Rating: 
Summary: More informative than any book written by a professional.
Review: Although informative, I found this book incredibly depressing and found other books much more hopeful of the possibility of a happy life for my child. I would not consider this book to be a good first read for a family just diagnosed.
Rating: 
Summary: 6 years ago, self-recognition. Now, mixed thoughts.
Review: Because this was the first book I read on autism, it will always have a special place for me. I had always heard that autism meant "being in one's own world". Being autistic and fairly literal myself when it came to language, I had interpreted this to mean that an autistic person was on another planet -- that their senses might be perceiving the environment of Jupiter or Saturn, while their body was on the earth. I now realize what an autistic reaction this was! When I saw in the library that an autistic person had written a book, I wondered how a person who thought she was on another planet could manage a typewriter. So I read it.I was quite surprised. Not only was this person not believing she was on another planet, but she was describing sensory and cognitive experiences, as well as actions, that I had on a regular basis. This was one of the first books that made me realize that there were other people out there like me. Before this, I had never given much thought to the fact that books tended to be written from a point of view extremely different to mine. I thought it was just a quality that books had. It took reading this to realize that this was because most people experienced the world differently from me. This book was somewhat difficult to follow at times, but I focussed in on many of the details that were similar to my life, and was amazed that someone had written about them. Some of them were things so private I felt a bit violated, and it still continues to hit home in ways that many autism books don't. That all happened six years before I wrote this review. A lot has happened since then, and I have learned more about myself and the way I experience the world. I have met and read other autistic people besides Donna Williams. Each time I read the book, I find myself identifying more with certain specific sensory experiences and actions conveyed and less with the view of the world in general and of autism in particular. Even my interpretations of these same sensory experiences and actions would sometimes differ greatly between my own views and many of the views expressed in the book. For instance, she describes dropping things repetitively as a symbolic act related to freedom, while I would do it for the sheer sensory fun of watching the thing drop. I think that for me, as for many autistic people, this book was a revealing introduction to others like me. It is common that this is the first book by an autistic person that a person will run across, and is our first experience of self-recognition in another person. In that sense, it was very useful. But it was only a beginning, and I have since found myself drifting away from this book, recommending it less to people and recommending other books more. I think it is a very good description of the life of one autistic person, as viewed through a lens different than mine in some respects. The experiences are similar; some interpretations are different. I also think it is a good description of someone being forced against her will to take on an act of normalcy in a world where being autistic is not valued. I also think it is an excellent book for a description of abuse from an autistic perspective, and having experienced abuse myself I could relate to some of the descriptions. Abuse of autistic people, sometimes through sadism and sometimes in the name of "helping", is a problem that cannot safely be ignored, and too few people write about it. She writes about both kinds. I also think that the interpretations she gives to autism are specific to her, which is common in autistic authors -- I would not, for instance, characterize much of my life by a malfunction related to emotion, but she does. She appears to believe at the time of writing that it is central to being autistic, while I have known plenty of autistic people who do not have this particular problem. So my thoughts on this book are mixed. I remember it as a good beginning, but I have grown into a very different interpretation of the world than this book gives. If I recommended this book, I would recommend reading several other books and articles by different autistic people, along with it. I personally keep this book on my shelf with all the other books by autistic people, both because it was the first I found and as a reminder of the existence and diversity of other autistic people.
Rating:
Summary: Nobody Nowhere
Review: I am the grandparent of an autistic child and found this book so helpful I would recommend that it be made mandatory reading for all professionals who work with autistic persons. I would also strongly urge all others who have autistic persons in their lives to read it. The book has given me insight regarding my grandson's behavior and suggestions of ways to help him. Until experts and their research can provide explanations and perhaps cures for autism, the lived experience of an autistic person, such as Donna Williams provides in her books, is the best help available for those of us who care about and relate to an autistic person.
Rating: 
Summary: Desperate to communicate Love
Review: I read Ms. Williams words with a hunger for understanding unlike anything I have felt. My grandaughter has autism, and I appreciate her letting me step into her world so I am able to comprehend my grandaughters behavoir. She has been diagnosed as mildly autistic. I have tried to believe that when she disappears from all that is around her with a far away gaze that the place she goes is a peaceful and comforing time for her. Unfortunetly, Ms. Williams portrays such torture, both physically and mentally, that I have to believe the constant fear she felt was due to the abuse she recived as a child. I need to at least have hope that if the home is nurturing and loving "her world" would have been more peaceful, and the little girl I love so much does not feel the pain and lonliness Ms. Williams felt. I have ordered her next book and am trying to believe she found some sort of peace and happiness, even if it is still somewhat in her own world. If not, please write another book Ms. Williams to tell us not just what is happening to your mind, but how we can help.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating and frustrating
Review: I read this book with no baggage - I don't know much about autism and don't know autictic people. I was simply interested in hearing about the disorder from the inside, so to speak. I found her writing compelling. Her use of language is extraordinary - she seems to be bright and aware. And the narrative of her hideous home life as a child - and into her adult years as well - is the stuff of real tragedy. But I was frustrated because I wanted to know WHY she did what she did, and I didn't feel that the book answered those questions. What drew her into her obsessive relationships, and why did she allow herself to drift into those manipulative and destructive sexual relationships? Lack of self-esteem doesn't tell the entire story - I wanted to know what was going through her mind when she allowed herself to be subjected again and again to pick-your-adjective abuse. There was a certain repetitiveness to her narrative, but it added heat, not light. Hence three stars. In spite of that, I recommend this book to anyone with any interest at all in autism - Ms. Williams' willingness to expose the intimate details of her life inside her head is admirable and fascinating.
