Book #14: Look Me In the Eye: My Life With Asberger's by John Elder Robison is a memoir. The forward is by Augusten Burroughs, who wrote Running With Scissors, and who is John's little brother. I haven't read Running With Scissors yet - should I?
The first paragraph (from the first chapter, not the prologue):
"It was inconceivable to me that there could be more than one way to play in the dirt, but there it was. Doug couldn't get it right. And that's why I whacked him. Bang! On both ears, just like I saw on The Three Stooges. Being three years old was no excuse for disorderly play habits."
I read this book because I'm very interested in Asperger's, so I was most interested in the chapters where Robison talks specifically about dealing with it. It was painful to read at times - but after I finished the book I couldn't stop thinking about the chapter called "Becoming Normal." From that chapter:
"Many descriptions of autism and Asperger's describe people like me as 'not wanting contact with others' or 'preferring to play alone.' I can't speak for those other kids, but I'd like to be very clear about my own feelings: I did not ever want to be alone. And all those child psychologists who said 'John prefers to play by himself' were dead wrong. I played by myself because I was a failure at playing with others. I was alone as a result of my own limitations, and being alone was one of the bitterest disappointments of my young life" (211).
That's just heartbreaking to read... and it changes how I see some of my students. I know that this book does NOT speak for all people with autism and/or Asperger's. But still.
The first paragraph (from the first chapter, not the prologue):
"It was inconceivable to me that there could be more than one way to play in the dirt, but there it was. Doug couldn't get it right. And that's why I whacked him. Bang! On both ears, just like I saw on The Three Stooges. Being three years old was no excuse for disorderly play habits."
I read this book because I'm very interested in Asperger's, so I was most interested in the chapters where Robison talks specifically about dealing with it. It was painful to read at times - but after I finished the book I couldn't stop thinking about the chapter called "Becoming Normal." From that chapter:
"Many descriptions of autism and Asperger's describe people like me as 'not wanting contact with others' or 'preferring to play alone.' I can't speak for those other kids, but I'd like to be very clear about my own feelings: I did not ever want to be alone. And all those child psychologists who said 'John prefers to play by himself' were dead wrong. I played by myself because I was a failure at playing with others. I was alone as a result of my own limitations, and being alone was one of the bitterest disappointments of my young life" (211).
That's just heartbreaking to read... and it changes how I see some of my students. I know that this book does NOT speak for all people with autism and/or Asperger's. But still.
1 comment:
CS from WP07 recommended Running with Scissors - and so did a few others, as I recall, but I haven't read it yet either.
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