author of The Healing Land: A Kalahari Journey and his journalism and travel writing has appeared in the Daily Telegraph, Esquire, National Geographic, Independent on Sunday, Conde Nast Traveller, Daily Mail and The Field.

"A colorful real-life adventure with inspiring results." -- Good Housekeeping
"Everyone who is fascinated by the human-animal bond should read this totally engrossing book." -- author of Animals in Translation "Dr. Temple Grandin"
"In this intense, polished account, the parents of an autistic boy trek to the Mongolian steppes to consult shamans in a last-ditch effort to alter his unraveling behavior.... Isaacson records heartening improvement in Rowan's firestormlike tantrums and incontinence, as he taps into an ancient, valuable form of spirit healing." -- Publishers Weekly
"Isaacson charts his son's progress and regressions with an endearing tenderness.... Readers also follow the rare moments when Rowan expresses affection for his father, who is honest and humble throughout. And the author's chatty and self-deprecating storytelling adds a welcome buoyancy to a weighty experience. Meanwhile, Mongolia makes a fetching backdrop for this father/son love story.... Rooting for Rowan through all this... makes "The Horse Boy" an unexpected page turner." -- The Cleveland Plain Dealer
"Isaacson's astonishing memoirreveals how, inspired by these rare moments in the saddle, he began a quest through Mongolia to heal his five-year-old son.... Isaacson's journey to heal his son is just that, a healing, not a cure. But he wouldn't want it any other way. While the author's purpose was to draw Rowan out of his autism, he came to realize the overlooked gifts it entails. "The Horse Boy "will leave readers with a new appreciation for autism and the healing techniques of other cultures; like Rowan, they, too, will be changed forever." -- Bookpage
"Rupert Isaacson has conjured a non-fiction journey that reads like an epic novel.It is a book of endless amazements. The world of Mongolian shamans, the details of adventuresome travel, the mysterious world of autism--all are all amazing.Soon, you realize that the world of horses is mysterious, too--and, yes, amazing.By the time you are in the grip of this book, you'll see love, marriage, and parenthood as a realm of magic, profound power, and further amazements.The Horse Boy can change the way you see your life, and it's a terrifically good read at the same time.It feels like a classic." -- author of The Hummingbird's Daughter and The Devil's Highway "Luis Alberto Urrea"

Rupert Isaacson is British but lives with his family in Texas, USA. He is an ex-professional horse trainer and founding director of the Indigenous Land Rights Fund. He is the author of The Healing Land: A Kalahari Journey and his journalism and travel writing has appeared in the Daily Telegraph, Esquire, National Geographic, Independent on Sunday, Conde Nast Traveller, Daily Mail and The Field.

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