List
Autism Acceptance Month
Here are a few books that I hope will serve as both windows and mirrors for all who read them, just as they have for me.
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The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism
2013 by Higashida, NaokiGet this itemWhether we are autistic, neurotypical, or what have you, there are aspects of the human experience that are hard to put into words. Individuals with unusual ability in this area are called “poets.” The English translation of the first book by Higashida--who uses augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices--changed countless minds about what a minimally verbal autistic person could do. This book is probably second only to Neurotribes as a book the authors of other books on this list talk about.
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Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity
2022 by Price, DevonGet this itemHaving previously written a book titled Laziness Does Not Exist, Loyola University of Chicago professor Price isn’t one to shy away from a provocative thesis. He makes a convincing case that assessments based on the “medical model” fail to detect the overwhelming majority of autistic people, many of whom go through life undiagnosed and “masking” their autistic traits as best they can, often at great psychic cost. And learning what you are at any age can be liberating.
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All the Weight of Our Dreams: On Living Racialized Autism
2017Get this itemIf this were “only” the first anthology of writing by autistic people of color, it would be a crucial milestone. But this book is a freewheeling collection that looks at every aspect of intersectional autism through dozens of short essays, poems, illustrations, comics, and photographs. It can be a lot to take in, but the reader is sure to find many things that move them. An updated edition is reportedly in the works.
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Diary of a Young Naturalist
2021 by McAnulty, DaraGet this itemLike most autistic people, Dara McAnulty can find no clear dividing line between his autism and himself, nor does he see a reason to search for one. Over the course of his 14th year, autism is present in his profound connection to the natural world, in his first struggles and triumphs as an author and activist, and in his deep love for his neurodiverse family.
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We're Not Broken: Changing the Autism Conversation
2021 by Garcia, EricGet this itemOne of a growing number of openly autistic journalists, Capitol Hill reporter Garcia is skeptical about stories of individual success--his own included. He digs into issues like employment and housing, and is honest about what even “low support” autistic people may need to live their best lives. A book that affected me greatly.
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Neurotribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity
2015 by Silberman, SteveGet this itemThis is probably the single most important social history of autism, tracing the rise and fall of the “medical model," the subcultures in which autistic people found community, and the evolution of autistic-led organizations. If the length is daunting, take a tip from the Au-Some Book Club and read (and discuss) individual chapters.
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Letters to My Weird Sisters: On Autism and Feminism
2021 by Limburg, JoanneGet this itemThe personal is extremely political for a writer diagnosed with autism as an adult. In a series of essays structured as letters to women in the past, Limburg shows how the (shockingly persistent) idea that autism was a “male” condition always required ignoring the existence of clearly autistic women and girls. She also explores what historically led to a woman being labeled a burden on society. Or a bad mother. Or a witch.
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Sincerely, Your Autistic Child
2021Get this itemI feel strongly about things, even if I can’t always say it...Expose your child, early and often, to adults like themselves living good lives...Love really is the great healer. Autistic adults share their wisdom with those raising the next autistic generation. For all the dangers it warns of, this is a compassionate and hopeful book. The title was changed from What Every Autistic Girl Wishes Her Parents Knew to reflect the variety of gender identities in the autism community.
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For the Love of Autism: Stories of Love, Awareness and Acceptance on the Spectrum
2022 by Morales, Tamika LecheeGet this itemFamous names like Temple Grandin and Morenike Giwa Onaiwu share space with first-time writers in this anthology of diverse voices and perspectives. Several of the contributors are based in the Chicago area; one mother-son pair regularly visits the library.
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I Will Die on This Hill: Autistic Adults, Autism Parents, and the Children Who Deserve a Better World
2023 by Ashburn, MeghanGet this itemThe online interactions between two mothers of autistic children--one herself autistic, the other not--began with miscommunications, defensiveness, and hurt feelings. Yet they ended up in a place of mutual respect. Neither author pulls punches about things they believe are important (Edwards, who looks to her Ojibwe culture for a model of disability justice, is scathing about the white gatekeepers of many autistic spaces) and tricky concepts like the double empathy problem are explained using plain language. An inspiring gem.
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