Far from the Tree by Andrew Solomon

An incredible exploration of parenting, childhood, and the search for identity. Solomon expertly describes the lives of families who have given birth to a child who is deaf, who is a dwarf, who has autism, who has Down's syndrome, who has schizophrenia, whose mother was raped, who are criminals, and who are transgendered.
By providing both research and numerous excerpts from interviews, the reader gains a more informed and more compassionate understanding of the lives of others.
I highly recommend it.