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Unmasking Autism: The Power of Embracing Our Hidden Neurodiversity by Devon Price
6 reviews
jacksons_books_and_music's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
A must-read for Autistics, people who suspect they may be Autistic, loved ones of Autistics, people in the mental health industry, and also literally everyone. Among other helpful information, there are great resources on how to make public spaces and events accessible to Autistics and other disabled people. There is also incredibly helpful information on the support needs, including in communication, for Autistics and those who interact with us (which is everyone).
The writing and audio are extremely accessible and understandable. Information is substantiated with studies and many interviews.
The writing and audio are extremely accessible and understandable. Information is substantiated with studies and many interviews.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Child abuse
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, and Transphobia
Minor: Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Police brutality
maddelpop's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Transphobia, Medical trauma, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and Classism
jcinf's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
As much as I wanted to breeze through this, I had to take my time to fully digest everything the author said.
So many good, actionable “worksheets”/charts in here. I left them blank so I can go back to them and take my time filling them out.
The author’s recognition of multiply marginalized people and not applying blanket advice to unmask was good to see. And just acknowledging that it’s not always safe to unmask is great. Nuance makes me so happy.
Also with nuance: the awareness of getting a professional diagnosis and how it can be helpful or harmful, I love.
And the recognition of the value of self-diagnosing — or as the author says “self-realizing” made me feel seen.
Also with nuance: the awareness of getting a professional diagnosis and how it can be helpful or harmful, I love.
And the recognition of the value of self-diagnosing — or as the author says “self-realizing” made me feel seen.
One pet peeve: he called an individual Autistic person “neurodiverse” — instead of “neurodivergent.” One person cannot be neurodiverse.
Neurodiverse is a term that describes the diversity of neurotypes. Aka: a group of people.
Neurodivergent is a term that describes an individual who diverges from dominant societal norms.
All trigger warnings are mentioned but do not go into descriptive detail. They’re merely mentioned to create a well-rounded discussion on the intersecting “issues” surrounding Autism.
_______________________
Extended review:
Favorite quotes below. They’re long, but I like to write them down.
“I absorbed the idea, common to many “gifted” children, that a person’s intellectual potential belongs to society, not to themselves, and that they owe the world greatness to justify their oddness.”
“Neurotypical brains engage in sensory adaptation and habituation; the longer they are in the presence of a sound, smell, texture, or visual cue, the more their brain learns to ignore it, and allow it to fade into the background. Their neurons become less likely to be activated by a cue the longer they are around it. The exact opposite is true for Autistic people: the longer we are around a stimulus, the more it bothers us.”
“You cannot craft a comfortable or worthwhile life if you don’t know who you really are, or if your self-image is shaped entirely by rules imposed upon you by other people. Thankfully, it is possible to step away from defining yourself by the approval of other people, and by your adherence to society’s rules.”
“‘It’s neurotypical who categorized autism as a social disorder.’ Autistic people don’t lack communication skills, or a drive to connect. We aren’t doomed to forever feel lonely and broken. We can step out of the soul-crushing cycle of reaching for neurotypical acceptance and being reject despite our best efforts. Instead, we can support and uplift one another, and create our own neurodiverse world where everyone — including neurotypicals — is welcome.”
“We all deserve to take a step back and ask whether our lives line up with our values, whether the work we do and the face we show to others reflects our genuine self, and if not, what we might want to change.
When we accept individuals as they are, instead of warring with their unique needs and challenges, life can move at a more relaxed, accepting pace. A world that allows all Autistics to safely unmask is a world where anyone with strange interests, passionate emotions, environmental sensitivities, social quirks, or other differences is still seen as worthy and whole.”
“The opposite of alienation is integration. The psychological sense of connection and wholeness people whose identities are integrated can see a through line, connecting the many selves they have been across various times and places.”
“Stepping back and taking a look at my key memories and core values, I can see that I’m a dynamic powerful clearheaded person… I’m so different from the inept, powerless, clueless, needy, figure that I have always worried people might see me as I’m also nothing like the frigid passive intellectual, I’ve often masked myself as.”
All trigger warnings are mentioned but do not go into descriptive detail. They’re merely mentioned to create a well-rounded discussion on the intersecting “issues” surrounding Autism.
_______________________
Extended review:
Favorite quotes below. They’re long, but I like to write them down.
“I absorbed the idea, common to many “gifted” children, that a person’s intellectual potential belongs to society, not to themselves, and that they owe the world greatness to justify their oddness.”
“Neurotypical brains engage in sensory adaptation and habituation; the longer they are in the presence of a sound, smell, texture, or visual cue, the more their brain learns to ignore it, and allow it to fade into the background. Their neurons become less likely to be activated by a cue the longer they are around it. The exact opposite is true for Autistic people: the longer we are around a stimulus, the more it bothers us.”
