I was not prepared for the extraordinary obstacles I would find within the public education and medical systems as I tried to ensure my son got the education and services he needed. I was also not prepared for our family’s and friends’ reactions.
Amy Mackin – 12 May 2025
The Back Flap
Over 7 million students ages 3–21 across the United States receive special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Amy Mackin’s son, Henry, is one of them.
As she navigates the medical, social, and educational systems that are designed to help families like hers, she discovers that staffing shortages, budget restrictions, ineffective communication practices, and a resistance to innovative ideas all threaten her son’s ability to reach his full potential.
Henry’s Classroom takes readers on Amy’s often frustrating, sometimes funny journey with her son—from the initial signs of a developmental delay, through early intervention, eventual diagnosis, and Henry’s challenges within the public education system—until they finally turn away from traditional structures and create something new instead. As much a work of cultural criticism as it is a memoir, Henry’s Classroom argues that an expanded, more flexible vision of American schools and workplaces is essential for our society to realize true equity and inclusion.
About the book
What is the book about?
Over 7 million students ages 3–21 across the United States receive special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. My son, Henry, was one of them. Henry’s Classroom takes readers on my often frustrating, sometimes funny journey with my son—from the initial signs of a developmental delay, through early intervention, eventual diagnosis, and Henry’s challenges within public education—until we finally turn away from traditional systems and create something new instead.
When did you start writing the book?
The initial themes of the story emerged in 2013, when I began documenting my decision to take my son out of traditional school. But I didn’t start pulling the pieces together into a manuscript until 2016. We were over three years into our alternative schooling experience at that point, and I believed that what we’d discovered was worth sharing.
How long did it take you to write it?
It took eight years. The book evolved over that time from a traditional memoir to a book of essays to the reported/hybrid memoir that it is now. As I continued to witness Henry’s growth, new ideas and events were added.
Where did you get the idea from?
This is my personal story of parenting a child who experienced serious developmental delays. I was not prepared for the extraordinary obstacles I would find within the public education and medical systems as I tried to ensure my son got the education and services he needed. I was also not prepared for our family’s and friends’ reactions.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
I struggled with how much to share about extended family members—I wanted to show them some grace while still being truthful to my experience. Deciding how much of my son’s more personal experiences should be shared, as well as how many details of my marriage to reveal, was also challenging. When writing memoir, the line between where your story ends and someone else’s begins can be difficult to understand and pinpoint.
What came easily?
The research! Only in the last two years did this book become a hybrid (or reported) memoir. I loved sifting through all the research studies—that work revealed that my experience was not a singular one, though I went through it mostly alone.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
They are all real people; only the names have been changed.
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
Mary Karr’s raw writing style deeply resonated with me when I first read The Liars’ Club and then Lit. Friends have described my overall communication style as “keeping it real,” which I’ve always considered a compliment. Less friendly acquaintances have described me as “blunt,” which is probably also fair. I try to temper my default style of “telling it like it is,” depending on the audience, but it takes conscious effort. When I first read Mary Karr, it felt liberating—like it was okay to tell the truth, or at least my truth, with frankness and authenticity.
Trade books by journalists and scholars very much influenced the final form of Henry’s Classroom. I had reviewed mass amounts of research on the topics explored in my book, but I hadn’t considered incorporating that research into the manuscript. Then I read Screaming on the Inside by Jessica Grose, Essential Labor by Angela Garbes, Mom Rage by Minna Dubin, and Holding It Together by Jessica Calarco, among others. I’m a literal, logical thinker who appreciates evidence-based writing, and braiding that aspect of my personality with my creative leanings made perfect sense for this project. In the beginning, I felt I wasn’t “allowed” to write in this way because I’m neither a PhD nor a career journalist, but reading some of this crossover work helped me more broadly consider the literary sphere and my place within it.
Do you have a target reader?
I’m writing for the reader who wants to feel something—anger, sadness, frustration, joy—and explore the source of those feelings. Most of my writing is simmering with emotion and unresolved pain. So many of us carry these weights, but they are routinely suppressed in the interest of getting on with life and doing what has to be done. Many of us were also raised in homes and communities where negative emotions were not welcomed and faults in our larger cultural systems went vigorously unacknowledged. In these settings, memoir writing is viewed as “airing dirty laundry.” My target reader is someone who’s willing to look at that dirty laundry and maybe even pick it up, shake it out.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
I binge write. I wish it wasn’t so, but it is. I’ll write for hours into the evening or spend my entire Saturday writing. Like most creative writers, I have a day job. I find it difficult to abruptly pivot among that paid work, my family and domestic responsibilities, and my creative life. I’m not someone who can get up at 5 a.m., write for two hours, then jump in the shower and go to work. I can do that when I’m editing a project, but not for the first draft. My creativity doesn’t appear on demand. So, when inspiration strikes at a time that I can push everything off, that’s what I do. I’ll try to get as much out on paper as I can in one epic writing session.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
I don’t outline. Again, I wish this wasn’t so. I think my work would benefit from outlining. I may try to force myself to do this for my next book-length project, but it’s definitely not my natural inclination.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
Both. I do tend to edit as I go. I’ve worked as a copyeditor and proofreader over the years, and I have a hard time pushing through run-on sentences, typos, or incongruent verb tenses. But I also spend significant time editing once I’m finished. I go through my drafts at least a half dozen times before I allow anyone else to look at them.
