A riveting and redemptive family memoir, The Four Walls of My Freedom is Donna Thomson’s account of raising a son with cerebral palsy and a passionate appeal to change the way we think about “the good life.”

Donna Thomson’s life was forever changed when her son Nicholas was born with cerebral palsy. A former actor, director, and teacher, Donna became his primary caregiver and embarked on a second career as a disability activist, author, and consultant.

Thomson vividly describes her experience in treading delicately through daily care, emergencies, and medical bureaucracy as she and her family cope with her son’s condition while maintaining value and dignity (for Nicholas, too). She brilliantly demonstrates the vital contribution that people with disabilities make to our society and addresses the ethics and economics of giving and receiving care.

Featuring an introduction by John Ralston Saul, and two new chapters, The Four Walls of My Freedom is a passionate appeal to change to the way we think about the “good life” that will touch anyone caring for the life of another.

DONNA THOMSON began her career as an actor, director and teacher. But in 1988, when her son Nicholas was born with severe disabilities, Donna embarked on her second career as a disability activist. A veteran of numerous local committees promoting inclusion for her son, Donna became interested in how families, communities and governments can work together to find new ways of supporting our most vulnerable citizens.

Donna Thomson's profile page

John Ralston Saul is one of Canada’s leading social and political commentators. He is the author of numerous books on philosophy and contemporary politics, including Voltaire’s Bastards, Reflections Of A Siamese Twin, and most recently The Collapse of Globalism. Saul was the Massey lecturer in 1995, and won the 1996 Governor General’s Award for nonfiction for The Unconscious Civilization, based on those lectures. He is the former president of PEN Canada and the creator of the acclaimed LaFontaine Baldwin Lecture series. A regular speaker and panelist across Canada and internationally, John Ralston Saul currently lives in Toronto.

John Ralston Saul's profile page

A clear-eyed look at the value of a life...What if a life was judged not by its monetary worth or possible economic benefit to society, but as a series of complex and rewarding relationships?

Globe and Mail

Donna Thomson's world changed utterly when she gave birth to a severely disabled son - with a wicked sense of humour...she makes a powerful case for caring to be accorded respect, and demands that we all think about what really matters.

The Times (UK)

In The Four Walls of My Freedom, Donna Thomson traces her family's experience with her son Nicholas' cerebral palsy from diagnosis to his recent 21st birthday. This is the story of the fine balance between caring for Nicholas's physical requirements while nurturing his spirit and tending the needs of the whole family. The personal is political in this book, which is clearly aimed at provoking thought about the rights of persons with disabilities to be valued in society and to live a meaningful life.

Abilities Magazine, Issue 84, Winter 2010/2011

A LIFELONG JOURNEY - What does it mean to be a good mother? How do you know if you are providing your child iwth the best possible quality of life? The Four Walls of My Freedom by Donna Thomson is an honest, intelligent account of raising a son born with cerebral palsy, describing a journey through motherhood where regular road maps don't apply. Loaded with info and insight, this book will resonate with those in a similar situation.

Erin Poetschke, Canadian Living Magazine