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A renowned expert in his field of anthropology, Grinker mixes the personal and professional in this book by delving into the world of autism. He does this in an anthropological manner finding the foundations of the disease called autism and how the criteria of autism has developed over time to encompass the now large group of people it does.
Grinker has a personal association with the world of autism. His daughter, Isabel was diagnosed as being on the autistic spectrum at a young age and he has watched her grow as he watched the world grow more and more accustomed to the diagnosis that had been such a mystery to him at first.
The book deals with three areas: Grinker's personal experience with his daughter's diagnosis and the various methods recommended to the family, whether there is really an autism 'epidemic' and how different cultures deal with autism. The author was also able to relate his own experiences with the medical profession to the different methods of psychiatric and psychological practice (including Freudian psychoanalytic theory). There was also a significant exploration into the understanding of autism in different countries; especially interesting in many of the countries where spiritual healing is seen as dominant over medical options. Many of the pioneers of autistic research and political movements are documented in this book.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in autism and in the so-called epidemic.
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.
This book which apparently differs greatly from anything else this author has written tells the story of a middle-aging man Lou who suffers from autism. The point of this book is not necessarily that he suffers though: he holds down a good job in analysing patterns, he attends fencing classes once a week and has a love interest and he associates with other autistic people who also work with him. The trouble comes when a boss at his company tries to force the employees into a new treatment which is said to have reversed autism in apes.
Up until this moment, Lou's place of work has created an environment which suits the needs of its employees. They have their own private gym and are not expected to interact too much with those who they call 'normal' people. One of the amazing lessons of this book is what constitutes being normal and how Lou discovers through his studies that he is relatively more normal than anyone thinks. Despite this he still faces difficulties in tasks that he thinks other people have no difficulty with; going through airport security, purchasing dinner and changing his stringent routine which sees him arrange his week with different tasks on each day.
This book is set in the near-future. A cure for autism in fetus development has been found and Lou and his colleagues are some of the youngest people who were born too early to take advantage of the treatment. Chips can also be implanted in people's brains to prevent criminal behaviour shunning the need for jails. Lou finds himself questioning what exactly the speed of dark is and this comes in at the end when he tries to decide if he wants change and what he is willing to sacrifice to follow his dreams.
I don't feel this review has done the book justice, I absolutely loved it and would recommend it far and wide.
