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dansmallhorn's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
seventhswan's review
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
4.25
To say that I'm not personally interested in most of the topics Wharmby talks about in this book, I thought it was a good read! It was very easy to understand even with no prior knowledge of the subject matter and I'd love to read the same concept from a range of different authors to hear about their special interests too - there's something really enjoyable for me about hearing from someone who loves a subject even if it's something I know nothing about. The book read like a series of connected blog posts or short essays rather than a more traditional memoir, which Wharmby himself acknowledges in the text. I don't think that's a bad thing per se, just that it didn't really feel like I was reading a book. It's great to see more nonfiction that acknowledges and balances the difficult parts of autism along with the joys. I'd particularly recommend this to parents of autistic children.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism and Bullying
Minor: Violence
rationalnerd's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Talking about autism and its challenges & strength through the authors special interests. Interesting read and quite relatable!
jakegreyxx's review against another edition
4.0
Exactly as the title suggests, this book is all about autistic special interests. But it’s also a lot more than that.
Each chapter focuses on a different special interest the author has had, how they came about, how they affected his life, how they grew and changed, and some fun little facts about them.
But it also talks about what it’s like to be autistic, and how some of these interests specifically relate to autistic people. It talks about how special interests are important for autistic people, and how they can be an incredibly helpful tool. There are also patches that talk about and explain how different things in life, such as family or social events, can affect autistic people. What these things can be life, feel like, and the individual problems they can bring with them.
There’s definitely a lot of excited rambling (which is to be expected, really, in a book about autistic special interests), but if you’re willing and patient enough to read through those, there are also a lot of bits in this book that are incredibly informative and important for anyone looking to understand autistic people better.
The only issue I found with this book was that some of the sentences ran on a bit too much. Run-on sentences are great, but there’s a point where you need to accept that maybe it shouldn’t be a single sentence. Sometimes a single sentence would start in one place, mention several different points and last almost half a page before finally returning to the main point, which, by then, you’re struggling to understand.
Each chapter focuses on a different special interest the author has had, how they came about, how they affected his life, how they grew and changed, and some fun little facts about them.
But it also talks about what it’s like to be autistic, and how some of these interests specifically relate to autistic people. It talks about how special interests are important for autistic people, and how they can be an incredibly helpful tool. There are also patches that talk about and explain how different things in life, such as family or social events, can affect autistic people. What these things can be life, feel like, and the individual problems they can bring with them.
There’s definitely a lot of excited rambling (which is to be expected, really, in a book about autistic special interests), but if you’re willing and patient enough to read through those, there are also a lot of bits in this book that are incredibly informative and important for anyone looking to understand autistic people better.
The only issue I found with this book was that some of the sentences ran on a bit too much. Run-on sentences are great, but there’s a point where you need to accept that maybe it shouldn’t be a single sentence. Sometimes a single sentence would start in one place, mention several different points and last almost half a page before finally returning to the main point, which, by then, you’re struggling to understand.
knittyreader's review against another edition
5.0
There are a lot of books about autism. Not enough by far of those are written by autistic adults, and even less are about adults. This is the kind of book we all really, really need.
I noticed myself nodding and humming at about everything I read. From having a stim that is not often recognized (for me it's knitting instead of Lego blocks) to having more empathy than is good for me, I knew it all. I love how it is all tied to special interests, and how those special interests can help us get through life as guides, examples, and also safe havens. I learned how to recognize that feeling when I have been reading for hours on end and life seems so far off and unreal, and that I am not the only one feeling that way. I sight when I read about teaching and the fear before every lesson - as I stopped my teacher training in the last year as my trainer in apprenticeship predicted an outcome like Pete experienced. I am still thankful she steered me on a different course, although it still took six years and another burn-out before I knew I was autistic.
All in all I highly recommend reading this book to anyone who wants some true and experienced insights in how autistic brains can work.
I noticed myself nodding and humming at about everything I read. From having a stim that is not often recognized (for me it's knitting instead of Lego blocks) to having more empathy than is good for me, I knew it all. I love how it is all tied to special interests, and how those special interests can help us get through life as guides, examples, and also safe havens. I learned how to recognize that feeling when I have been reading for hours on end and life seems so far off and unreal, and that I am not the only one feeling that way. I sight when I read about teaching and the fear before every lesson - as I stopped my teacher training in the last year as my trainer in apprenticeship predicted an outcome like Pete experienced. I am still thankful she steered me on a different course, although it still took six years and another burn-out before I knew I was autistic.
All in all I highly recommend reading this book to anyone who wants some true and experienced insights in how autistic brains can work.