Nobody Nowhere..autistic

Rating:
Summary: Powerful...
Review: This was the first book I read about autsim, by an autistic person, and it is one of my favorites. The other two are also by Donna Williams, "Somebody Somewhere" and "Like Color to the Blind." It's fascinating to read all three and watch her writing style and structure change as she learns to adapt to her environment and work within the limits of her condition.

In "Nobody Nowhere," the writing style is unmistakably that of an autistic, with all the emotional and psychological baggage that implies. If it seems egocentric, it's because at this relatively early stage in her development, she is still egocentric. Some have called it "disjointed" as well, and it is. This too seems to mirror her thought processes, and gives a unique insight into the way her mind works and the way she experiences the world.

This is not an easy book to read. Donna writes with a clinical, detatched emotional style about some pretty horrific abuses that she suffered as a child, and her disconnection from her own experiences gives the book a harrowing, emotionally charged quality that becomes almost nightmarish at times (and this carries through with greater force in "Somebody Somewhere"). I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about autism, but probably not as a first read if your child has just been diagnosed.

Once you've finished with her autobiographical series, move on to Donna's other books, "Autism and Sensing" and "Exposure Anxiety". I can't recommend them enough.

Rating:
Summary: What it's REALLY like to be autistic
Review: Wow! I have a son with high-functioning autism, so I read everything on the subject. I've read technical books, personal accounts and everything in-between. But NO book, before Nobody Nowhere, could tell me what it's really like to be autistic. Donna Williams has an amazing gift for writing and describing her experiences in living detail. I was so engrossed in this book; I could hardly put it down. Williams' is a haunting story, but one that now serves to help others. I am so grateful she wrote this book!