Book Talk with Essmaa Litim, Author of “Speechless”

AANE hosted a book talk with Essmaa Litim, the author of the recently released book, Speechless, Mama’s Story. Litim writes a moving biography centered in Boston, MA that chronicles her Algerian mother’s courage and commitment to her non-speaking Autistic son and family as she valiantly navigates the barriers and systems of a new country, language, culture, and autism.

Essmaa Litim was born and raised in East Boston to Algerian immigrant parents in the ’90s. She discovered her passion for poetry at the early age of seven, falling in love with words and wordplay. She followed in her family’s footsteps by graduating from business school and pursued her dream of writing her mother’s story, highlighting the intersectionality between immigration and Autism in her first book, Speechless. As a first-generation American, Essmaa continues to raise awareness of societal issues through her writing, rooting it in her own experiences and those of her parents who worked hard to make it in America.

This webinar is intended for adults who are or who suspect they are on the spectrum, parents, other family members, and partners of individuals on the spectrum, as well as professionals who support individuals on the spectrum.