ssolov's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0


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brynalexa's review against another edition

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informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

Reading this book felt like someone understood me for the very first time. It will be frequently useful when disclosing my disabilities and access needs to others. It was dense with information but very easy to read. 

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nat_montego's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

5.0


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zombiezami's review against another edition

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hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0


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stacy837's review against another edition

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informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0


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dakotaa_jpg's review against another edition

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informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

This book is very useful as a person who just got an ADHD dx that suspects im likely also autistic. Ive read quite a few books on ADHD but this is a good entry book for Autism imo. The author uses really accessible language and easily connectable anecdotes that make it feel especially helpful in trying to gather more information to advocate for oneself as a masked autistic person as well as potentially trying to push for a formal dx. I listened to the audiobook, which felt very well paced.

The only thing I didnt like (as a Black reader) was the author's clear attempt to accomodate racial differences while being bogged down by their likely subconcious biases. I felt like they did an excellent job talking about masking as a gender minority/trans person (which tracks bc thats their experiences) but their inability to specify whiteness in certain phrases (saying "girls and PoC" instead of "white girls and PoC erases WoC and others them; as well as talking about how autistic people get trapped in far right spaces when its primarily white autistic people), as well as a lack of discussion on how one might safely unmask as a racial minority (although it was brought up that it is unsafe, and explained that if society changes this will be alleviated, there were no personal solutions to alleviating the stress it causes), and how Black autistics and other autistics of color might find community in autistic spaces that are dominated by white people.

Obviously I understand that the author likely didnt consider these things and wouldntve thought to, but in a book by clearly well researched/well read academic, with a lot of anecdotes from people of different racial minorities in the Autistic community I found it weird that there were no resources offered or mention of the author's own shortcomings in this area. Im also acknowledging that these couldve been addressed in the print copy, but in the audiobook there was nothing.

Something that I found confusing was the way that the ADHD/Autism comorbitity was defined. The author mentions that there is an insanely high comorbitity rate for these disabilities, but then doesnt explain how that might present and even goes on to describe the differences in the way that these brains work (ie: the autistic brain does xyz while the adhd brain does the opposite). Im confused why the comorbitity was brought up if there wasnt going to be a discussion on what that comorbitity looks like. Especially in a book about people who likely would've gotten ignored about having one or both of these disabilities. I thought that section was unhelpful

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armontheroad's review against another edition

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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.


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