The Color of Silence Hardcover

I'm a special education teacher, and I wrote The Color of Silence out of my years working with nonverbal and neurodivergent students. It's the story of Darius, a nonverbal boy in 1930s Atlanta, his mother Sadie, and a dragon named Azure who meets him in a place where words aren't the only way to be heard. The hardcover is a good choice for your own shelf or as a gift. If you'd like a signed copy, the signed hardcover with the companion soundtrack is also available with FREE Shipping in the U.S.

What readers are saying

Rated 4.6 stars by readers on Amazon and Goodreads

“I have taught children with autism who are non-verbal and I’ve never read a more honest depiction.”
Leota Pearson, advance reader, Amazon

“Silence can be full of thoughts, feelings, creativity, and love. It can be a language all its own.”
Kelly Matthews, mother of an autistic child, Goodreads

“My son is nonverbal autistic so this hit home and made me cry a couple times.”
D&J, Amazon

About the book

In 1930 Atlanta, five-year-old Darius Turner lives in a world that does not understand him. This is a heartfelt historical fantasy about family, resilience, autism, and the power of being truly seen.

Darius lives inside a silence no one knows how to enter. His mother, Sadie, loves him fiercely, but love doesn’t stop the stares, the whispers, or the cruel certainty that something in her son must be wrong. Darius can’t explain the storms inside him. He can only endure them.

Then sleep opens a door.

In a hidden realm where rules bend and color tells the truth, Darius meets Azure, a wise Dreamers’ Dragon who doesn’t demand words, only courage. Night after night, Azure teaches Darius to shape what he can’t say, steady his emotions, and turn patterns and drawings into a language the waking world can finally recognize.

But Darius’s dreams aren’t only a refuge. As he begins to find friendship and a fragile foothold in his own life, something waits in the shadows of Somnoria, and the seam between worlds starts to strain.

Because Darius isn’t broken. He’s being called.

To survive what is coming, Darius must take his first steps toward trust, language, and courage, and learn that the very things others fear in him may be the key to saving far more than himself.

The Color of Silence is the first book in the Dreamers’ Dragon series.

More from readers

“It offers readers a greater understanding of autism while telling the unforgettable story of five-year-old Darius Turner.”
Julie H. Elliott, teacher of autistic students, Amazon

“I have dear ones who deal with similar challenges. After feasting on Darius’ beautiful story, I will never look at them with the same eyes.”
Jerry P., advance reader, Goodreads

“To me it was a realistic portrayal of how families, teachers and peers interact and support special kids like Darius.”
Parent and special education substitute teacher, Amazon

“It portrays autism not as a limitation, but as a profound and complex way of experiencing the world.”
Belinda Ferguson, Goodreads

“The author captures the emotions and sets the scenes so beautifully. I’ve cried, I’ve cheered.”
Reader who bought a copy at the Orem Farmers Market, Amazon