The invisible smile

"We are defined by our faces. They give identity but, equally importantly, reveal our moods and emotions through facial expression. So what happens when the face cannot move? This book is about people who live with Mobius Syndrome, which has as its main feature an absence of movement of the muscles of facial expression from birth. People with Mobius cannot smile, frown, or look surprised or sad. Talking and eating are problematic, since their lips do not move. Even looking around is also difficult since the eyes cannot move either. The book is unique in giving those with Mobius a voice, allowing children and adults with the condition to explain what it is like. These fascinating biographies reveal much about the relations between face and facial expression, and emotional expression and emotional experience which we normally take for granted. The narratives also show the creative ways in which those with Mobius construct their lives and how they come to terms with and express their identities with, and yet, beyond their faces. Some with Mobius have been thought to have learning difficulties and autism, since an impassive immobile face has been assumed to reflect inner cognitive prob