Sally Clarkson - Different: the story of an outside-the-box kid and the mom who loved him

Sallys and Nathans voices are needed in this day and age of parenting. This book was an encouragement for me on so many levels, as a mama, friend, and woman in ministry. Both Sally and Nathan display the love and grace of Jesus toward each other, and that is a message that transfers to people all over the world.

JAMIE IVEY

Host of The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey podcast

For anyone who has ever felt different, this inspiring book is a soothing balm and a call to arms to build the life of your dreams no matter where you are.

CLAIRE DIAZ-ORTIZ

Author and entrepreneur, ClaireDiazOrtiz.com

I loved this book. Sally comes alongside parents raising difficult children and offers support, encouragement, and community. We get to see inside our kids through Nathans words. Its a beautiful, deeply moving memoir that sends a clear and important message to our culture: Being different is more than okay. Its a gift.

KRISTEN WELCH

Author of Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World

Im a mom with an outside-the-box kid a child I love dearly but who brings me to my knees on a daily (sometimes hourly) basis. The wisdom from this book gives me the confidence and perspective I yearn for in parenting my quirky, beloved child. Im beyond grateful that both Sally and Nathan have shared their story with us. It fills me with hope.

TSH OXENREIDER

Author of At Home in the World and Notes from a Blue Bike

I have watched the ministries of Sally and Nathan over the years, and Im thrilled to see how God has used a different boy to bless so many. This is a book of hope and inspiration told through the eyes of a mom who, like so many parents today, must deal with the day-to-day challenges of working with a unique and special child.

DR. SCOTT TURANSKY

Cofounder of the National Center for Biblical Parenting; author of Parenting Is Heart Work

In Different, Sally Clarkson invited me to pursue Gods heart for my own outside-the-box child. Her seasoned and experienced words lifted this mamas eyes off What could be wrong with my child? or What could be wrong with me? and on to Christ and all the possibilities of His beauty and power in the life of a person. This is a message for every parents heart. I recommend these pages both to those who feel like they have outside-the-box children and to those whose children color within the lines.

SARA HAGERTY

Author of Every Bitter Thing Is Sweet

This is a story that will touch the heart of any mother. We bear the weight of our childrens struggles, wishing we could take on their frustration and pain, often without help or answers. Different brings hope to every family with a child who breaks the mold. Sally and Nathan show us that Gods strength is made perfect in weakness. Before He can use us greatly, He must wound us deeply.

AINSLEY ARMENT

Founder of Wild + Free

Reading Different lifted a huge burden off my chest, letting me breathe easy again. I cant thank Nathan and Sally enough for having the courage to share their story in detail. Just knowing there are other parents who have lovingly raised different kids gives me hope and helps me feel less alone as a mother.

JAMIE C. MARTIN

Editor of SimpleHomeschool.net; author of Give Your Child the World

God has used each of Sally Clarksons books in a powerful way in my life as I travel down the ever-curving road of motherhood. Ive loved them all, but Different is one of my new favorites. Sallys and Nathans testimonies of Gods faithfulness will increase your faith as you witness their doubt, heartbreak, and struggle, and as you come to see that you are not alone. Sally and Nathan speak right into your pain and uncertainty. In the rawness of each story, you will find strength, beauty, and hope.

ANGELA PERRITT

Founder and director of Love God Greatly; coauthor of You Are Loved and You Are Forgiven

For decades, Sally Clarkson has been a strong, wise guide for families. In Different, she is more vulnerable than ever before, recording a memoir of moving through a refining experience and sharing her notes from the journey. She and her son Nathan recount this ongoing struggle with faith-affirming honesty, offering insight and hope for families who face similarly bewildering battles. An at-times-painful story, Different is honest about Sallys and Nathans progress without ending in a neat and tidy total victory. Instead, the book invites us into a faithful, resolved embrace of the story God is weaving even through the most painful and perplexing of our weaknesses.

S. D. SMITH

Author of The Green Ember; cofounder of www.storywarren.com

Sally and Nathan Clarksons Different is a breath of fresh air for parents of different kids. While many books for outside-the-box kids focus on best practices, Different is... well... different. As you read the journey of this mother and son, you will smile, you will cry, and you will realize that you are never alone. And really, isnt that what we all want to know?

CAITLIN FITZPATRICK CURLEY

School psychologist, homeschooler, and founder of My-Little-Poppies.com

With this book, Sally Clarkson offers weary moms the nourishing feast for which they are starved. With equal parts empathy and wisdom, she breathes hope into the lives of parents who daily labor to lovingly raise outside-the-box children. Nathan grants us unprecedented, invaluable insight into the mind of the child as he grows. Sally assures us that though we will certainly be challenged, humbled, and humiliated, this story is not about us, but about being faithful to God to raise a uniquely challenged and challenging child. With warm understanding, she gives us tangible tools and healthy, hearty food for the journey.

ELIZABETH FOSS

Mother of nine; author of Small Steps for Catholic Moms

Sally and Nathan have given us hope by giving us the gift of sight. They have pulled back the curtain and helped us see the tender struggle of raising a child who breaks out of the boxes we try to fit people in. As a result, we learn to see challenge as a gift in disguise. This book makes visible what has been in plain sight to our family for years now: The Clarksons wholeheartedly love God and one another through the mess and the mystery of life and faith.

GLENN PACKIAM

Pastor; author of Discover the Mystery of Faith, Lucky, and Secondhand Jesus

Sally has protected her family by keeping certain stories hidden from the public sphere until now. The stories and truths in Different have not been shared before, and they will absolutely bring hope and freedom to those who struggle with their different children and think, I cant do this; its just too hard. If you have an outside-the-box child, this is a must-read.

SARAH MAE

Coauthor with Sally Clarkson of Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe

As a parent who has often felt alone and completely out of my depth in raising a child who is outside the box, I found tender companionship in these pages. With vulnerability and candor, Sally and Nathan Clarkson have bravely lifted the veil on the struggles that are often unspoken and yet silently shape many families. Through this book, the journey of faith forged in their own lives has the power to breathe life into souls who are burned out on formulas and prescriptive solutions. If you are desperate for a way forward, longing for a future that is flourishing for your child, and dream of learning to parent with peace and grace, this book will guide you as it extends hope, healing, and the very present and tangible love of God for each of His children.