A review by lingfish7
On the Spectrum: Autism, Faith, and the Gifts of Neurodiversity by Daniel Jr. Bowman
5.0
This book was everything we hoped for (Matt and I read it together). Honest, well-written, clear, and insightful. It even has beautiful metaphors and prose. Daniel Bowman Jr. is a writer, professor, and is autistic. He was late diagnosed and this book is less a memoir and more a compilation of essays organized in a memoir-like way, all relating to Daniel's experience with autism and how that shapes the way he sees the world. He talks about the intersection of autism and faith and how faith looks different for autistics. He talks about his childhood and when he decided to get tested for autism in his 30's. He brings a beautiful perspective to neurodiversity by mentioning both the struggles and unique giftings.
One of my favorite quotes is when he uses a metaphor to describe autism as less like a spectrum low-high but "more like an equalizer with many different settings, only instead of bass, treble, mid, tone, and fade, they're autistic traits: stims (amounts and types), communication style (verbal, nonverbal, hyperverbal, etc.), sensory sensitivities and overload thresholds, special interests, and much more." (197)
I loved this book and I want everyone to read it. Seek to understand. Gain empathy. Autism and other types of neurodiversity are so important to educate ourselves about because we're learning there are so many unrecognized neurodiverse folk out there. And many more than we thought. Neurodiversity is simply a different way the brain processes stimuli and the environment. It's not a disorder to pathologize or stigmatize with shame. This book contributes greatly to the need to reframe what society thinks they know about autism. Thank you Daniel Bowman Jr. for writing this beautiful book.
One of my favorite quotes is when he uses a metaphor to describe autism as less like a spectrum low-high but "more like an equalizer with many different settings, only instead of bass, treble, mid, tone, and fade, they're autistic traits: stims (amounts and types), communication style (verbal, nonverbal, hyperverbal, etc.), sensory sensitivities and overload thresholds, special interests, and much more." (197)
I loved this book and I want everyone to read it. Seek to understand. Gain empathy. Autism and other types of neurodiversity are so important to educate ourselves about because we're learning there are so many unrecognized neurodiverse folk out there. And many more than we thought. Neurodiversity is simply a different way the brain processes stimuli and the environment. It's not a disorder to pathologize or stigmatize with shame. This book contributes greatly to the need to reframe what society thinks they know about autism. Thank you Daniel Bowman Jr. for writing this beautiful book.