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Reviews tagging 'Police brutality'
Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity by Devon Price
26 reviews
fatfrog's review
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Mental illness, Alcoholism, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Addiction, Transphobia, Dysphoria, Racism, Eating disorder, Misogyny, and Homophobia
Minor: Police brutality, Toxic relationship, Self harm, and Forced institutionalization
arialovegreen's review
5.0
At the prologue of alienation, I related so much to Dr. Price's description of his own life up to the point of discovering he is autistic that it brought me to tears. I laughed at the quotes from the interviewees, delighted by their view of the world and how similar it is to my own. I re-thought my previous behaviors and patterns of thinking through entirely new lenses. And I cried again at ending as it tied everything back full circle with the opposite of alienation: integration. But this time out of joy.
It's safe to say I smiled, cried, processed, and re-considered a *lot* while taking in this book.
Unmasking Autism is an essential read for everyone, in my opinion. Especially, of course, for autistic people and the people that love them. This book has utterly shifted my perspective on myself and my career. It has shifted my view on the world, the social systems and backgrounds of disability.
Dr. Devon Price is an excellent writer in structure and voice. He synthesizes research with lived experiences to paint a beautiful and expansive portrait of neurodiversity and what the world could be if we lived its values and ideas. He openly engages in critical thinking and self-reflection as he helps guide the reader through each informational point. His candor shines as he speaks on his own experiences and opinions regarding the information he reviews.
Okay. Maybe I *did* know what to say. But honestly, this review feels like small chops compared to how impactful the experience of this book was to me. My life is better for reading this book.
Dr. Price, if you're reading this by some strange chance: thank you. Thank you for writing this. I doubt you hardly need such confirmation, but this book has made my life infinitely better for having read it. Even if only for the sheer fact that it made me feel immensely seen and heard. It is a stark reminder that I am not alone in my experiences. And hopefully it will reach even further as I incorporate it into my interactions with others, both personally and professionally.
Graphic: Ableism, Racism, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, and Police brutality
feminerdity's review against another edition
5.0
Minor: Alcoholism, Drug use, Police brutality, Ableism, Bullying, Child abuse, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Toxic friendship, Pandemic/Epidemic, Medical trauma, Addiction, Classism, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Homophobia, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, Genocide, Grief, Racism, Transphobia, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Drug abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Toxic relationship
talis_turner's review
4.0
Minor: Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Ableism, Bullying, Eating disorder, Medical content, Police brutality, and Dysphoria
bi_n_large's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Ableism and Medical trauma
Moderate: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Homophobia, Transphobia, Racism, Drug abuse, Addiction, and Sexism
Minor: Sexual violence and Police brutality
cleot's review
5.0
Moderate: Ableism
Minor: Suicide attempt, Classism, Addiction, Racism, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Bullying, Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Self harm, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Dysphoria, and Alcoholism
Content warnings are mostly minor discussions of those topics and how they relate to the experience of being a masked autistic person.eldritch_ace's review
4.0
Moderate: Mental illness, Eating disorder, Racism, Misogyny, and Ableism
Minor: Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Classism, Dysphoria, Police brutality, Forced institutionalization, Transphobia, Fatphobia, Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Chronic illness, and Toxic relationship
espressoreader's review
4.0
I agree there are problems in the legal system, but I disagree with the politics behind defunding the police. A crime committed by an autistic person or a person of color is not LESS harmful because of their disability or their background. I say that as an autistic person of faith with a multiracial family.
Regardless of religious and political differences, where the topic of autism and masking came up it was informative.
Graphic: Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Eating disorder, and Toxic friendship
careinthelibrary's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Ableism and Medical content
Moderate: Racism, Bullying, Transphobia, and Sexism
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Police brutality, Self harm, Pandemic/Epidemic, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, and Fatphobia
jcinf's review
5.0
Also with nuance: the awareness of getting a professional diagnosis and how it can be helpful or harmful, I love.
And the recognition of the value of self-diagnosing — or as the author says “self-realizing” made me feel seen.
All trigger warnings are mentioned but do not go into descriptive detail. They’re merely mentioned to create a well-rounded discussion on the intersecting “issues” surrounding Autism.
_______________________
Extended review:
Favorite quotes below. They’re long, but I like to write them down.
“I absorbed the idea, common to many “gifted” children, that a person’s intellectual potential belongs to society, not to themselves, and that they owe the world greatness to justify their oddness.”
“Neurotypical brains engage in sensory adaptation and habituation; the longer they are in the presence of a sound, smell, texture, or visual cue, the more their brain learns to ignore it, and allow it to fade into the background. Their neurons become less likely to be activated by a cue the longer they are around it. The exact opposite is true for Autistic people: the longer we are around a stimulus, the more it bothers us.”
“You cannot craft a comfortable or worthwhile life if you don’t know who you really are, or if your self-image is shaped entirely by rules imposed upon you by other people. Thankfully, it is possible to step away from defining yourself by the approval of other people, and by your adherence to society’s rules.”
“‘It’s neurotypical who categorized autism as a social disorder.’ Autistic people don’t lack communication skills, or a drive to connect. We aren’t doomed to forever feel lonely and broken. We can step out of the soul-crushing cycle of reaching for neurotypical acceptance and being reject despite our best efforts. Instead, we can support and uplift one another, and create our own neurodiverse world where everyone — including neurotypicals — is welcome.”
“We all deserve to take a step back and ask whether our lives line up with our values, whether the work we do and the face we show to others reflects our genuine self, and if not, what we might want to change.
When we accept individuals as they are, instead of warring with their unique needs and challenges, life can move at a more relaxed, accepting pace. A world that allows all Autistics to safely unmask is a world where anyone with strange interests, passionate emotions, environmental sensitivities, social quirks, or other differences is still seen as worthy and whole.”
“The opposite of alienation is integration. The psychological sense of connection and wholeness people whose identities are integrated can see a through line, connecting the many selves they have been across various times and places.”
“Stepping back and taking a look at my key memories and core values, I can see that I’m a dynamic powerful clearheaded person… I’m so different from the inept, powerless, clueless, needy, figure that I have always worried people might see me as I’m also nothing like the frigid passive intellectual, I’ve often masked myself as.”
Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Sexism, Suicide, Transphobia, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Dysphoria, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment