Reviews (2)

My favorite autistic autobiography
This is currently my favorite autobiography by an autistic person.The reasons for this may be purely personal -- the author does a good job of portraying areas of autism that I don't see portrayed often.For instance, she describes sensory experiences that shift and fluctuate over time, the extent of which she does not entirely understand or notice until they start stabilizing a bit.The book also describes an emotional and physical reality I can relate to, including why the author is grouchy about certain things, what her body does in response to these things, and how her body reacts to her thinking in general. Its author seems like a slightly more amplified version of me autism-wise, but having both the language and the courage to describe things I could not.(This also makes me highly biased toward this book and less likely to be able to find fault with it even when I try, so keep the positive bias in mind.)

The plot itself is a familiar one.An autistic person is born, goes to special education for awhile, learns to type with facilitated communication, starts going to regular high school, and eventually goes on to university and physically independent typing.The way it is told is both more well-rounded and more humorous than most similar accounts manage, and is occasionally punctuated with accounts by the author's sisters and mother, and quotes from other people the author has interacted with, including a correspondence with the Australian fiction author John Marsden.

The author herself has a carefully cultivated dryly amusing tone to her writing -- and, in defiance of stereotype, she describes exactly why and how she cultivated it as she was learning to write.This defiance of stereotype, and her matter-of-fact admitting when she doesn't know something about autism, is another part of why I like the book so much.At one point, a teacher asks her why she's having trouble working with her.The author says, "I don't know.Even *I* don't fully understand autism."These sorts of admissions are rare in similar books.

This book has helped me to learn how to describe what I did not know how to describe, like the shifts in sensory experience.Equally important, it showed me that it was *possible* to describe things I had been afraid to describe, like the author's feelings about school, her reactions to being told she wasn't really disabled or autistic, and so forth -- unlike most books that put everything in terms of autistic characteristics, the author of this book put many things in terms of emotions *added to* autistic ways of showing them (including showing affection by backing into someone).It also shows the discrepancy that can exist between how non-autistic people perceive autistic people, and what we are *actually* feeling and thinking.

While I gave the book five stars, there are a few things I am uneasy about or don't like.Tony Attwood's foreword and afterword contain erroneous ideas about prior books (including that this is the first book by a fully non-speaking person, which isn't the case), and I find that they try too hard to stuff the author into the box she's been trying to step out of.The book spends a lot of time describing a three-dimensional reality of autism that few books manage, and the afterword seems to try to tidily show researchers which parts to pay attention to -- particularly the parts, unsurprisingly, that deal with "theory of mind" and other popular research ideas.I think it would be much better not to bias people to only look at one aspect of the person or to look at a person only as a potential research subject; there is too much of that going on in the autism research world already.

Neither of those things are part of the main body of the book, however.While there are a few ideas and tones within the main body that make me uncomfortable, I'm not sure there could be a book without that.If you buy it, be aware that many people have found it easier to read it outside of chronological order than in chronological order, for some reason.For the most part, this is a very good book, showing an unusually three-dimensional view of life as an autistic person, and if I'm going to recommend an autobiography by an autistic person, this is always among the first.

Reviews (18)

Eloquent
This is a well-written autobiography of an autistic person who at times seems doomed to failure, then becomes remarkably successful.
It is much more readable than similar books by Temple Grandin, and more careful about the extent to which her personality is representative of autistics in general.
It is occasionally frustrating that some of her successes seem to involve a good deal of luck, and I'm left wondering whether they were due largely to chance or whether she left out something.

gripping moving tale
I loved this book. It is well written, gripping, moving and inspiring. It helps me understand a friend who has this and increases my admiration for others who struggle with it. I also recommend Thinking in Pictures by Temple Grandin and Women from Another Planet edited by Jean Miller

Reviews (1)

Isbn: 1853029114
Sales Rank: 876352
Subjects:  1. 1952    2. Autism    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. General    8. Lawson, Wendy,    9. Mental Illness    10. Patients    11. Women   

Isbn: 1843101122
Sales Rank: 274524
Subjects:  1. 1955-    2. Asperger's syndrome    3. Biography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Birch, Jen,    6. Children with Special Needs    7. Family & Relationships    8. Family/Marriage    9. Parental Memoirs    10. Patients    11. Special Education - General    12. Specific Groups - Special Needs    13. Women    14. Birch, Jen    15. Coping with illness   

Reviews (8)

Linda Newland/parent and spouse of a ASPIE
I am a mother of a 15 year old ASPIE married to a AS spouse.This is probably one of the 'best" books I have read coming from a parent and a adult married to a AS spouse.

