Benjamin Ludwig Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Benjamin Ludwig is an English best selling author of fiction and contemporary novels. Shortly after he married the love of his life- Ludwig and his wife became foster parents and adopted a child with autism. Ginny Moon is Ludwig first book which was inspired by the conversations that Ludwig had with other parents at Special Olympics basketball practices. The book was Library Reads, and Indie Next Picks, a Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers pick and one of the top 20 best books of amazon.com 2017. The novel also garnered starred reviews from Library Journal, Booklist, BookPage and Publisher’s Weekly.

Ludwig novella Sourdough was the recipient of 2013 Clay Reynolds Prize. A retired English teacher and new teacher mentor, Ludwig holds MFA in creative writing and a MAT in English education. He lives in New Hampshire together with his family.

Ginny Moon

Benjamin Ludwig has authored a brilliant novel that certainly doesn’t feel fiction at all. Many people probably don’t understand how a person with autism thinks or what goes through their minds. Ginny Moon is a story an autistic girl, Ginny Moon. The fact that Ludwig, himself adopted a child seems to arouse some mystery.

At the age of nine, Ginny LeBlanc was taken away her from her abusive drug-addicted mother, Gloria. The autistic girl was undernourished, neglected, bruised, and severely hurt- such that she never had the time to retrieve her doll from the suitcase under her bed and she has since been trying to get it back.

Ginny is now fourteen years old living with her 3rd family, Maura and Brian Moon. Maura is pregnant with the couple first baby, and so Ginny is given a plastic doll to prepare her for the birth. When Ginny is unable to make the electronic doll stop crying, she mistreats it, covers it with blankets, and throws it in a suitcase under the bed. This sends alarm bells to the Moons who fear that their adopted child might hurt a real infant.

Ginny organizes her life around various numbers. She goes to bed at 9-o’clock every night, eats nine grapes every day, and counts seconds whenever something makes her anxious. She is always aware what time it is; and will only respond only when asked questions one at a time. Furthermore, Ginny differentiates between approximate situations and exact situations.

If Ginny has to figure out something out or needs a break from her surroundings, she goes into her brains. When she wants to keep something secret, she clamps her lips shut and cover her mouth with her both hands.

She loves puzzles, movies, coloring books and onion pizzas and bacon but her favorite thing in her entire universe is Michael Jackson. Ginny listens to the musician’s music wears Jackson’s T-shirts, decorates her room with his posters, etc.

Ginny is not allowed to use either computers or telephones. This is because she consistently uses them to try to contact her birth mom. She is determined to go back to Gloria’s house so that she can retrieve her doll and take care of it. However, the Moons fear that if Ginny biological mom learns of her daughter’s whereabouts- she will come by and cause a massive scene or even worse. That’s why Ginny is frequently monitored- but being exceptionally clever, she contacts her mother on Facebook. This results in all kinds of problems since Ginny is determined to do whatever it takes to get her baby doll back.

Ginny’s conduct- which often includes sneaking out, fighting and stealing profoundly affects the Moons, and things get even much worse when baby Wendy is finally born. She becomes obsessed with the baby such that Maura has to hide in the bedroom with the infant. That leaves Brian to take care of Ginny and give it his best shot. Patrice, Ginny’s counselor, tries to help her follow the rules but can’t always comprehend what Ginny is thinking.

At school, Ginny plays basketball, attends special classes and eats lunch with her special needs classmates. Larry one of the students who has a crush on the girl is an accomplice in some of Ginny’s misbehavior. Ludwig doesn’t state whether Larry has autism, but he expresses himself through songs- singing songs that convey his feelings and thoughts. It’s interesting to watch Ginny try to achieve her goal- getting back her baby doll. It’s also interesting to see Ginny interact with friends, teachers, grandparents and her forever parents.

Ginny’s story is narrated in her voice so that the readers get to understand and empathize with her thoughts and feelings inside her than her guardians can. Her teachers, parents, therapist, and friends are trying their best, but they also get shut from her inner world to some extent. So they continue to connect with Ginny majorly based on guesses and assumptions rather than based on Ginny’s inner drives. This is the theme that propels the narrative, and there are many moments of suspense, tension, and heartbreak in the book.

Ginny Moon is a remarkable story as the main character’s voice speaks for many people who are unable to speak for themselves. The story also holds lessons for many of us to learn how to listen to the last details and how to ask for more clarification when we need it to ensure that we understand those communicating with us.

Sourdough

Lucas has finally inherited his mother’s bakery as well as her obsession with making the sourdough bread. Running the family business was the best option for Lucas -a profitable one and never thought that things would actually awry. But when he discovers that his souls have been bind with the same uncontrollable character of the bread itself, he learns that a safe bet can be the most lethal thing that one can dare to make.

In this thrilling mystery, the author, Ludwig establishes and manages to stay true to an analogy that ultimately sells the honesty of the idea and creates a continuous sense of surprise in a subject that has been entirely treated and in two characters with their imperfections and the passion they develop for each other in the respective paths of self-discovery.