302 pages
English language
Published July 5, 2008 by Three Rivers Press.
Memoir of John Robison whose odd behavior was explained when he was diagnosed with a form of autism called Asperger's syndrome when he was forty and the change that made in his life.
Memoir of John Robison whose odd behavior was explained when he was diagnosed with a form of autism called Asperger's syndrome when he was forty and the change that made in his life.
For an autobiography it's pretty action packed. :-)
It moves right along. And it gives you an interesting look into life was Asperger's.
For an autobiography it's pretty action packed. :-)
It moves right along. And it gives you an interesting look into life was Asperger's.
Reviewing this book will be a complex affair; I gave it four stars but I wouldn't say I "liked" or "enjoyed" it. It was certainly educational, about Aspies yes, but also about humanity in general. The book often made me angry, however, with its characteristic habits (which I find among "normal" men as well as Aspies) of blowing off anything that he personally wasn't interested in or good at as unimportant... and by chronically lumping all "normal" people as possessing certain characteristics. Many "normal" people experience the same sufferings that he describes, only we suck it up and learn to cope, or pretend to cope. And not all "normal" people prefer platitudes to actual conversation -- and when we do, it is often for a functional reason. So I hope he gets off his "actually, this is better" place, and grows up some more.
So the book was often infuriating.
…
Reviewing this book will be a complex affair; I gave it four stars but I wouldn't say I "liked" or "enjoyed" it. It was certainly educational, about Aspies yes, but also about humanity in general. The book often made me angry, however, with its characteristic habits (which I find among "normal" men as well as Aspies) of blowing off anything that he personally wasn't interested in or good at as unimportant... and by chronically lumping all "normal" people as possessing certain characteristics. Many "normal" people experience the same sufferings that he describes, only we suck it up and learn to cope, or pretend to cope. And not all "normal" people prefer platitudes to actual conversation -- and when we do, it is often for a functional reason. So I hope he gets off his "actually, this is better" place, and grows up some more.
So the book was often infuriating.
But maybe that's just me.
I will have to think about that. I do hope to review it eventually, but for now I'm really glad I've finally finished it.
I read the paperback, which apparently has been "cleaned up" in terms of language compared to the original hardcover. The hardcover has been left raw. So read them both if you like.