Edgar makes me think and pause and yet think again.He is articulate with superior communication skills.His analogy to having AS or being married to someonethat is blind is food for thought for all of us living in a non spectrum world.He has a quick wit and cuts to the chase.If you want to know, "HOW" AS can affect someone that has itor is involved in a in a mixed marriage, relationship or friendship without knowing it, this books is a "must" read.

Linda Newland/parent and spouse of a ASPIE
I am a mother of a 15 year old ASPIE married to a AS spouse.This is probably one of the 'best" books I have read coming from a parent and a adult married to a AS spouse.

Edgar makes me think and pause and yet think again.He is articulate with superior communication skills.His analogy to having AS or being married to someonethat is blind is food for thought for all of us living in a non spectrum world.He has a quick wit and cuts to the chase.If you want to know, "HOW" AS can affect someone that has itor is involved in a in a mixed marriage, relationship or friendship without knowing it, this books is a "must" read.

Linda Newland/parent and spouse of a ASPIE
I am a mother of a 15 year old ASPIE married to a AS spouse.This is probably one of the 'best" books I have read coming from a adult married to a AS spouse.

Reviews (26)

Autobiography of an Autistic
The book is made up of many experiences throughout Donna's life starting at the pre-school level. It was not until page 58 that the reader learns that Donna lived in Australia, now residing in England. I was wondering why there were so many Italian families in the 1970s when reading Nobody Nowhere!

The way Donna saw things was bit by bit, a string of pieces strung together. Donna got her first job at the age of fifteen, sorting goods in a department store. Donna got a goat from a service station when she was twenty-one, naming it after her late grandfather.

For years Donna slept with her eyes open and her dreams would come true years later. Donna had brothers older and younger than her and a Mother that abused her, calling her a drug addict and slut. Donna was three people, Carol, Willie and Donna. She would escape into the characters and felt it was okay to feel only three years old.

It was confusing at times since Willie and Carol are described as personalities. Donna saw Mary from the Psychiatric outpatient department for several years, who thought Donna was Schizophrenic. As Donna explained, "Carol was always sent out to test the waters before Donna decided it was safe to jump in."

Donna referred back to friends she met throughout the book and moved every two months since it felt like two years to her. She had many male friends as well as female friends that came and went.

Nobody Nowhere does not touch upon the Special Education Laws or assessments that I have experienced with my two autistic children. Since her diagnosis was later in life that aspect of the disability is not mentioned since she did not experience it.

This was an interesting account of Donna's life and how she dealt with the outside world and intertwined her three personalities to cope. I feel this is a worthwhile read for any parent or relative of an autistic person. Teachers and psychologists as well as therapists would better understand how an autistic person sees themselves.

Powerful...
This was the first book I read about autsim, by an autistic person, and it is one of my favorites.The other two are also by Donna Williams, "Somebody Somewhere" and "Like Color to the Blind."It's fascinating to read all three and watch her writing style and structure change as she learns to adapt to her environment and work within the limits of her condition.

In "Nobody Nowhere," the writing style is unmistakably that of an autistic, with all the emotional and psychological baggage that implies.If it seems egocentric, it's because at this relatively early stage in her development, she is still egocentric.Some have called it "disjointed" as well, and it is.This too seems to mirror her thought processes, and gives a unique insight into the way her mind works and the way she experiences the world.

This is not an easy book to read.Donna writes with a clinical, detatched emotional style about some pretty horrific abuses that she suffered as a child, and her disconnection from her own experiences gives the book a harrowing, emotionally charged quality that becomes almost nightmarish at times (and this carries through with greater force in "Somebody Somewhere").I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about autism, but probably not as a first read if your child has just been diagnosed.

Once you've finished with her autobiographical series, move on to Donna's other books, "Autism and Sensing" and "Exposure Anxiety".I can't recommend them enough.

Reviews (4)

The sequel I was waiting for...
The first book was an amazing journey for me, and to read the second book was just as wonderful as the first. It left me wondering if there was a third book. A must read!

There is always more to know.
Have you read her first book? You'll be happy to read this one too, and share her experience. Learn more about autism, conquering it, and dealing with it.

Should be A prescribed Text ............
Donna Williams book 'Somebody Somewhere' is one of those books that opens your mind - and makes you want to stand up and applaud human courage. My personal interests include psychology, child development, communication,extra sensory perception psychic ability, and Metaphysics.Donna Williamssharing of her 'world' inadvertently embraced all these subjects, and mademe highly aware - not of 'differences' but of 'similarities'. Our humanneed to be understood, to be treated with dignity, and to be accepted inour individuality.

Reviews (2)

Has some good parts, but mostly seems rambling and misguided
This book is a sequel to Nobody Nowhere and Somebody Somewhere, and makes more sense in that context.

This book has moments I was really glad to see written about.The author describes seeing autistic people forced into an act of normality, with their teachers ignoring their real selves.I also liked the descriptions of acquiring tinted glasses and meeting a local autistic teenager.There were many scenes scattered through the book that I am glad I read about, and I liked the first part where the author said she'd been a nobody nowhere and a somebody somewhere but now wanted to be an anybody anywhere, and her friend said "You blew that in a big way."

Unfortunately, the bulk of the book revolves around a number of dead ends and convoluted paths the author stumbles into when attempting to live her life as herself rather than a bunch of characters and compulsive facades.It gives the impression that she is stumbling around in the dark, going the wrong way often, and describing every wrong turn in minute detail.She describes resisting her compulsive "defenses" by doing the opposite of what they want (with the predictable result that she ends up not much freer for doing that), and forcing herself to the point of complete physical immobility by trying to go back into her childhood to find a point where she was not using echo to move or speak.

She does these things along with her autistic housemate (who becomes her husband after the results of a "checking" ritual tell them both that they want to marry each other), and I think from experience that this whole section of the book should come with a warning label along the lines of, "Autistic people:Don't try this at home."The author does notice at some point that she may be leading autistic people down a misguided path, but most of the book does not show a lot of critical thinking in this regard.It's rarely stated clearly which things are mistakes and which things are good ideas, but an overlarge portion of the book is dedicated to an excruciatingly detailed account of false starts, false successes, and unsuccessful-sounding attempts to deal with compulsions.

Reviews (1)

Reviews (1)

Autistic viewpoint on institutional life
In a tone that brings to mind bubbly teenage girls, Jessica Peers recounts five years at a National Autistic Society residential school in the United Kingdom.The back cover of this book suggests that the book will give insights into Asperger's syndrome.On that point, it seems to be wrong.However, it does give a lot of insight into institutional life.

Peers has a talent for wryly amusing caricature, whether in drawing (her cartoons appear throughout the book) or in sketching out people's character in words.Not everything in the book is amusing, though.There are some truly harrowing scenes of physical and emotional abuse by staff, as well as the usual detached brusqueness that crops up in places like that.The funny descriptions offset the often-heavy situations enough to make it readable to me without causing too much pain, and I almost wonder if the author had the same idea herself.

One thing that struck me was how much the actions and social dynamics of the people in the book reminded me of the dynamics in every disability-segregated setting I have ever been in, whether there were autistic people besides me or not.This book is one more that convinces me that whether you call it a group home, a psychiatric ward, special education, or a residential school, some things never change.There are particular spins on things depending on what the setting calls itself and what kind of person is placed in it, and this book is no exception.But its descriptions of life there are surprisingly wide in their applicability.

One thing this book is not, though, is all that insightful about what autism is.It claims to provide insight into autism, but it really doesn't.It describes situations involving a lot of autistic *people*, including the author, but in truth it has ended up more about life in that particular place than about a particular condition.It also contains the common misconception that people who appear "more autistic" are necessarily less aware of their environment and therefore less suffering from what happens around them.People should know that before buying this book -- the real focus is not necessarily the same as the apparent focus.

Reviews (5)

Interesting insight into Autism
I've only read one other book about Autism.That was "Speed of Dark", which was fiction from the point of view of an autistic.It provided fascinating insight into the viewpoint of an autistic, but again it was fiction.It is worth noting that the author was the mother of an Autistic.

I digress.Onto the book "The Mind Tree".I feel I should tell people what this book is actually going to be like.I would have liked to give the book 3.5 stars, but alas there is no option for it.So, I gave it the benefit of the doubt with 4 stars.This is because I know how remarkable it is for someone with such severe Autism as Tito to have written the way he wrote so articulately.That having said, the reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because Tito's prose can be hard to read.Not that it isn't readable--he's actually quite articulate at times--I just found myself doing a LOT of double-takes on certain sentences that I had trouble reading.

The "story" (for lack of a better term) is basically a description of the events of Tito's life as he remembers them.He remembers a great deal, which is impressive.He also does a pretty good job of explaining why he couldn't do things like converse or focus, as well as explained some of his behavioral oddities.For instance, he describes his nervous rocking and/or movement of his arms as "flapping" and explains that he did this because if he wasn't moving, he lost "track" of his body and couldn't "feel" his hands, arms, etc.

This could actually be a good book to read if you have a severely autistic child, or otherwise have a severely autistic person in your life.I think it would help to better understand the world through their eyes and why they behave the way they do.I found the book, overall, a bit dull and I found myself spacing out at times.It really is more or less just an account of how he went from doctor to doctor, from city to city, with his mother in an effort to find him some help.I've always felt that autists really were "normal" people deep down, but that something prevented them from communicating, behaving correctly or properly dealing with social situations, and Tito's words are a fascinating look into exactly how that feels.

Extremly touching
I loved Tito every moment I read the book and have immense respect for the dedication, persistence and effort of his mother Soma. She seems to be a very strong woman to handle it all alone. But I have to mention this that I hated the part where Tito writes he was hit hard until he paid attention. I have seen and heard of many successful people who cannot ever forget their childhood abuse by their parents even though they were for good reasons.This is a very wrong concept used earlier and is not encouraged any more by many many people these days. Even though hitting might prove right for some reason it does a permanent damage to one's inner self.

The book that will change your perception of "normal" life
My brother's daughter is a an autist child of similar age to Tito. This book has so emotionally moved me that I do not have Tito's genius to express them in words.

I understand that one child in every 250 born could be an autist. Then it is a must that the rest 249 must read this book.

Reviews (9)

A Valuable Resource For Parents of Autistic Children.
Thomas McKean gives great advice and valuable insight for parents of autistic children. He understands how parents try so hard to be helpful for their children, and sometimes fall short for lack of understanding. Thomas gives an insider's view of what autism feels like as a child and as an adult.

Thomas was a student of "The Child Whisperer" author Matt Pasquinilli. Mr. Pasquinilli has worked with children and adults challenged by austism and aspergers syndrome, and speaks about it in his book. Get "The Child Whisperer" for some great advice that compliments Thomas McKean's "Soon will come the Light."

A moving personal account of autism
I have had the pleasure of speaking with the author on AOL and after hearing about his book, I purchased it.His personal account of his life and dealing with the realization he had autism was extremely moving. I only hope that I can remember the things he went thru, the things he felt growing up, the sensory issues he continues to deal with....and be able to apply that knowledge to understanding my son who has autism. I want to help my son make his journey thru life in such a way that their is no pain, limited frustration and in such a way that he is confident and happy in his world. Reading this book has helped me see a glimpse of my own son's thinking. Thanks Thomas for putting such a personal glimpse of your life in words!

Reviews (13)

Inside View of Aspergers
Awesome! Kenneth is a 10 year old boy with AS. This book helps AS parents, teachers, & others to understand the delicate and complicated perspectives of an AS child's brain. Kenneth describes how the world looks to him and how so many things are a challenge for him. I've read the book numerous times. I have also quoted it in meetings and appeal hearings to help others understand my AS son's strenths and weaknesses. It allows "outsiders" an inside look at the world of Aspergers. My son has read it and feels it is describing his life. He is amazed that there is someone in the world that feels the way he does and views things the same way. This is a definite read for all who interact with these special children.

What an amazing kid!
This book helped me understand my child with Asperger's syndrome better than any of the books by "professionals." Excellent book, amazing boy!

ASPERGER'S WITH A TWIST
I love this book.I really do.Kenneth Hall, the young man who wrote it provides a candid inside view of Asperger's Syndrome or AS.AS is a neurological condition that is on the Autism spectrum.

A brilliant young man, Kenneth Hall discusses his early school experiences; his current home schooling curriculum and the people he works with; his sensitivity to loud noises and tastes; his heightened sensory modes and his loving family.I love his sense of humor.He describes his behavior program where he says he has learned to break tasks down into a sequence of steps in order to follow through and not lose his place.I love the way he describes the jokes he pulls and the games he enjoys.

This gifted young man is truly a gift.His deep spirituality and his acceptance of himself all speak to hope, empowerment and a positive face on Asperger's.A spectrum condtion and NOT a mental illness, Asperger's Syndrome is often considered "undefined differences" and many persons with AS are not diagnosed.This book will provide good clear explanations and descriptions of it.How wonderful it would have been had this book existed a generation ago.I wish I had had this book when I was 8!

Reviews (2)

Climb Every Mountain
This book is a rare gem and a recently discovered treasure.In addition to being well written, one can identify with much of what the author has chosen to share.It provides a much needed window with parted curtains into autism/Asperger's (a/A) perceptions and interpretations.

It has been said and evidence appears to support the finding that people on the a/A spectrum learn empathy cognitively as opposed to intuitively.Seeing the view from another person's perspective is challenging for most people, but for those on the a/A spectrum it is all the more so.

This book is one that commands respect; being able to disclose the level of information that is found in this book is nothing short of courageous.It is the voice of hope for those with any form of autism; for professionals and for those personally involved with people on the a/A spectrum.This is a book for everybody!Being able to share these insights and observations made me think of the song "Climb Every Mountain" from "The Sound of Music."

Hats off to this book!

Reviews (3)

Informative and entertaining in equal measures
This book brings a much more detailed perspective on early adult life on the autistic spectrum than many others. The fact that it is looking at AS through a man's eyes is also worth noting.The author touchs on career choice issues that many with AS have agonised over. To disclose or not to disclose being the Big Question.I won't spoil your reading by recounting the author's experiences.

The book describes 'relationships' in candid AS terms.There is a huge amount here for researchers and professionals to dwell on.However, the book is not a guidebook for managing relationships better (or even getting into them) and a crucial metacommentary on events in the book is largely absent.

Overall I enjoyed this book. Most readers will find the latter half of the book dealing with college and adult life more revealing than the first half, in my opinion.The book presents AS in sharp tones on occasion.It is a 'warts and all' narrative, but I highly recommend reading it.

ONLY FOR NON-ASPERGERS
I am an adult with Aspergers and bought the book after reading the great reviews here. Although it is a good book that shows some aspects of the Aspergers world to outsiders, for us who live and swim in it, this was an unsatisfying book. It merely scratches the surface of our world. Buy it if you want just a glimpse in.

Reviews (52)

Falls short of its potential
I sought this book out because it was by and for an adult with Aspergers. I was a bit disappointed with it in several ways. First, I was surprised to read that the author has not been formally diagnosed with AS, although she admits that fact in an early disclaimer. This becomes more of an issue as Ms. Willey asserts that her AS traits are 'melting away' with age, a possibility that is as unprecendented as it is unbelievable from her own narrative. There are other facts that emerge in this autobiography that don't exactly fit the AS picture. For example, Ms. Willey readily admits shortcomings in math, spelling and reading maps. But the typical person with AS has a fascination with numbers, and often a photographic memory. This makes me wonder if Ms. Willey does in fact have Aspergers syndrome, rather than another similar condition. There were parts of the author's life story that came tantalizingly close to important revelations, but never went the extra step to realization. Still, her story held my interest enough to complete it.I recommend instead "The Essential Difference" by Simon Baron-Cohen.

Great Book Worth Reading, It could raise false hopes however
I am proud of this writer for sharing her insights.The Autism Spectrum has many variations.She is definately on the highest end of the functional curve.It took me 40 years to understand enough about humans, their world with its complex social instituational and workplace expectations to keep a job.I only barely function well enough to remain employed now with lots of help.I manage my autistic issues within the parameters of most human social tolerances.I have mastered living alone in human society with few exceptions.

I picked up the book upon reading the first few pages most of her experiences were immediately familiar to me.I guess where she and I diverge is in the fact she has done so well socializing with the humans.She also seems to have an understanding of human society, culture and its sophisticated ways that shocks me.My struggle has been hard, I have come from total backwardness to bare basics functionality in this world.I am not jealous of her success I respect it but she sounds so normal and in control it scares me.

I guess thats the problem.She sounds as if she has everything about her AS under control.For me managing the anger and other issues associated with tantrums, desires to self mutalate, desires to fight those who touch me, make sudden loud noises among other things is a constant battle I am not always so certain I will win.Many times if things get too rough at work I have no alternative but to leave before I lose control and revert to feral instinct driven primal less appropriate resolutions of workplace situations.

Her book almost frightens me because for some on the AS spectrum things are not that neat, cut, dry and controlled.I am so happy she does not have to deal with the uncontrolled issues threatening to get away I manage every moment, but I wish I knew how she managed to get things set up so nice.I still do not socialize well at all.I have no connection with anyone outside work. I do not socialize with family not because I do not want to, I LOVE my family, I just do not know how to establish and maintain connections with humans in situations that do not involve meeting a deadline or completing a structured task.Human relationships outside work have no structure and I am a lost foolish thing in such circumstances. The writer seems as adept plying the waters of human interpersonal relations as any so called neuro-typical human.

She seems to have decoded even mastered the human equation expectations model far better than I have in my lifetime of trying.Me I am just struggling to stay afloat on the vast unforgiving sea of human reality. I must be satisfied to barely survive among humans in their society; as the best I can do is just enough to keep from being rejected from my job and institutionalized.I never even thought someone with AS could understand this world well enough to interact among the humans on advanced levels this writer has reached.The writer is doing more than just surviving among humans its almost as if she has mastered things in the human world I still do not know exist.

This book is a great read and worth buying but please do not think all people with AS have it this easy.Please know that if you have AS you have a good chance of being successful in your chosen field if you stick with it and let NO ONE stand in your way.This book paints a picture of a person with AS that has had the best possible outcome which you must understand is extremely rare.My only problem with this book is I hope it does not give false hope to those struggling with the issues associated with living with AS or living on the spectrum.Please know that for most people with AS you will likely succeed if you try with all your heart.Just know that success in life will MORE LIKELY THAN NOT be a constant often painful struggle at college, on the job, at home and expecially in unstructured social situations among humans.Success in this human reality will more likely be a fight to survive in the storm of adversity not a cake walk in the sunshine of bright smiling faces that is this writers experience.

Reviews (8)

Practical advice, but lots of metaphors and ambiguity
This book contains a lot of practical advice on creating an autistic-friendly environment for yourself or a family member who is autistic.It encompasses everything from social skills to the arrangement of the home, and offers real-life suggestions for all of these things.

I am planning on using some of these suggestions in order to make my own home more livable given my sensory issues.The ideas about building a place to hide were particularly useful, as I have not had the ability to hide since my health deteriorated and my body lost the flexibility and resilience of childhood (I used to hide in closets and clothes hampers, but that would be a painful exercise in futility now).I plan to build an adult-friendly hiding place at the earliest opportunity, because I agree with the author that such places can be an essential part of dealing with overload.

The book also tries to emphasize the positive aspects of being autistic, which I saw as a good thing.Unfortunately, it falls into the trap of emphasizing specific autistic traits as universal positive ones, when in fact they are not universal.To say things like "We're good because we have average to above-average IQs" implies that those autistic people who do not are not so good.These sections also mention strengths, like visual thinking, that are nowhere close to universal in any sort of autistic person.This, to me, weakened rather than strengthened the case for autistic people being good as we are, because it made our adequacy sound as if it was dependent on certain abilities.

A problem I had with the book was its excessive use of complex metaphorical language.I understand that a lot of autistic people can use more of such language than we can understand, but I found it very difficult to get through this book when I had to ponder out the meaning of a metaphor every few paragraphs.It took me four readings just to finish it without getting overloaded and giving up.This was made worse by the lack of sufficient editing typical of this publisher, who left several misspellings, grammatical errors, and ambiguous sentences in the text.

