In her novel “Queen for a Day,” Maxine Rosaler tells the stories of mothers of children with autism. DeWitt Henry compared Queen for a Day to Tim O'Brien's “The Things They Carried.” “Like O’Brien, Rosaler explores the mettle and morality of Mimi Slavitt on the ‘battlefield of her existence…' In all, the writing is generously unsentimental, spiritually probing and filled with piercing intimacies.” At the center of the novel is the flawed heroine Mimi Slavitt, who drives herself beyond her limits to do everything she can to help her son Danny. Mimi is grief-stricken, frantic, neurotic and bold, with a keen sense of irony that serves to offset her frequent descents into despair. Kirkus Reviews, which nominated Queen for a Day for The Kirkus Prize, called it “An engrossing and compassionate collection showing motherhood in its most unrelenting form.” Midwest Book Reviews called it "an extraordinary read from beginning to end." Alison Lurie wrote of being impressed and moved by "the intelligence and sympathy with which the author presents her afflicted characters.” The novel has also been nominated for a National Book Award, among other prizes. As a writer of literary fiction who is also the mother of a child with autism, Maxine has been able to tell the story of the struggles of the mothers of children with disabilities in a way it has not been told before. Join Leonard for a conversation with Maxie about the important truths contained in this work of fiction.