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. Most of the authors are themselves Autistic.
Whether 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…
Having previously written a book titled "Laziness Does Not Exist," Loyola University professor Devon 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…
If this were “only” the first anthology of writing by Autistic people of color, it would be a crucial milestone. But this is a freewheeling collection that looks at every aspect of intersectional autism through dozens of short essays, poems,…
Like 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,…
One of a growing number of openly Autistic journalists, Capitol Hill reporter Eric 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…
This 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…
The 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…
What People on the Autism Spectrum Wish Their Parents Knew About Growing Up, Acceptance, and Identity
"I 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…
Famous 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…
The 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…
A blind Autistic woman who suffers a brain injury then must relearn the intricate soundscapes she uses to navigate the world. A homicide detective who both does and does not resemble the Autistic sleuths of fiction. An environmental engineer who…
Autism frequently doesn’t match our sense of how it “should” work. Particularly counterintuitive: that autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)--two conditions that would seem to be polar opposites-- don't just co-occur, but do so…
Burnout isn’t a problem only for Autistic people, but they are at particular risk for it (that both authors of the landmark "Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle" have since been diagnosed seems significant). As befits a book written by…
