My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Despite our advancements in medical research and technology, some conditions still remain a mystery to us. One of these conditions is autism. Even though our ability to diagnosis has increased, it has not demystified it at all. Despite all of the research and books about autism, one of the voices missing from the discussion of autism is young autistic children. There are some books written by adults who have learned to manage their autism, but this book opens a window into the life of an autistic child and reveals a level of deep reflection and empathy that might be surprising to many readers.
Written by a thirteen year old autistic Japanese boy, Mr. Higashida responds to a series of questions regrading autism and responds to them from his perspective as best as he can. The fact as this book exists at all is astonishing as Mr. Higashida had to learn how to use a specially designed keyboard created by one of his dedicated caretakers. Nearly every answer Mr. Higashida gives is incredibly insightful and poignant. This is definitely a book that will help to dispel many of the misconceptions regarding autism and autistic people.
At separate intervals throughout the book, Mr. Higashida also includes a series of fictional short stories that help to illuminate aspects of autism from his perspective. Like his answers to people’s questions, these short stories are also quite poignant, but they also include a level of imagination and creativity that may be surprising to people who have only observed autistic people from a distance. Not every short story lands well, his last one in particular, but they are all delightful nonetheless.
Overall, whether you know someone who is autistic or not, this is one book that will help enlighten you about this condition and gain a better understanding of autistic people. For that reason alone, I highly recommend this book to all people interested in learning more about autism.
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