A real life view of living with Asperger's
585533
First off, I do want to recommend that the author do a bit more editing on her books. There were many typos and other grammatical errors which took away from the pleasure of reading the story. However, those problems aside, this is a good look at what it really is like to live life with Asperger's. It shows how even small, everyday activities and experiences can be incredibly complex for an Aspie. Although you can't say that one Aspie's experiences will necessarily fit all who have the condition, this is a good starting point to understanding Asperger's.
2643567
Such a well written, amazing book!  As a woman diagnosed in later life with Aspergers, I could relate to so much of what Sam had written.  I laughed, and cried, a lot!  I enjoyed every minute of reading this book.
3507536
The characters were funny, realistic, and the story was enjoyable. Don's story is touching, and quite realistic in regard to those who live with Asperger's. This was a book I'll be recommending to others.
4288376
This is a wonderful memoir that is easy to read - with the average chapter being about 3 pages in length.  It's an interesting, entertaining, and very touching (it will make you laugh and cry)  book about the challenges and blessings of raising an autistic child.  It's an extremely important book to read for anyone who is raising, working with, or connected to an autistic child - or if you just want a really great book about family. I not only enjoyed the story of Ian and his family, but am very thankful for the insight it has given to me.
1053015
I thought this was a great book.  My daughter has just been diagnosed at age 23 with autism--the kind that is often accompanied by anxiety and depression. This fits Sean Barron's mold. It was so nice to read what he had to say, to see how he learned to deal with it, and to see that he has a job and friends.  They both have some great advice, and have included comments from other autistic friends in the last chapter.
2085405
It's a very interesting book about Asperger's syndrome and its relation to anxiety. Shows why and how anxiety strikes a person with Asperger's and provides some ways to deal with it. I am a parent of a teenage boy with Aspergers, and the book did provide some insight in his world. I am planning on giving him this book, too, I really think it will help him.
4813904
This was an excellent read. It really makes you see others, and yourself in a new way. People who live with and love those on the Autism spectrum (this book makes me feel as though we all are, to a certain degree) will really appreciate the behavioral nuances pointed out in this book that we tend to take for granted. Loved it.
2508691
A great book with a great inside look at Asperger's syndrome, gave me a better understanding of the disorder. Interestingly told and I would highly recommend this book.
4715996
Nick Dubin presents an intimate account of what it is to be in the center of misunderstanding/intolerance. Having only read the first 2 chapters (thus far as of this writing), I am immediately drawn to the personal torture of a child's every day life in this world that we "school." I hope that through Dubin's solutions for bullying, I can be an active advocate for my own child who, too, suffers from Asperger's Syndrome. Dubin's book should be a top reference for educators and psychologists when trying to understand this small piece of the autism spectrum.
4884259
It was fantastic. I have a family member with Asperger's and the book gave me insight as to how he thinks. I understand my family member more from reading this book.
667276
This book presents a great lens into the trials and tribulations that lead to triumph for those both cursed and blessed with Asperger's.  John Elder Robison sheds light about what it is like to understand the pros and cons of the differences in thinking and living in a world dominated by typical nypicals.  This book is an entertaining approach dealing with a serious topic.  Educators, families, and Aspergian's can all gain insight and perspective from this book.
3105083
I am a grandparent diagnosed with Asperger's and have several grandchildren with the telltale signs of Asperger's. This book takes the approach of dealing with each of the challenges in such a way that it provides understanding and valuable ways to deal with the issues.
4738291
This is one of the best accounts by a parent of a child with Asperger's that I have EVER read!  Ben Rubinyi was born on October 14, 1986 when autism/Aspeger's (a/A) spectrum awareness was just taking off.  A gifted child whose parents were also blessed with high intellect, Ben was raised in a bilingual household.  He was fluent in French and English.  He is also a skilled and natural musician with excellent taste - he is a Beatles' and Woody Guthrie fan!

I loved it when author Susan Rubinyi shared how she and Ben loved Bill Staines and found spiritual comfort in his music.  I have seen Staines perform and he is truly special.

