Q&A with Jennifer Latson
Can you imagine being incapable of distrust? Of seeing everyone as a friend and unconditionally loving everyone you meet?
That’s exactly what happens with someone who has Williams syndrome, a genetic disorder that erases social inhibitions and causes one to be exceptionally friendly and trusting. Jennifer Latson’s first book, “The Boy Who Loved Too Much: A True Story of Pathological Friendliness,” follows the story of 12-year-old Eli D’Angelo as he navigates adolescence with Williams syndrome.
The book, published last year, tells the story of Eli and his mother, Gayle, while at the same time explaining the science and history of Williams syndrome. Latson, a 37-year-old former newspaper reporter, has earned rave reviews for her book, including from the Boston Globe, which called her narrative “moving and heartbreaking” and praised her for opening “a clear window on a little-understood genetic disorder.” We asked her about the book and how she came to write it.
What is Williams syndrome?
Williams is a very rare condition; it affects about 1 in every 10,000 people, or about 30,000 Americans. There are a lot of different symptoms, but the one that’s most obvious is the “Williams personality,” a tendency to be extremely outgoing, charming and friendly. People with Williams have never met a stranger. They love everyone, trust everyone and treat everyone with kindness. Some of the more serious symptoms of Williams are intellectual disability and a heart condition that can be deadly. But there are some symptoms that are more like gifts, including a tendency to be highly musical and the verbal dexterity that makes them such good conversationalists. They also have distinctive facial features, which are described as “elfin” and include full cheeks, a narrow chin, a short, upturned nose and a wide smile.
How did you meet Eli and his mother, Gayle?
Did you know you wanted to write a book about them from the start? I knew I wanted to write about Williams syndrome, and I reached out to the Williams Syndrome Association, the national organization that works to support people with Williams and their families. My plan was to focus on one family and tell the story of Williams through their experiences.
I wanted to know how someone with Williams would navigate adolescence and become an independent adult with this incredible openness and trust that makes them so endearing but so vulnerable.
It was actually Eli’s mom, Gayle, who drew me to them, although I was totally charmed by Eli, too. But the more I reported their experiences, the more I came to see Gayle as the hero of the story. I was overwhelmed by the incredible sacrifices she made every day for him. She faced the challenge every parent faces: giving your kid the space to become their own person, even when you want to shelter them from every possible danger. But for her the anxieties, and the risks, were multiplied by a million.
You spent three years following Eli. How did you know when it was time to write the book?
The short answer is that Eli’s transition from middle school to high school was a natural end point, and he had grown and matured so much from age 12 to 15 that there was a clear narrative arc spanning those years. But I didn’t want to stop reporting, especially because his middle school years were so tough and in high school he really started to flourish. Without giving away any spoilers, I’ll say that he achieved some things Gayle had thought he might never be capable of, and it was so heartening to witness them that I wanted to add more and more of his successes.
What do you want readers to most know about Eli?
What struck me the most about Eli is that even though his life is difficult, and he sometimes gets frustrated with his own limitations, his default mode is sheer joy. He wakes up singing in the morning — literally. In fact, he’s singing pretty much all the time. Small gestures fill him with immense gratitude. I once brought him the toy from a McDonald’s kid meal and he responded as if I’d given him a priceless diamond. I can’t tell you how many times he told me, “I’m so glad you’re here! This is the best day ever.” Or how many times a day he told Gayle he loved her, that she was the best mom, that she was beautiful, etc.
What do you hope readers will take away from reading your book?
I was hoping that studying people with Williams would teach me the secret to making better small talk. But what I learned was that they didn’t have a magic formula for winning people over — or at least, it wasn’t the words they used. It was the fact that they cared so genuinely about other people, and that they radiated sincere warmth and compassion. I’d also thought that being so open and guileless would make them the targets of constant exploitation, and while they are of course highly susceptible to being taken advantage of, it wasn’t something that happened all the time. Most of the time, their good will brought out the good will in other people.
This was your first book, and it was a pretty emotional topic. Did the experience affect you at all?
Yes, absolutely. Getting to know people with Williams was life-changing for me. I think “first book” might be an optimistic description — at this point, it’s hard for me to imagine ever writing another book. What could possibly be as interesting and as rewarding as embedding with the Williams community? My experience with Eli and Gayle changed the way I see the world and the way I interact with other people. They’re both hugely inspiring to me, in different ways, and they’ve both made me a better person. I’m a more tolerant, accepting person now because of how tolerant and accepting Eli was of me — and everyone he met.
