In this page-turning odyssey, a mother on a mission travels the globe - from Bedouin camps in the Middle East to Amish farms in Pennsylvania to camel-herder villages in India - to obtain camel milk, which dramatically helps her son's autism symptoms. Chronicling bureaucratic roadblocks, adventure-filled detours, and Christina Adams's love-fueled determination, Camel Crazy explores why camels are cherished as family members and hailed as healers. Adams's work uncovers studies of camel milk for possible treatment of autism, allergies, diabetes, and immune dysfunction, as well as ancient traditions of healing. But the most fascinating aspect of Adams's discoveries is the gentle-eyed, mischievous camels themselves. Huge and often unpredictable, they are amazingly intelligent and adaptable. This moving and rollicking ode to "camel people" and the creatures they adore reveals the ways camels touch lives around the world.
Includes users' and buyers' guides to camel's milk A mother on a mission travels to cultures around the world - from Amish farms in America to Bedouin cultures in the Middle East - to obtain the camel's milk that helps her child with autism Christina Adams, award-winning author of the memoir A Real Boy, is a journalist and speaks on autism, writing, culture, and camels. Her work has been featured by National Public Radio, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, Gulf News, Dubai One, OZY, WebMD, Tata SKY TV, Global Advances in Health and Medicine, and more. She lives in Orange County, California. "[A] loving and appealing memoir."
- Booklist
"For ages, these strong and beautiful beasts have been venerated for their courage, stamina, intelligence, and the healing powers of their milk. These fascinating and important pages detail Christina Adams's personal journey of discovery that the camel herders were right. Her excellent book makes the case for camel milk's medicinal value and for treating camels with the respect, compassion, and even reverence that they deserve from humans."
- Sy Montgomery, author of the National Book Award Finalist The Soul of an Octopus
"As a self-professed 'beauty hunter,' I felt like I found the beauty-hunting bible within these pages. This is a book for anyone who believes in the power of belief, science, and love. Combining these things, Christina Adams has created a magical story that feels part memoir, part fairy tale, pure heart. I want everyone I know to read this book to be reminded how one woman can change the world by following her own path."
- Jennifer Pastiloff, bestselling author of On Being Human: A Memoir of Waking Up, Living Real, and Listening Hard
"In her fascinating book Camel Crazy, Christina Adams describes her quest to help her son, which is both heroic and an important reminder of the arrogance embedded in the prevailing wisdom of Western medicine and modern industrial life. We recklessly toss out important traditional knowledge, remove direct contact with the animals - like camels - who have shaped human civilization, and belittle the important steps to regain control over our lives by searching for answers in unexpected places. Camel Crazy is a joy to read and should inspire those of us who feel powerless in the face of industrialized life. Biodiversity matters. Animals matter. And it matters to enter into a space in which we consider possibilities that otherwise would seem impossible."
- Richard McCarthy, executive director, Slow Food International
"Christina Adams's writing and work are important to many indigenous cultures around the world, like my own nomadic tribe, the Tuareg camel herders. We need protecting."
- Sidi Amar, nomad, camel handler, and Tuareg cultural protector, Sahara Desert, Niger
"Her firsthand experience with the benefits of camel milk turned Christina Adams into an expert on its therapeutic potential and an explorer of the cam
