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John Elder Robison

Autor(a) de Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's

8 Works 3,451 Membros 143 Críticas 2 Favorited

About the Author

John Elder Robison was born in Athens, Georgia in the summer of 1957. His father was a professor of Philosophy in Amherst, Massachusetts. His brother is Augusten Burroughs, author of Running with Scissors. Growing up John did not know he had Aspergers. He did know that he had a rare insight into mostrar mais electronics. With that knowledge, he joined a band, and ended up designing special effects guitars for KISS by the late 1970s. Afterward, he was an engineer with a major toy and game company. He moved up the corporate ladder for many years, and then became unable to function in the high social climate of the corporate wold. He began fixing Mercedes and Land Rover cars in his driveway and opened his own car repair specialty shop---J E Robison Service. Eventually he was diagnosed by a therapist as having Aspergers. "Look Me in the Eye" is his honest and touching memoir. (Bowker Author Biography) mostrar menos

Obras por John Elder Robison

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I finished Be Different almost a month ago, but I’ve been thinking about it all this time, trying to decide what to write. Robison’s latest book is as well-written and entertaining as his first book, Look Me In the Eye. I think I’ve hesitated to write about Be Different because I see so much of myself in the anecdotes. I see more of my son, which makes sense, as he’s been diagnosed with Asperger’s, but there’s a lot of me in there, too. Even having acknowledged several months ago that I have some Aspie tendencies, it’s still a little weird to see that many similarities. I’m what Robison calls a “Proto-Aspergian”, someone with a few Aspie traits, but isn’t completely Aspergian (Robison’s name for Aspies). Neurotypicals are “Nypicals”.

I don’t usually read other reviews before I write a review (and this isn’t really a review), but as I said before, I was at a loss for what to say. Until I saw a reviewer who had written that he didn’t finish the book because it was written just for Aspergians and their families, and that the advice seemed simplistic.

Honestly, I think everyone should read this book. I guess it’s pretty, well, simplistic, but I think if people would take the time to understand a little about others who aren’t like them, differences wouldn’t seem so scary or bad. If you’re a teacher or in any kind of profession where you’re around a lot of kids, reading this book will help you understand that not all those “bad” kids are bad. (Kids rarely are, but that’s for another post.) For those with friends or family members with Asperger’s, it really does help to read things written by an Aspergian. For Aspie kids, while they may realize that there is something different about them, they don’t really understand all the ways in which they think differently than Nypicals. How can they? It’s all they’ve ever known. That’s just the way things are for them. So hearing it from someone who is able to articulate it is helpful.

On a side note, Robison writes a lot about music, and I’m not a musician, but I think both his books would be enjoyed by musicians. (He used to design exploding guitars for KISS, in case you didn’t know.)

As for the reviewer’s claim that the book’s advice is simplistic, all I can say is that he obviously isn’t close to anyone with Asperger’s. If he were, he would know that, in some situations, Aspies really do need basic advice that sounds intuitive to Nypicals. The example the review gives is, “Manners are important even if they don't make sense. Read Emily Post.” That may sound ridiculous to many, but it makes perfect sense to me in relation to myself and my son. I think if you’re a Nypical reading the book, you can learn something if you keep in mind that the book was written mainly for other Aspergians.

You don’t have to read Look Me In the Eye first to understand Be Different, but I think it adds a perspective to the book that you wouldn’t have otherwise had. And reading in Be Different about John Elder teasing his younger brother wouldn’t be quite as funny without knowing all the tricks John Elder played on him when they were young… and knowing that even after all this time, he’s still falling for it.
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amandabeaty | 9 outras críticas | Jan 4, 2024 |
This book is written by someone with Asperger syndrome but isn’t necessarily about having Asperger’s. In an attempt to outline how he went from an unpopular kid to incredibly successful adult, the author mostly shares stories of working for KISS, mean pranks he played on those around him and reminders that his brother is famous. My favorite part of this book was when I finished it so I could put it away and never pick it up again.
 
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thezenofbrutality | 119 outras críticas | Jul 5, 2023 |
Great read by an interesting author. See the world from a unique viewpoint. I thought he made a great case for viewing autistic people as different but not disabled (at least in his case). His story is also pretty incredible. I'm glad Mr. Robinson shared his take on the world.
½
 
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jemmatcf | 119 outras críticas | May 30, 2023 |
Very interesting personal reflection by a man with aspergers syndrome who participated in a research project using transcranial magnetic stimulation to try to enhance his social capacities. He describes the short and longer term changes he experienced, both positive and negative; as well as the discussions he had with the researchers about what might be going on in his head. There were insights posed by the professionals as well as some otheres he met along the journey. There was some brief exploration of what might be the impact if TMS became used to "treat" children, criminals or for military purposes.… (mais)
½
 
Assinalado
ElizabethCromb | 7 outras críticas | May 15, 2023 |

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Obras
8
Membros
3,451
Popularidade
#7,366
Avaliação
½ 3.7
Críticas
143
ISBN
63
Línguas
7
Marcado como favorito
2

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