Beautiful Eyes would not have been possible without Sarah. I will always be grateful for the honesty of her response to this book, and her gracious acceptance of the ways in which it has failed to capture her depth, courage, wisdom, and humor.
This book was, at times, painful to write. Sally has been steadfastly supportive. Without her encouragement I doubt that I could have completed it. Sally also helped me remember and understand what really happened in the early years of our marriage and family. She was honest when she thought I wasn’t remembering it correctly, or rendering it accurately. John and Sam have both read it, and offered invaluable insights.
So many other people helped me as I wrote this book; it is inevitable that I will fail to mention someone, and I wince at that thought. But here goes. The people at the London Metropolitan Archives, and The John Langdon Down Centre were very generous with their time and expertise, as were the people at the Hartheim Memorial.
Judy Goldman, Peggy Payne, Nick Flynn, and Mary Akers all offered invaluable help with the writing itself. So did Sally. Michelle Tessler is the best agent I could hope for. Allegra Huston’s herculean efforts improved the formatting, style, and accuracy of the book. Rebecca Schultz and Angie Shih helped shepherd the book along at Norton, and the design team has created a beautiful book. I love the cover.
I don’t know how Jill Bialosky does what she does, but she helped me see what the book could be. I’m a better writer for it, and this book’s a better book.