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Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'
Odd Girl Out: An Autistic Woman in a Neurotypical World by Laura James
8 reviews
belindablogs's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness
asourceoffiction's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
This book gives such a detailed view on how autistic people can be affected by situations that neurotypicals struggle to understand. The way James describes situations (both before and since her diagnosis) that caused her to feel overwhelmed is brilliant, and really detailed. She doesn't pretend to have all the answers, and has clearly struggled to understand herself in relation to her diagnosis. But her journey is a really inspiring and, ultimately, hopeful one. A fascinating read for anyone who wants to better understand autism.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
_p0ssum_'s review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Mental illness
the_vegan_bookworm's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
Laura James tells a vulnerable, interesting story of her life and her relationship with her family and her autism diagnosis. It was an intimate view of her marriage, her self-view and how she related to and understood her diagnosis.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Mental illness
Minor: Drug abuse
forrestalexander's review
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: Mental illness and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
readingwithkt's review
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
I listened to the audiobook of this title and overall I thought it was a memoir worth reading.
It follows Laura James' experience of her autism diagnosis, how it affected her life, her journey in understanding her neurodiverse mind, and how she ultimately comes to accept herself and find healthier ways to cope with those things that neurotypicals take for granted.
It follows Laura James' experience of her autism diagnosis, how it affected her life, her journey in understanding her neurodiverse mind, and how she ultimately comes to accept herself and find healthier ways to cope with those things that neurotypicals take for granted.
Firstly, the audiobook narration by Louiza Patikas was lovely - very engaging and authentic (it was only after I finished that I realised I hadn't been listening to the author narrate their own story).
I enjoyed following Laura James' journey in making sense of things, of suddenly having a label to understand things she had previously not understood about herself, and how she comes to accept herself as she is.
I did find some of the narrative quite repetitive - covering the same themes and ideas over and over again. I think this is because Laura James is writing this while on this journey, and so inevitably reflecting on similar themes as they come up time and again for her. A tighter edit would have probably made this more digestible.
In places, I also found the structure confusing. There was one section in particular where James was discussing her children leaving home and having an empty nest and how she had left her husband, and then suddenly we were with James and her young children in the family home. I found this very confusing and difficult to follow.
I was surprised to hear Laura James say she found herself reflected in The Rosie Project, as I had previously heard autistic people say they find this portrayal leans into unhelpful stereotypes. However, James shares that she found helpful ways of coping through the pages of that book.
I'm glad I read this one and would recommend it to those seeking to understand more about autism, especially if autism is something you're not familiar with and you want to understand how it is experienced. Personally, I'd recommend reading Stim, edited by Lizzie Huxley-Jones, which is an anthology covering a wide range of voices, each exploring their diverse experiences. If I remember rightly, Laura James has a piece in that anthology (I'm pretty sure that's how I stumbled across this book).
I enjoyed following Laura James' journey in making sense of things, of suddenly having a label to understand things she had previously not understood about herself, and how she comes to accept herself as she is.
I did find some of the narrative quite repetitive - covering the same themes and ideas over and over again. I think this is because Laura James is writing this while on this journey, and so inevitably reflecting on similar themes as they come up time and again for her. A tighter edit would have probably made this more digestible.
In places, I also found the structure confusing. There was one section in particular where James was discussing her children leaving home and having an empty nest and how she had left her husband, and then suddenly we were with James and her young children in the family home. I found this very confusing and difficult to follow.
I was surprised to hear Laura James say she found herself reflected in The Rosie Project, as I had previously heard autistic people say they find this portrayal leans into unhelpful stereotypes. However, James shares that she found helpful ways of coping through the pages of that book.
I'm glad I read this one and would recommend it to those seeking to understand more about autism, especially if autism is something you're not familiar with and you want to understand how it is experienced. Personally, I'd recommend reading Stim, edited by Lizzie Huxley-Jones, which is an anthology covering a wide range of voices, each exploring their diverse experiences. If I remember rightly, Laura James has a piece in that anthology (I'm pretty sure that's how I stumbled across this book).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, and Ableism
demo's review
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Ableism, Suicidal thoughts, and Panic attacks/disorders
haleyapratt's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Chronic illness, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Alcoholism, Antisemitism, and Death
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