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sarahdouble's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
2.75
I think I would have appreciated this book more if I had shared the author's interest and talent for classical music.
There were informative parts about the history of autism diagnosis and treatment, which piqued my interest.
However, the author seems oblivious to the fact that his family's and his own problems were improved by the fact that they are above-average in terms of financial privilege. He kept referring to them as "normal" in that respect, and did not understand how wealth contributed to his unique experiences.
There were informative parts about the history of autism diagnosis and treatment, which piqued my interest.
However, the author seems oblivious to the fact that his family's and his own problems were improved by the fact that they are above-average in terms of financial privilege. He kept referring to them as "normal" in that respect, and did not understand how wealth contributed to his unique experiences.
joannavaught's review against another edition
3.0
There were certainly highlights -- I particularly enjoyed the history of the Autism spectrum woven in with his sister's diagnosis -- but there were multiple times where I lost interest and realized that I had "read" 3-4 pages and hadn't processed any of it because I was thinking about my life, and would have to go back and reread.
I am curious enough about Shawn's own mental illness -- which is only alluded to here -- that I am considering reading "Wish I Could There: Notes from a Phobic Life."
I am curious enough about Shawn's own mental illness -- which is only alluded to here -- that I am considering reading "Wish I Could There: Notes from a Phobic Life."
judyward's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting memoir about separated twins and autism. Allen and Mary Shawn were born in 1948 and by the time Mary was 2 years old, she was already exhibiting signs of autism. By the time they were eight years old, Mary was removed from the family and placed in a residential facility. She never lived with the family again. The author deals with the strains that autism can place on a family, the effects that the separation from his twin has had on his life, and the evolution of the medical community's attitude toward autism.
dreesreads's review against another edition
1.0
I can't believe I read the whole thing.
Shawn has a probably autistic twin sister, who was institutionalized at the age of 8, in the 1950s. She has lived in institutions (nice private ones, not state-run) ever since.
Per the book flap: "Twin reconstructs a parallel narrative for the two siblings, who experienced such divergent fates yet shared talents and proclivities."
Um, no.
"Twin highlights the difficulties American families coping with autism faced in the 1950s"
Um, not so much.
Shawn in a successful composer and professor, with a lot of phobias. (He is very talented and has studied with important people! Be impressed! There is a lot of name dropping. His brother is also very successful! And his dad was very important!) In this book, he basically blames all of his phobias, fears, and problems on the fact that his parents institutionalized his twin sister Mary. He has only realized this recently--he "never thought about it" before. So much of the book is him writing things he doesn't remember thinking about at the time. Really. So, he is describing things as he thinks he felt then, though he has no memory of actually feeling that way, but he must have. YAWN.
Aside from the incessant name-dropping and the interpreting-of-memories-he-doesn't-remember, there is the discussion of how embarrassing it was to ride in a limo to visit his sister, because it made him seem rich. Um, you and your brother both went to boarding school, and your sister was in a private institution. You were rich. And then there are the descriptions of his father--editor of The New Yorker. Important. Always at work. Phobic. And with another family on the side.
Yes, he blames his phobias on sister's being institutionalized, yet then drops that his father began suffering from phobias at the age of 6. Maybe it's....genetic?! Maybe his dad's being largely absent due to "work"--when there was actually another family that Shawn's mother knew about, and then that the sons knew of--caused more of his issues.
I could go on about the overall poor organization of the book. But I don't want to. I want to put this out of my mind forever!
Shawn has a probably autistic twin sister, who was institutionalized at the age of 8, in the 1950s. She has lived in institutions (nice private ones, not state-run) ever since.
Per the book flap: "Twin reconstructs a parallel narrative for the two siblings, who experienced such divergent fates yet shared talents and proclivities."
Um, no.
"Twin highlights the difficulties American families coping with autism faced in the 1950s"
Um, not so much.
Shawn in a successful composer and professor, with a lot of phobias. (He is very talented and has studied with important people! Be impressed! There is a lot of name dropping. His brother is also very successful! And his dad was very important!) In this book, he basically blames all of his phobias, fears, and problems on the fact that his parents institutionalized his twin sister Mary. He has only realized this recently--he "never thought about it" before. So much of the book is him writing things he doesn't remember thinking about at the time. Really. So, he is describing things as he thinks he felt then, though he has no memory of actually feeling that way, but he must have. YAWN.
Aside from the incessant name-dropping and the interpreting-of-memories-he-doesn't-remember, there is the discussion of how embarrassing it was to ride in a limo to visit his sister, because it made him seem rich. Um, you and your brother both went to boarding school, and your sister was in a private institution. You were rich. And then there are the descriptions of his father--editor of The New Yorker. Important. Always at work. Phobic. And with another family on the side.
Yes, he blames his phobias on sister's being institutionalized, yet then drops that his father began suffering from phobias at the age of 6. Maybe it's....genetic?! Maybe his dad's being largely absent due to "work"--when there was actually another family that Shawn's mother knew about, and then that the sons knew of--caused more of his issues.
I could go on about the overall poor organization of the book. But I don't want to. I want to put this out of my mind forever!
christinefredrickson's review against another edition
3.0
A memoir that looks at his life as the twin of a girl with autism. The book starts from his birth and slowly moves through his life chronologically. It moves around in topic from his phobias to his family to his sister to music and back again, but it has a cohesive wholeness about it. Poignant, reflective, honest without pretension or expectations. It wasn't quite what I expected, but it was interesting and well-written.
lutheranjulia's review against another edition
3.0
Somewhat repetitive and meandering, but interesting to hear Shawn's reflection on his life, his parents, and his twin sister who is autistic.
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