Book Review: “Look Me in the Eye”
Friday, December 28th, 2007Author: John Elder Robison
Classification: Non-fiction
Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger’s is a compelling and insightful account of what it is like growing up with this form of high-functioning autism that is just coming to the forefront today. Robison did not discover that he had Asperger’s Syndrome until he was a adult, and he muses about what he may have done differently if he had known why he was different from other children.
In his book, Robison underscores the valuable creative contributions that “aspergians” have made over time. Among many of these contributions, Robison described his life as a special effects inventor for Pink Floyd and Kiss, his work on early video games with Milton Bradley, his current business as a Roles Royce and Landrover specialist, and his success as an author. These contributions were both compounded and made possible by his having Asperger’s.
John came to the school where I intern to talk to students about Asperger’s Syndrome. I was astounded by his superior speaking abilities, despite having obvious challenges with social interactions. If you have never heard of Asperger’s or you want to learn more about it, John offers both informative vignettes and introspective commentary that both “aspergians” and “nypicals” (neuron-normal people) will enjoy.
As a side note, John’s brother is Augusten Burroughs, author of Running with Scissors, another excellent book. John’s website is also very interesting.