Reviews

How to Be Autistic by Charlotte Amelia Poe

foggy_rosamund's review

2.0

Everything the author says about autism in this book is factually correct, but the book doesn't express the information about autism in a clear way. However, it would be fine to include in a list of books about autism and written by autistic people: some people might find it helpful. For me, it doesn't really work as a description of being autistic because the author jumps around the topic too much, and it's grasp what they're saying. As well as that, it doesn't work well as a memoir, because the author doesn't seem to have really processed what they're talking about emotionally: they qualify everything they say, and apologise to family members for writing about them in way that makes the work feel immature or uncertain. At times, the writing is so raw I feel protective of the author: "Don't put it out there yet!" I wanted to say. "It's clear you're not ready to talk about this!" Overall, I found reading this made me very uncomfortable, but I had a lot of empathy for the author and everything they have been through. My experience being autistic is very different, but I felt a similar level of pain and hurt.

theautisticreads's review

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

Autistic or not, read this book! Broken down into easy digestible chapters, the author takes you through every aspect of what it's like to be Autistic. The poems they include throughout are written with such beautiful, powerful words. A must read. 

jackdawjones's review

hopeful informative fast-paced

3.0

althea's review

2.0

2.5/5 Stars

There were a lot of good things about this book, and some really relatable parts to it, as an autistic person myself - including the wonderful poem at the start of the book - but there was so much of it that just didn't feel like it fit. All the details about the author vomiting, for example. It's definitely an okay read, but not one that I think I will revisit.

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faehriss's review

dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

Named after her Spectrum Art Award-winning video, "How To Be Autistic" is a book that does exactly what it sets out to do. It is a collection of thoughts and experiences, of ideas and challenges. Some may find the writing style of this book cluttered and unfocused - but to me, it is honest, raw and like looking into a mirror of the inside of many of our neurodivergent minds. As a woman who learned of their autism much later in life than frankly should be acceptable, this was an incredibly validating read just for the window into the life of a woman with such similar experiences to my own and I hope that it can bring similar comforts to any other women who have led the kind of life we have.

cassiahf's review

emotional inspiring medium-paced

5.0

vampiresessah's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

3.0

daisy_3's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring sad fast-paced

3.75

rho21's review

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

3.0

bailey_the_bookworm's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

2.75

This memoir suffered by comparison to the memoir I read immediately before it, but even on its own, this was…not great? It feels like a series of disconnected ramblings about a variety of topics with only occasional gestures toward a larger point about autism, ableism, bullying, or depression. The poetry is quite good; the rest of the book had a few bright spots but on the whole it was just kind of a mess. 

It feels like the author wasn’t quite ready to write some of it yet—there are references to experiences and topics that the writing then pulls away from or never addresses fully.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Toxic friendship