John Elder Robison recollects his life’s memories in this sad, comedic, heartfelt and true story of a journey to his own success and overall happiness in his life with a syndrome known as Asperger’s. As a child, he was isolated from others due to his lack of social skills and was seen as a “social deviant” by many. Naturally, he began to see himself in the light that others cast on him and viewed himself as a “misfit” rather than the regular child that he was on the inside. Dropping out of high school, despite his intelligence, reflected poorly on his character but Robison defied expectations in his numerous successful jobs, any of which he could have easily made into a life’s career. His talents masked his unusual social mannerisms when he was hired to design the stunt guitars for Ace Frehley of KISS in the late ‘70s. Moving back to his hometown to become a car dealer was when things began to change for Robison as he, himself, remembers thinking, “for the first time I [have] become legitimate, a part of a local community and not just an outcast.” (Robison, 217) His diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome at the age of 40 brought with it a new understanding of his life. He has since been able to change his perspective in order to see his differences as unique abilities rather than defective traits. He is able to share his story with many as to give them the same opportunity he had to change his life for the better. Robison’s memoir is an inspiring one and surprisingly, relatable to everyone. His goal in writing it was a simple: to share his story in order to give others a better understanding of the condition itself and living with it. More importantly, he shared his knowledge and wisdom from self-experience that will allow others to change their lives just as he did. Robison is living proof that by changing your outlook on life, you change every previous idea of what life and happiness really are. More importantly you can change the way you see yourself, which will only further allow others to see you in a new light. Being that this is an autobiography, we are given an unbiased understanding of the events of Robison’s life and their direct impact on his journey with Asperger’s. This also serves as a strength in the novel because he speaks honestly about each occurrence with no regard of how others perceive this, demonstrating a characteristic trait of his syndrome. Describing exactly what he feels in order to allow the audience to differentiate between how the mind of neurotypicals and what Robison calls “Aspergians” processes the same information, acts as an additional strength in the novel. One weakness I found was that Robison does not go into as much depth about his childhood years as he does with his adulthood. Having more information about his loneliness as a child would make the novel more relatable to young people with Asperger’s who too can learn from his life’s story.
John Elder Robison recollects his life’s memories in this sad, comedic, heartfelt and true story of a journey to his own success and overall happiness in his life with a syndrome known as Asperger’s. As a child, he was isolated from others due to his lack of social skills and was seen as a “social deviant” by many. Naturally, he began to see himself in the light that others cast on him and viewed himself as a “misfit” rather than the regular child that he was on the inside. Dropping out of high school, despite his intelligence, reflected poorly on his character but Robison defied expectations in his numerous successful jobs, any of which he could have easily made into a life’s career. His talents masked his unusual social mannerisms when he was hired to design the stunt guitars for Ace Frehley of KISS in the late ‘70s. Moving back to his hometown to become a car dealer was when things began to change for Robison as he, himself, remembers thinking, “for the first time I [have] become legitimate, a part of a local community and not just an outcast.” (Robison, 217) His diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome at the age of 40 brought with it a new understanding of his life. He has since been able to change his perspective in order to see his differences as unique abilities rather than defective traits. He is able to share his story with many as to give them the same opportunity he had to change his life for the better.
ReplyDeleteRobison’s memoir is an inspiring one and surprisingly, relatable to everyone. His goal in writing it was a simple: to share his story in order to give others a better understanding of the condition itself and living with it. More importantly, he shared his knowledge and wisdom from self-experience that will allow others to change their lives just as he did. Robison is living proof that by changing your outlook on life, you change every previous idea of what life and happiness really are. More importantly you can change the way you see yourself, which will only further allow others to see you in a new light.
Being that this is an autobiography, we are given an unbiased understanding of the events of Robison’s life and their direct impact on his journey with Asperger’s. This also serves as a strength in the novel because he speaks honestly about each occurrence with no regard of how others perceive this, demonstrating a characteristic trait of his syndrome. Describing exactly what he feels in order to allow the audience to differentiate between how the mind of neurotypicals and what Robison calls “Aspergians” processes the same information, acts as an additional strength in the novel. One weakness I found was that Robison does not go into as much depth about his childhood years as he does with his adulthood. Having more information about his loneliness as a child would make the novel more relatable to young people with Asperger’s who too can learn from his life’s story.