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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
informative
reflective
slow-paced
I’m sure it did Laura James a lot of good to write this book. Good for her.
It was a strong contrast to my last autistic read (Unmasking Autism) in terms of classism, sexism and even a bit of ableism. James has this notion of autism where she says it’s a disability that she doesn’t work in spite of, but the underlying vibe of most of her book feels like she treats it like an illness she’s trying to fight. And I get that she’s on a journey, but so much of the book felt like she was battling her autism instead of embracing it.
I think it didn’t help that we are on wildly different paths. She’s gen X, adopted, married, a mother of 4. I’m a millenial who grew up with her single mother, single with cats for children. We couldn’t be more different and some parts of her story bored me to death for that reason. I didn’t care about her children or empty-nest syndrome or whatever. I didn’t care about how her husband didn’t understand her and even raised some orange-reddish flag at times.
I also question her choice of professionals, nearly all of which are neurotypical. She says at one point that autistic voices should be heard more, but she only mentions in passing most autistic people she knows or talk to.
And yet, I found stuff to relate to. Little sentences here and there that solidify this diagnosis in my head, when I managed to untangle what were autistic traits in comparison to her being adopted, an ex-addict or just herself. Some of it was easier than other.
Laura James’ life is one of many autistic experiences. There are as many more as there are autistic people, and it would be a disservice to the community to consider this one above others. It’s a white, middle class, British woman’s perspective that bring a little more to the compendium of autistic writing, but not enough in my opinion to be worth what other, more recent work have.
It was a strong contrast to my last autistic read (Unmasking Autism) in terms of classism, sexism and even a bit of ableism. James has this notion of autism where she says it’s a disability that she doesn’t work in spite of, but the underlying vibe of most of her book feels like she treats it like an illness she’s trying to fight. And I get that she’s on a journey, but so much of the book felt like she was battling her autism instead of embracing it.
I think it didn’t help that we are on wildly different paths. She’s gen X, adopted, married, a mother of 4. I’m a millenial who grew up with her single mother, single with cats for children. We couldn’t be more different and some parts of her story bored me to death for that reason. I didn’t care about her children or empty-nest syndrome or whatever. I didn’t care about how her husband didn’t understand her and even raised some orange-reddish flag at times.
I also question her choice of professionals, nearly all of which are neurotypical. She says at one point that autistic voices should be heard more, but she only mentions in passing most autistic people she knows or talk to.
And yet, I found stuff to relate to. Little sentences here and there that solidify this diagnosis in my head, when I managed to untangle what were autistic traits in comparison to her being adopted, an ex-addict or just herself. Some of it was easier than other.
Laura James’ life is one of many autistic experiences. There are as many more as there are autistic people, and it would be a disservice to the community to consider this one above others. It’s a white, middle class, British woman’s perspective that bring a little more to the compendium of autistic writing, but not enough in my opinion to be worth what other, more recent work have.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism
Minor: Sexism, Transphobia, Classism
hopeful
informative
slow-paced
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
I'm just not in a place right now to read about detailed anxiety thought patterns, which was basically the entirety of the first chapter or so of Odd Girl Out.
3.75 stars | I never really know how to rate non-fiction, especially memoirs. I think this was very enlightening and got what I needed out of this book.
hopeful
medium-paced
This book is another of my "leaning about women with autism" haul, this time follows a married woman diagnosed in her 40s reflecting on her marriage. The book begins after her diagnosis and through the process of flashbacks we follow diary-like entries about her life over the years leading to her diagnosis. Because of this I did feel a little lost on the books premise until I'd read a few chapters. As the book is so short, this was a real detriment to the book. In general it was a fun and easy read, I never found it too hard to follow or understand. I did find myself empathising for the main character during her struggles, even if some conclusion she draws around her diagnosis feel very strange to me.
Overall enjoyed even if I didn't get much out of it. I never felt bored or uninterested.
Overall enjoyed even if I didn't get much out of it. I never felt bored or uninterested.