A review by 10_4tina
On the Spectrum: Autism, Faith, and the Gifts of Neurodiversity by Daniel Jr. Bowman
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
Meandering. Honest. Memoir.
I enjoyed this set of essays. Bowman invites us into his processing of autism and faith and really, life in general. There's a tenderness to his story that kept me reading even when it felt like a slow read.
Sidenote - I always love a Taylor connection. Even just at a mention of the way it rains in Hartford City in his chapter on Place, I was transported back to Upland/Hartford City/Central Indiana and could hear the distinct way rainstorms rolled in.
Favorite lines:
"I don't know if the breathing exercises worked, but I did them religiously because I couldn't think of anything else to do to not die. In that sense, I guess they did work."
"The problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete."
"Socialize differently - Some of us may not understand or follow social rules that non-autistic people made up. We might be more direct than other people. Eye contact might make us uncomfortable. We might have a hard time controlling our body language or facial expressions which can confuse non-autistic people or make it hard to socialize."
"What if your very region is a comfort object? How do you walk away from patterns and routines you cherished? What do you do when you need to move away? And is it possible to make a new place into a comfort object?
On sensory overload: "Count your blessings if, like a driver tucked safely inside a comfortable SUV, you can take much of the world in stride. Most autistic people cannot. We feel every bump, every tiny pebble in the road that threatens a crash."
I enjoyed this set of essays. Bowman invites us into his processing of autism and faith and really, life in general. There's a tenderness to his story that kept me reading even when it felt like a slow read.
Sidenote - I always love a Taylor connection. Even just at a mention of the way it rains in Hartford City in his chapter on Place, I was transported back to Upland/Hartford City/Central Indiana and could hear the distinct way rainstorms rolled in.
Favorite lines:
"I don't know if the breathing exercises worked, but I did them religiously because I couldn't think of anything else to do to not die. In that sense, I guess they did work."
"The problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete."
"Socialize differently - Some of us may not understand or follow social rules that non-autistic people made up. We might be more direct than other people. Eye contact might make us uncomfortable. We might have a hard time controlling our body language or facial expressions which can confuse non-autistic people or make it hard to socialize."
"What if your very region is a comfort object? How do you walk away from patterns and routines you cherished? What do you do when you need to move away? And is it possible to make a new place into a comfort object?
On sensory overload: "Count your blessings if, like a driver tucked safely inside a comfortable SUV, you can take much of the world in stride. Most autistic people cannot. We feel every bump, every tiny pebble in the road that threatens a crash."