The author goes back and forth on the issue of pretending to be normal, and of the developmental path of autistic people.She portrays being autistic as being okay.Then she portrays getting as close as possible to non-autistic as optimal.Then she talks about the hardships she faces specifically because of her ability to pass for normal, particularly the very real one whereby people mistake her acting job for reality and cannot believe the real issues she faces daily.There is no clear resolution of this issue, but the book provides some tips on acting normal in social situations (such as finding ways of mimicking others' behavior in a slightly modified fashion in order to fit the body language of a group) that could be useful in moderation, but detrimental if compulsively adhered to.At the same time, the author laments her daughter's strong desire to be like everyone else.There are a lot of mixed messages here.

While not having the same sort of autism I do -- we share some traits in common, but she has difficulties I don't, and seems completely oblivious to many of the difficulties I do have -- is not the fault of the author, it has definitely affected the readability and applicability of this book to my life.We are so different that, while I can clearly see the essential autisticness of her writing, it is nearly as alien to me as non-autistic people's writing is.Some other people I know have found this to be the case for them as well, while others find her writing unusually *easy* to read.

I would suggest reading some of her other writing to find out how easy this book would be to read and apply to your life or the life of your child.I would recommend this book much more highly for people who can identify with the general patterns the author describes, than for those who can't, although it can contain some useful practical information for all of us.

Now I'm beginning to understand
It wasn't until I read this book that I finally understood some of what my Asperger's son is going through. Although I have read many clinically oriented books, and I cognitively understood what was going on, it was this book that helped me to emotionally understand him.

This book led me to level with his siblings about his problem and add them to his support team rather than leaving them in the wake of his embarassing behavior and telling them to leave him alone. This book spoke very powerfully about needing and giving comfort to those who are scared -- and all of us are scared of something sometime. The author spoke convincingly of comfort packs that a person can take with them if they anticipate stress and need to be calmed. After reading that, I looked quite differently at my teenagers' Walkmans and my Asperger's son's unusual choice of modern equivalents to his old security blanket.

This book had a very positive effect on how my family has responded to all of our children, but especially my son with Asperger's.

The fact that this book was written by someone with Asperger's has another impact: hope for a supportive and fullfilling adult life for my son.

I would recommend this book to someone who is somewhat familier with the disorder. It wouldn't be the first book to read, but maybe the second or third.

Reviews (20)

Autistic Child & Supportive Mother Triumph
This autobiographical story of an autistic child who overcame huge obstacles to lead a useful life as an adult should be an inspiration to us lesser mortals.I found her description of her mother's heroic and ultimately successful efforts to help Temple overcome the isolation of this huge emotional and cognitive deficit (autism) incredibly moving.Her mother's long and thoughtful letters to Temple's psychiatrist give ample evidence of how much of her life she devoted to her oldest child.The importance of her mother is etched even more strongly by Temple's contrasting portrayal of her father as distant and given to fits of anger.
Many of is will notice little shards of autism (described in this book as a form of brain damage at birth) in our own development and realize how much difference a supportive parent can make.Hearing what it is like to be autistic from someone who actually lived it is an incredibly unique experience. The fact that Temple is now a functioning PhD who gives lectures in Europe as well as all around the US is ample testimony that some autistic children can have rich and rewarding adult lives.

Amazing person and story...if not well written
Temple Grandin has become an inspiration to the autistic community, as someone who has become highly successful both despite and because of her autism.As someone raising an autistic child, this seemed to be a good book to read to help my son reach his full potential.

While it is certainly inspirational that someone with autism wrote this book, I'm afraid the prose is quite wooden and plodding, and the 150 page book seems a lot longer than that.Too often, long journal entries and letters are used in place of narrative, and not always to good effect.I suppose this isn't going to make me popular here, but this book can be tedious to read at times.

But it's worth the effort.Ms. Grandin provides insights into the autistic mind unfortunately very few can possibly provide, and it has helped me to understand what my son must be going through.A lot of facts and theories of autistic behavior are woven into the story to make it informative enough.Few autobiographies are published about average people, but certainly Temple Grandin is an extraordinary and inspirational figure, and simply reading about her life, however weakly it's presented, is rewarding.Clearly Ms. Grandin benefited from a determined mother and instructors and many health care professionals that were well ahead of their time in understanding her condition, and probably that is the most important message one gets from this book.

For anyone who knows someone with autism, I'd give it five stars.For someone with a more passing interest in the subject, the rating sinks to three stars.

Isbn: 0970654138
Sales Rank: 275025
Subjects:  1. Autism    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. General    7. Patients    8. Specific Groups - Special Needs