Did you hire a professional editor?
I’m being published by a small press with limited editorial resources, so I did hire a professional editor, and I’m very glad I did! She identified a lot of issues that the press’ editor and my initial beta readers missed.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
I don’t listen to music while I write. I need quiet. My mind is very busy and loud, and music only adds to the chaos. I can’t let it play as background—my mind will pay attention to it and that competes with the concentration I need for the writing.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
I did submit my work to agents, many of them.
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
My book’s form evolved over a series of years. It started out as pure memoir, then became a book of essays, and then the hybrid memoir that it is now. When it got to the hybrid stage, university presses with trade imprints and smaller presses focusing on social justice themes felt like the best fit. I researched and pitched agents who like to work with manuscripts in those spaces, but none of that outreach resulted in representation. The book contained too much research for some, not enough research for others. I happened to see my publisher’s call for manuscripts, and I submitted the book on the day of their deadline. After doing so, I put the manuscript on a shelf and told my spouse that I was done pitching the book. I needed a break from the discouragement. Six weeks later, I got an email from that press telling me that they thought my manuscript was a great fit for them.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
As part of their academic program, my publisher employs graphic design students to create a few options for the book cover. I had a dialogue with the designer and had a great deal of input into the cover (as long as the director of the publishing program approved the marketability of the design). Some authors in my cohort chose to hire outside designers to better execute their vision, but the student assigned to my book came up with a cover concept that I loved. My publicist provided comments on how to tweak the design a bit to better represent the crossover genre that it falls within, and we were in business!
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
My publisher provided a basic one-page DIY marketing plan that I could execute on my own. I’ve expanded that document into 10 pages, and I spend several hours each week researching appropriate opportunities and places to discuss Henry’s Classroom. I’m seeking to encourage broader, honest conversations on how we can better support women and families, especially those dealing with disabilities and learning differences. With that mission in mind, I also hired an independent publicist to help me navigate the industry opportunities that I’m not familiar with and give the book the best possible chance of finding its audience. I’m not winging it.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
I know several writers who have published with indie presses. Some have had great experiences; some have had terrible experiences; and many have experienced something in between. Because indie presses are all so different, and individual writers’ goals vary, I think general advice is difficult to offer. However, I would recommend that an author thoroughly research any indie press they might be considering—try to find other writers who have published with that press and get their thoughts. I would also suggest that an author think long and hard about how much time and energy they have to dedicate to the process. Most indie presses have small operating budgets and limited resources. An author may wish to hire an independent editor to supplement whatever editorial services the press provides. Same goes for publicity. If an author doesn’t have a solid writing group or network, they’ll need to seek out other authors in their genre who are willing to serve as beta-readers, provide blurbs for their book, etc. An author will also have to plan their own book tour/events, unless they have the financial resources to hire someone else to do that. If the author is also managing a full-time job, this means spending a lot of weekends visiting local bookstores and talking to booksellers, along with cold-calling and emailing organizations that host reading series, themed discussion panels, and the like. I enjoy this work, but not everyone does.
About You
Where did you grow up?
I’m born and raised in Massachusetts. Growing up, the town I lived in was in transition—evolving from a somewhat rural, working-class town to an exurb of Boston and Providence. That physical transition is complete now—the factories and mills that once flourished along the river and the railroad have all shut down, and the farms that skirted the area beyond downtown are mostly gone too. But the cultural identity of the town hasn’t fully shifted, which is interesting.
Where do you live now?
Massachusetts—about 35 miles southwest of Boston, in another former mill town (there are a lot of them in New England!)
What would you like readers to know about you?
I am deeply passionate about women’s issues and women’s history, and all the intersectionality that goes with those topics.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on a couple of essays: one dealing with generational gaps and how “going home” can be an uncomfortable reminder of who we once were and who we wanted to be; the other exploring the difficulty women experience in getting concerns for their children and/or for themselves addressed within the American medical system.
End of Interview:
Get your copy of Henry’s Classroom from Amazon US or Amazon UK.