Ben's early behavior did not sound like severe spectrum behavior from the telling.  He was literal in his speech; by the time he started school, he would simply leave to find his father who taught in a nearby building.  Educated in French and American schools, the brilliant boy with the flair for languages showed a typical autistic pattern in referring to himself as "tu" (French for 'you') when meaning himself.  In some ways, Ben's thinking was described as rigid.

After several years of wrangling and wrestling with the Oregon school district in which he was a student, Ben's mother tried other methods, including home schooling.  A gifted music teacher named Dave entered their lives as her marriage was coming to an end and Ben's aides were presenting challenges of their own, including one aide who betrayed the family by acting as a school district "double agent."  Dave, also a Beatles' fan introduced Ben to Beatles conventions and it was at the 2001 Beatles convention that Ben got to shine.

Ben's behavior reached crisis proportions in 1998 when he was obsessed with tearing leaves off of trees to "make the seasons go by faster."  He would even try to get out of the car to follow this passion and went so far as to demolish a neighbor's trees.  Sadly, this behavior led to Ben serving two hospital sentences after 4 horrifying episodes in emergency rooms.  The treatment Ben was subjected to was appalling.  The second sentence he served was at Los Angeles' NeuroPsychiatric Institute.

Once he served his sentence there, he was educated in Los Angeles.  Susan Rubinyi had an ambivilent relationship with her native city, leaving at an early age with no intention of ever returing.  Ironically, her Long & Winding Road led her back to her girlhood home.  In time, she makes peace with her past and with Ben's uncertain present.  The two, like John Lennon learn to "Give Peace a Chance."  Ben's love of maps led to a job making films; Susan learned about other components of her life, including spiritual as well as intellectual.  The two Come Together on their Long & Winding Roads.  Through the use of skilled therapists and brilliant interpretations of their dreams (which makes me think of "Number 9 Dream" by John Lennon), the components of their lives; new adustments, e.g. end of a marriage and moving out of state do Come Together as they get by with a little help from their friends.

I loved Ben's insights; this brilliant young man with the extraordinary memory is truly a gift and a mitzvah.  The Beatles were good for Ben; their music helped remove rigid mental walls in his thinking.  For example, Ben was able to shift from playing one song to another when an unexpected change in plans came up.  He also gave a well thought out answer for how he got into the Beatles at age 10.  I just loved that part!

I loved the part where he regaled audiences at the Beatles' convention with his brilliant, flawless playing and the talk he gave to people about his experience with Asperger's.  One of my favorite parts in the book was when Susan Rubinyi said that by following your child's special interests, you just might tap into talents and interests you didn't know you had or had been lying dormant.

This book is a Godsend, a mitzvah and one everybody needs.  Like the Beatles said in 1967, "All You Need is Love" and I just LOVE this book!
2027557
Easy to read first hand account of the challenges for a parent with Asperger's syndrome. Recommend for parents, grandparents and anyone who has the challenge of helping rear such a child. Delightful and real account.
1092342
Great read.  it really conveyed a sense of what life might be like for one with Asperger's Syndrome.  It's also has a fast moving plot and a desirable ending.
4594021
Mark Haddon's curious book describes in the simplest prose what life is like when seen through the eyes of a 15 year-old autistic boy. The book's protagonist, Christopher, navigates daily life with charts, graphs, logic and truth.  Not so strange; until you realize as you read how little "normal" people notice the details in the world around them, and how much "normal" people lie during the course of a day, week, month, or year.

If this book paints an accurate description of life with autism (and there seems to be ample evidence that it does), then I am astounded at the bravery that these individuals exhibit, as square pegs, trying to live their lives in a round-hole world.

Christopher employs true creativity and imagination (although as an autistic person he argues that he has neither) to invent ways of coping with a confusing and often terrifying world.

Exceptionally well done.

C.A.Wulff -
2358211
The writer helps me understand the Aspergian parts of myself.