In 1949, Jamie Sullivan, aged three, is diagnosed with Gross Mental Deficiency. After two years in a mental asylum, he is entrusted to the care of his nanny, Helen Ryan, a mothercraft nurse. Thirty years later, a biographer, Melanie Hayes, is commissioned to write Jamie's story. Helen gives Melanie an account of her controversial and unorthodox interventions in the treatment of autism, and tells a compelling story of how Jamie learns to survive in our world, yet retain the richness of his own. Set in Australia and inspired by a true story, Born to Fly takes the reader on a journey through joy, suffering, insurmountable challenges and the inexplicable. It gives a refreshing account of the determination and resilience of the human spirit.