Rating:
Summary: Autobiography of an Autistic
Review: The book is made up of many experiences throughout Donna's life starting at the pre-school level. It was not until page 58 that the reader learns that Donna lived in Australia, now residing in England. I was wondering why there were so many Italian families in the 1970s when reading Nobody Nowhere!
The way Donna saw things was bit by bit, a string of pieces strung together. Donna got her first job at the age of fifteen, sorting goods in a department store. Donna got a goat from a service station when she was twenty-one, naming it after her late grandfather.
For years Donna slept with her eyes open and her dreams would come true years later. Donna had brothers older and younger than her and a Mother that abused her, calling her a drug addict and slut. Donna was three people, Carol, Willie and Donna. She would escape into the characters and felt it was okay to feel only three years old.
It was confusing at times since Willie and Carol are described as personalities. Donna saw Mary from the Psychiatric outpatient department for several years, who thought Donna was Schizophrenic. As Donna explained, "Carol was always sent out to test the waters before Donna decided it was safe to jump in."
Donna referred back to friends she met throughout the book and moved every two months since it felt like two years to her. She had many male friends as well as female friends that came and went.
Nobody Nowhere does not touch upon the Special Education Laws or assessments that I have experienced with my two autistic children. Since her diagnosis was later in life that aspect of the disability is not mentioned since she did not experience it.
This was an interesting account of Donna's life and how she dealt with the outside world and intertwined her three personalities to cope. I feel this is a worthwhile read for any parent or relative of an autistic person. Teachers and psychologists as well as therapists would better understand how an autistic person sees themselves.
Rating:
Summary: Nobody Nowhere could deny the power of this book!
Review: This book was amazing! I was floored by the look inside of the author's life. While I realize autisum take various forms within persons, this was an eye-opener to me. At the time I read this book I was working with an Autistic teenager, and it altered my view and perception of what she was going through. I hope it made me more compassionate. I do believe it helped us to communicate better and have a better understanding of each other.
Simply wonderful!
Rating: 
Summary: A bit disappointing
Review: This is a book that you have to truly read only for content. In that I mean that the language that permeates this book is disjointed, and the events that are chronicled seem to appear from nowhere and then disappear again. In short, it is written in a very 'stream of consciousness' way.
With this being said, if you can get past the disjointed form, it is a brilliant work of literature that gives more than a glance at the world of the autistic. Throughout this book, you take a ride through the world of an autistic from her first memories until the present day. This book does not pull any punches, and through years of therapy, she is able to analyze herself and her many actions through the years to make this an easy and gripping read for both the psychologist and the uninitiated.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating
Review: This is a fascinating book that has a lot to teach us about how the human brain works and "malfunctions" (for want of a better word.)
One person has said that this book is depressing and might frighten a newly diagnosed family.
The answer to this is that this book needs to be read in conjunction with it's sequel "Somebody Somewhere" which IS uplifting and inspiring and explains what it feels like to be autistic still furthur. This woman becomes a teacher in the end, despite being discriminated against by one of the teachers. (The only teacher at the teacher's college who knows she has the disorder ,a cautionary tale to those who consider revealing their "disorders" to those who have power over them.)
There is so much in depth information about what autism feels like and the way in which autistics and those whith disorders on the autistic spectrum see and experience life compared to the way in which others do.
As a sufferer of Attention Deficit Disorder myself I could relate to the way in which Donna experienced the world differently from others even though my experiences and problems are different. My friend with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder also really related even though her problems are very different. So I would recommend these two books to anyone suffering with a neurological disability, learning disability or mental disorder.
The reviewer who insists this book is about child abuse is very blinkered in their thinking.
Williams makes it VERY clear that she does not belive that her mother's abuse caused her autistic symptoms and in fact says it is a blessing that her mother was not the type to hug her a lot because as an autistic with sensory troubles who finds touch very uncomfortable she finds hugs physically painful.
Certainly a loving family could have helped her find help for her problems sooner however.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating
Review: This is a fascinating book that has a lot to teach us about how the human brain works and "malfunctions" (for want of a better word.)
One person has said that this book is depressing and might frighten a newly diagnosed family.
This is probably true however, this book needs to be read in conjunction with it's sequel "Somebody Somewhere" which IS uplifting and inspiring and explains what it feels like to be autistic in even greater depth. The two books must be read in sequence. This woman becomes a teacher in the end, despite being discriminated against by one of the teachers. The only teacher at the teacher's college who knew she had the disorder. (a cautionary tale to those who consider revealing their "disorders" to those who have power over them.)
There is so much in depth information about what autism feels like and the way in which autistics and those whith disorders on the autistic spectrum see and experience life compared to the way in which others do.
As a sufferer of Attention Deficit Disorder myself I could relate to the way in which Donna experienced the world differently from others even though my experiences and problems are different. My friend with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder also really related, even though her problems are very different too. So I would recommend these two books to anyone suffering with a neurological disability, learning disability or mental disorder.
The reviewer who insists this book is about child abuse is very blinkered in their thinking.
Williams makes it VERY clear that she does not belive that her mother's abuse caused her autistic symptoms and in fact says it is a blessing that her mother was not the type to hug her a lot because as an autistic with sensory troubles who finds touch very uncomfortable she finds hugs physically painful.
Certainly a loving family could have helped her find help for her problems sooner however. There is no doubt she had a very abusive mother but Donna expresses the opinion that this did not cause her disorder.
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