About Robison, not about Asperger's The subtitle suggests that this is a memoir about having Asperger's syndrome. Actually, it's a book about a guy who grew up in a wildly dysfunctional family, who had a series of adventures, and who turned out okay. Many of his idiosyncrasies, however, have nothing to do with Asperger's. His Asperger's isn't even particularly salient in this memoir. What stuck out for me was his obsession with practical jokes, some quite elaborate, all apparently executed because Robison derives enormous enjoyment from humiliating people. (This is not a feature of Asperger's.) And yet, throughout the book, he whines about how he felt humiliated in many situations. His annoying habit of insisting on his own names for things (e.g., "Aspergian," which is his own peculiar term) also has nothing to do with Asperger's. Robison likes to entertain an audience with outlandish stories, and that's what he's doing here. If that's your idea of a good read, you'll enjoy this book.
A really fun read I found this book through Amazon's "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought" and my interest was peeked when I read that he's the brother of Augusten Burroughs. I personally enjoyed this book more than Running with Scissors. I like looking into the mind of someone that thinks differently. I'm a slow reader, but I read through this on a 5 day vacation because I had a hard time putting it down.
Thank you John for sharing your story with us. I hope you have more to share in the future.
NOT WHAT I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE I WAS DISAPPOINTED IN THIS BOOK. I HAVE A NEPHEW WHO HAS ASPERGER'S SYNDROME. I WAS LOOKING FOR THINGS THAT WOULD HELP ME TO HELP HIM. THE BOOK SEEMED A BIT LIKE "RUNNING WITH SCISSORS".
good book This book is a reassuring recounting of John's turbulent growth through Aspbergers. He does an amazing job of identifying the difference in his perceptions and how he was able to alter them over time. John shows incredible insight as he reveals what caused him problems and shows typical Aspergish integrity in his life. I got this book for my son,hoping it might affirm what I have been saying. It affirmed that this is not a defect,shame has no part of life with Aspberger syndrome,he will find his way and it does not need to be by some formula of "normalcy"
Entertaining and positive As many other reviewers have said, this is a good read and an entertaining picture of what it's like to see the world through the author's eyes. But he also makes some very important points about Asperger's, namely:
1. Aspies are socially inept because they lack innate abilities that we take for granted: how to pick up on behavioral cues, empathy, etc.
2. They're not sociopaths; they're interested in other people and want to join in social activities, but they don't instinctively know how to behave in those situations and often say or do exactly the wrong thing.
3. Because they're logical and intelligent, Aspies can be taught the appropriate social behavior. Robison figured it out for himself in late childhood, and from then on he was able to make friends, but having some guidance at an early age would have spared him years of frustration.
I read the book because I suspected that a young man of my acquaintance is an Aspie -- and, after reading it, I'm sure he is. Unfortunately, his family seems convinced that he's hopelessly "weird" and "antisocial" and doomed to a life on the margins of society. I plan to recommend the book to his relatives, because I'm sure that if he's diagnosed and trained, he'll be able to lead a full, productive life.
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