This is the sequel to another book (which I have not read) and outlines the life of the author's daughter who has autism and how she grows to further understand the world and come out of the "nirvana" of her autistic behaviours. The preface by the famous psychologist Oliver Sacks demonstrates that the detailed recordings Park has taken of her daughter's life contribute to what is probably the most full account of living with autism available to a person without it.
Park explores the journey with her daughter, from a barely verbal child to an adult with a penchant for painting. In one chapter she explores her daughter's growing vocabulary as well as some of the intricacies of the English language which are more difficult for Jessy (her daughter) to understand. Another chapter explores her fascination with numbers and her huge ability with mathematics in her younger years. What is paticularly magical is the excitement displayed in discovering a prime number. The book also analyses books which Jessy made herself as a child and throughout her teenage years, some of which go deeper than any column on human nature into how strange human practices and language are.
As Jessy learned about the world, her mother was able to explain how she is now able to hold down a full-time job and also sell her artwork, which I would describe as realist surrealism as weird as that sounds. The author is able to show the wonderful magic of autism which she calls nirvana and the confusion and exploration which contribute to exploring how things work in the real world. I would highly recommend this book as a detailed, structured account of living with an autistic daughter.
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