This is a book by a woman whose autism was undiagnosed as a child.

It provides us with many details of her symptoms/life as a child, teenager and now as an adult. It is very readable, and having Asperger’s myself, I recognize many of her symptoms; also, the book shines light on many of the symptoms which I didn’t previously realize had anything to do with autism; for example, the need to finish one activity before proceeding to another; I still have this problem.

When I was five, we had to spend one day in another, bigger school where my Dad taught; the teacher asked me to fill a page in cursive with the sentence “A stitch in time saves nine”. I was so happy to do this, but before I had completed the page she took it from me because she wanted me to do something else. This was most disturbing for me because I wasn’t finished! I hadn’t been allowed to do it properly.

The author, Jeannie, is given one diagnosis after the other, none of which has anything to do with autism. At one point, she has to take anti-depressants, anti-anxiety medications, muscle relaxers and pain killers three times a day, which means that she can hardly keep her eyes open; thus she is given medication to wake up in the morning and some to help her sleep because of it. She is “a walking pharmacy”.

From an early age she consumed books. She had hypolexia (a new word for me); this is an ability to read above what is expected for the child’s age, “accompanied by a below average ability to comprehend spoken language”. (I had the first, but not the second, to my knowledge.)

Autistic persons are extra sensitive. Thanks to this book I now understand why I found woollen clothing so scratchy as a child and couldn’t wear it. I once hid a woollen undervest in the bathroom behind what was called the “boiler” so my mother couldn’t find it and force me to wear it. She couldn’t understand what had happened to it. It is probably still there unless the old house has by now been demolished, which is very possible.

To get back to Jeannie, luckily she had a Grandma who understood her sensitivities and bought her clothing she could wear, so “there would be no itching, no scratching, no tearing it off my body, and no tags!”

Jeannie could not tolerate mistakes. Everything had to be perfect. The problem was she could not distinguish between her way to do things and the right way. She thought that her way was always the right way.

Arranging things, bringing order out of chaos was the most important part of playing and brought Jeannie the most joy.

She can’t eat food that is wet or on a wet plate, or anything slimy, which causes her to vomit.

She eats the same things at the same time, day in and day out.

When she was four years old she was totally obsessed with baseball. She knew everything about it and all the players.

She was verbal, too verbal. She was smart, “too smart for her own good”. (This is thus the opposite of what formerly was acknowledged as the main symptom of autism – an inability to speak.)

She smells things no-one else can, even a faint remnant of odour in the air. Growing up, she had to smell all her food before eating it. The more anxious she was, the more things she sniffed.

Homework took time, because her writing had to be perfect. She walked back and forth while doing her homework in order to concentrate.

She tells us “My autistic brain is stubborn, unyielding and immovable”.

She could not tolerate more than one friend at a time – ever. She found groups overwhelming – tell me about it!

She writes: “I am an all-the-way, all-the-time friend, or nothing at all.”

She couldn’t grasp peer pressure – “doing things you knew were wrong just to fit in, or things you didn’t want to do to keep your friends”. (Ha, ha, me neither.)

Social niceties were unacceptable behaviour. “Lying just to make someone feel good was not acceptable to me.”

I can’t lie either, in fact, at the age of three I had a traumatic experience when I realized that there were such things as lies. Why would everybody not always tell the truth? It was terrible that someone thought I was lying when I couldn’t even comprehend the fact that lies/lying existed.

Some so-called experts think that autistic persons do not empathize. That is rubbish. “We care: we feel, we hurt, but sometimes we cannot show it no matter how much we want to”.

Jeanne explains the meaning of mind-blind. The mind-blind person does not pick up on social cues, vocal intonations or facial expressions”. ”Whatever pops into the brain usually flies out of the mouth, making the autistic person extremely blunt, sometimes appearing rude”.

This is a useful book for other autistic persons and for those wishing to understand autism, though the author’s symptoms and experiences will not necessarily resemble those of everyone with autism.

I found the book extremely interesting and would have given it five stars had it not been for the many grammatical mistakes, typos and the like. These were irritating and I find it strange that these should occur in a book by a perfectionist such as the author describes herself to be. But otherwise it is well worth reading. ( )

The candid and heartfelt memoir of a woman who struggled with undiagnosed ASD, autism spectrum disorder, for almost 40 years. I think this will strike a chord with most autism parents and family members, maybe even some caregivers and educators. How many of us have recognized ourselves, a sibling or even a parent/grandparent in the diagnostic criteria and finally gained insight into behaviors and sensory issues that had been an unexplained source of frustration? I'm very grateful that Jeannie shared her story. ( )

Twirling Naked in the Streets is an autobiography about growing up as a girl with undiagnosed autism.

The story unfolds in a straightforward manner that makes it easy to follow along and relate to the ways the young girl's quirks, hypersensitivities and presumed princess manners cause social friction, bewilderment and hostility in her near surroundings.

It is a lonely story, a path of misunderstandings and mysterious dysfunctions into an ever more complicated adult world where the alienation seems to grow with every anticipated and missed milestone, up till the ‘moment of truth’ where Jeannie's diagnosis, emerging self insight and discovery of online communities of fellow aspies gives her the explanation she was looking for.

Despite the gloomy plot, the story isn’t a heavy read - it is vivid, humorous and entertaining to read, and the simple, matter-of-fact like observations of Jeannie’s fellow characters make them easy to imagine and relate to.

What I liked most about the book is how it shows ways autism symptoms can present in girls and women who may otherwise not come across as stereotypically autistic. Jeannie is a girl who talks well (and a lot). Who has friends at least some of the time. Who goes out (drowning the sensory overload with alcohol), studies (albeit interrupted), lands jobs, and initially comes across as socially capable at job interviews (although she can’t hold onto the jobs). She also gets married and have kids.

In other words, from an outsider’s perspective her life may seem fairly normal, but in reality her autism pervades all spheres of her life, draining her energy and limiting her capacity to meet the standards of a so called normal life / womanhood.

Great book!
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Jeannie grew up with autism, but no one around her knew it. Twirling Naked in the Streets will take you on a journey into the mind of a child on the autism spectrum; a child who grows into an adolescent, an adult, and becomes a wife, mother, student, and writer with autism.

An autobiography that is well-organized, well-crafted, filled with honest gut wrenching drama, and reads like a good mystery. This wonderfully written book will stay with me for a very long time. One of the most real, heart wrenching stories.

I loved the way this story made you see life through Jeannie's eyes. Very moving and emotional. I would love to see a sequel. Witty, sarcastic, and heartfelt, Jeannie’s words shine with personality and intellect, her strength and determination adding sparkle and hope.

As a reader, I think this book is enlightening and inspiring. I am grateful for Jeannie opening her life and her struggle for the general public to learn and to witness. Thank you Jeannie for sharing what you have endured, and allowing some of us to be able to take what you have learned to be able to apply it to our own lives.

Reading this story, hearing words from this young woman is inspiring. I wish that every single person In The world could read this and be more aware of autism and the wonderful people who suffer from it, I feel like I know Jeannie and her family, and I will share her words and hope with all I know. ( )