“You cannot craft a comfortable or worthwhile life if you don’t know who you really are, or if your self-image is shaped entirely by rules imposed upon you by other people. Thankfully, it is possible to step away from defining yourself by the approval of other people, and by your adherence to society’s rules.”
“‘It’s neurotypical who categorized autism as a social disorder.’ Autistic people don’t lack communication skills, or a drive to connect. We aren’t doomed to forever feel lonely and broken. We can step out of the soul-crushing cycle of reaching for neurotypical acceptance and being reject despite our best efforts. Instead, we can support and uplift one another, and create our own neurodiverse world where everyone — including neurotypicals — is welcome.”
“We all deserve to take a step back and ask whether our lives line up with our values, whether the work we do and the face we show to others reflects our genuine self, and if not, what we might want to change.
When we accept individuals as they are, instead of warring with their unique needs and challenges, life can move at a more relaxed, accepting pace. A world that allows all Autistics to safely unmask is a world where anyone with strange interests, passionate emotions, environmental sensitivities, social quirks, or other differences is still seen as worthy and whole.”
“The opposite of alienation is integration. The psychological sense of connection and wholeness people whose identities are integrated can see a through line, connecting the many selves they have been across various times and places.”
“Stepping back and taking a look at my key memories and core values, I can see that I’m a dynamic powerful clearheaded person… I’m so different from the inept, powerless, clueless, needy, figure that I have always worried people might see me as I’m also nothing like the frigid passive intellectual, I’ve often masked myself as.”
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Transphobia, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria
ryyyaaan's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
This book is wonderful. To any autistic person or anyone with friends, family members, or loved ones who are autistic, you should read this. I feel so seen. I feel like I understand myself and my disability better. I feel more okay with myself.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Hate crime, Mental illness, Sexism, and Classism
Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Dysphoria, and Classism
concertconfetti's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
I have never felt more seen by a book in my life. Devon Price is extremely thorough in their exploration of autism, as well as ADHD where there is overlap, and does so with kindness and their own personal perspective. But not just their perspective - the perspective of other Autistics from varied backgrounds and communities. It's hard to hear at some points, but well worth the read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
armontheroad's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
I was given an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
- Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity is an absolute must-read for all Autistic people and all non-Autistic (allistic) people with an Autistic loved one in their life! Devon Price does an absolutely phenomenal job at writing this book in an easy-to-digest/understandable way. Not only does he use this book to talk about how we, as Autistic people, can learn to unmask in an ableist society, he also uses this book to shed light on tons of other marginalized communities that are affected by the ableist white-supremacist society we live in.
- Autism is not the only neurodivergency touched upon in this book; we discuss ADHD, schizophrenia, BPD, PTSD, anxiety, depression, just to name a few. Price also weaves in stories from Actually Autistic individuals to showcase his points. I deeply appreciate him interviewing such a diverse range of Auties! We get to see into the lives of Auties who are physically disabled, Black, brown, trans, queer, etc. As an Autistic Latino queer trans man, I was very grateful for these discussions. It is very often white people forget POC in conversations about diversity/marginalized identities and even though Price bringing us into the narrative is the bare minimum white people can do, it was still greatly appreciated!
- I cannot express in a cohesive manner just how much this piece meant to me. During my reading, I cried dozens upon dozens of times. Feeling seen as an Autistic individual is something I am still getting used to after spending over twenty years unaware the reason I didn’t fit into our ableist society was that I was disabled the entire time. Reading about the universe experiences Autistic individuals face was very cathartic. Not only that but there is great advice provided within the text! Devon Price adds tons of exercises and resources throughout the book to truly help Autistic individuals learn to live happy fulfilling lives as our true selves. With that said, I applaud Price for acknowledging the fact lots of Autistic people with intersectional marginalizations (Black and brown Auties, Auties in poverty, etc) do not always have the privilege or resources to be able to unmask themselves.
- Unmasking Autism is worth the read! It is by far one of the best pieces I have read about Autism. Price’s work truly will change so many lives of masked Autistic (and Neurodivergent) individuals! I will say, this book dives deep into so many discussions. Due to this fact, there are lots of potentially triggering subject matter throughout the text. Below I will list the ones I clocked onto whilst going through my first read. I am sure when the book is released and I start my reread through the physical copy, I will think of more to add on, so please tread carefully through your read! To end things off, this was a five-star read and I *will* be picking up his other work!!
TWs/CWs: Ableism, medical content, eating disorders, medical/physical/mental/emotional abuse, racism, police brutality, self-harm, alcohol/alcoholism, depression, anxiety, suicide attempt (minor), suicidal ideation (minor), Nazis, antisemitism, eugenics, forced institutionalization, anti-gay conversion therapy, JK Rowling/Harry Potter/TERFs/transphobia, etc.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol