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The Boy Who Loved Too Much by Jennifer Latson
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The Boy Who Loved Too Much

A True Story of Pathological Friendliness

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Narrator Heather Auden

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Length 10 hours 20 minutes
Language English
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What would it be like to see everyone as a friend? Twelve-year-old Eli D'Angelo has a genetic disorder that obliterates social inhibitions, making him irrepressibly friendly, indiscriminately trusting, and unconditionally loving toward everyone he meets. It also makes him enormously vulnerable. Eli lacks the innate skepticism that will help his peers navigate adolescence more safely—and vastly more successfully.

Journalist Jennifer Latson follows Eli over three critical years of his life as his mother, Gayle, must decide whether to shield Eli entirely from the world and its dangers or give him the freedom to find his own way and become his own person.

By intertwining Eli and Gayle's story with the science and history of Williams syndrome, the book explores the genetic basis of behavior and the quirks of human nature. More than a case study of a rare disorder, however, The Boy Who Loved Too Much is a universal tale about the joys and struggles of raising a child, of growing up, and of being different.

Jennifer Latson has written for the Boston Globe, the Houston Chronicle, and Time. She received an MFA in creative nonfiction from the University of New Hampshire and was a recipient of the Norman Mailer Fellowship for nonfiction in 2013. The Boy Who Loved Too Much is her first book.

In addition to commercial work for Foxwoods Resort Casino and corporate videos for businesses like The Hartford and ING, Heather Auden has had the great honor of voicing award-winning documentaries such as Orphan Orca: Saving Springer (Emmy Award Winner) and Nook Farm (Gracie Award Winner) during her voice-acting career. Heather has dedicated many years to dramatic vocal training including theater studies at San Diego State University and classical voice at Hartt School of Music. She sees audiobooks as a wonderful opportunity to share her skill with accents and characters and hopefully contribute to the accessibility and enjoyment of literature to the public for years to come.

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Limited-time offer

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Reviews

"Always empathetic and consistently insightful, Jennifer Latson's deep dive into Eli's life not only illuminates an under-known condition, but made me rethink the very nature of human connection. I cannot recommend this book highly enough." ---Kate Bolick, author of Spinster: Making a Life of One's Own Expand reviews