In Brilliant Souls, we investigate a number of popularly-held yet erroneous beliefs about the negative impact of giving birth to a child with Down syndrome, and begin to develop a new perspective on which characteristics are truly the most desirable in our modern world. If we hope for a brighter future, then kindness, generosity, tolerance, and good humor—attributes observed with remarkable consistency in people with Down syndrome—must surpass physical perfection in terms of the enviable traits we dream of seeing in our children.