Alex Ratcliffe

This is such an important book. So often, the voices of autistic people are shouted over or ignored. Autism is often seen as a child's condition, and autistic adults are either imagined to be either too disabled to speak for themselves, or not disabled enough to 'count' as autistic. This book is made up of voices of people in their twenties and onwards, some diagnosed as children, many (especially the older contributers) diagnosed later in life. Some of the stories are sad, as people struggle with ableism, acceptance, and building a life in a world that isn't designed for their neurotype. Others are more positive and hopeful, stories about people discovering why they are different and finding the knowledge freeing.

What's most interesting in this book are the common threads across the different stories. Everyone is so different (if you've met one autistic you've met one autistic), but there are common themes of loneliness and feeling disconnected from people, a desire to make those connections, self discovery, and acceptance. I think this is an important book for both autistic and non autistic people to read. Autistic people will see themselves in these stories. I know I did. There is something very comforting about knowing that other people are coping with the same things I am. And non autistic people need to learn that autism does not mean that someone isn't still a person. Autistic people, autistic adults, are valuable members of society, even if society sees them as unproductive.

This book tries to be very diverse, and in some ways it manages, but there are always more stories to be told. Read this book, and then seek out more actually autistic voices. We are out there and we are speaking. It's time to finally listen, and accept.… (more)

These are accounts written by autistic adults, divided into age groups. They come from various parts of the world.

I found these accounts to be interesting/very readable and confirm my own diagnosis.

The individuals expressing themselves in the book are articulate, intelligent and gifted. Their autism has been problematic for them but their diagnosis, which mostly occurred at a late age, has greatly helped them to understand themselves and why they have problems.
Some of their children/partners are also autistic.

Many have struggled to appear/be normal. Though not me. I’ve always just been myself and, growing up, I’ve been accepted as such and no-one thought I needed any diagnosis, though they perhaps considered me different and strange.

Some have anxiety, particularly in social situations. Many have special interests and have a tendency to become obsessed with them. One, Steven, has “current fascinations” that take up a whole page, from abiogenesis (?) to film developing and print making.

Some define themselves by special modern words which I am unfamiliar with, such as pansexual, cisgender, hyperlexic.

Many talk about stimming, carrying out self-stimulating repetitive behaviours, though I’m not quite sure what these are in practice.

I can recommend this absorbing book to everyone, but particularly to those who themselves have autism or who know someone who does. It will help the reader to understand themselves and/or their family members/friends.… (more)