Scan barcode
rationalnerd's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Talking about autism and its challenges & strength through the authors special interests. Interesting read and quite relatable!
jakegreyxx's review against another edition
4.0
Exactly as the title suggests, this book is all about autistic special interests. But it’s also a lot more than that.
Each chapter focuses on a different special interest the author has had, how they came about, how they affected his life, how they grew and changed, and some fun little facts about them.
But it also talks about what it’s like to be autistic, and how some of these interests specifically relate to autistic people. It talks about how special interests are important for autistic people, and how they can be an incredibly helpful tool. There are also patches that go talk about and explain how different things in life, such as family or social events, can affect autistic people. What these things can be life, feel like, and the individual problems they can bring with them.
There’s definitely a lot of excited rambling (which is to be expected, really, in a book about autistic special interests), but if you’re willing and patient enough to read through those, there are also a lot of bits in this book that are incredibly informative and important for anyone looking to understand autistic people better.
The only issue I found with this book was that some of the sentences ran on a bit too much. Run-on sentences are great, but there’s a point where you need to accept that maybe it shouldn’t be a single sentence. Sometimes a single sentence would start in one place, mention several different points and last almost half a page before finally returning to the main point, which, by then, you’re struggling to understand.
Each chapter focuses on a different special interest the author has had, how they came about, how they affected his life, how they grew and changed, and some fun little facts about them.
But it also talks about what it’s like to be autistic, and how some of these interests specifically relate to autistic people. It talks about how special interests are important for autistic people, and how they can be an incredibly helpful tool. There are also patches that go talk about and explain how different things in life, such as family or social events, can affect autistic people. What these things can be life, feel like, and the individual problems they can bring with them.
There’s definitely a lot of excited rambling (which is to be expected, really, in a book about autistic special interests), but if you’re willing and patient enough to read through those, there are also a lot of bits in this book that are incredibly informative and important for anyone looking to understand autistic people better.
The only issue I found with this book was that some of the sentences ran on a bit too much. Run-on sentences are great, but there’s a point where you need to accept that maybe it shouldn’t be a single sentence. Sometimes a single sentence would start in one place, mention several different points and last almost half a page before finally returning to the main point, which, by then, you’re struggling to understand.
knittyreader's review against another edition
5.0
There are a lot of books about autism. Not enough by far of those are written by autistic adults, and even less are about adults. This is the kind of book we all really, really need.
I noticed myself nodding and humming at about everything I read. From having a stim that is not often recognized (for me it's knitting instead of Lego blocks) to having more empathy than is good for me, I knew it all. I love how it is all tied to special interests, and how those special interests can help us get through life as guides, examples, and also safe havens. I learned how to recognize that feeling when I have been reading for hours on end and life seems so far off and unreal, and that I am not the only one feeling that way. I sight when I read about teaching and the fear before every lesson - as I stopped my teacher training in the last year as my trainer in apprenticeship predicted an outcome like Pete experienced. I am still thankful she steered me on a different course, although it still took six years and another burn-out before I knew I was autistic.
All in all I highly recommend reading this book to anyone who wants some true and experienced insights in how autistic brains can work.
I noticed myself nodding and humming at about everything I read. From having a stim that is not often recognized (for me it's knitting instead of Lego blocks) to having more empathy than is good for me, I knew it all. I love how it is all tied to special interests, and how those special interests can help us get through life as guides, examples, and also safe havens. I learned how to recognize that feeling when I have been reading for hours on end and life seems so far off and unreal, and that I am not the only one feeling that way. I sight when I read about teaching and the fear before every lesson - as I stopped my teacher training in the last year as my trainer in apprenticeship predicted an outcome like Pete experienced. I am still thankful she steered me on a different course, although it still took six years and another burn-out before I knew I was autistic.
All in all I highly recommend reading this book to anyone who wants some true and experienced insights in how autistic brains can work.
dragoneye's review against another edition
5.0
Great to get a peek into why some of these interests are so appealing and intense. I particularly appreciated that the book included both childhood and adulthood.
jasraj's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
A heart-warming, humorous and easy read. Author Pete navigates family life and his own life as an autistic person.
linguisticali's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I really liked and related to a lot of this. I cried reading about him trying to make sense of the world as an autistic child because aspects of it were so familiar.
autistic_reader's review against another edition
4.0
A delightful examination of autistic special interests: what they are, why we have them, and how important they are in navigating life as an autistic person in a neurotypical world, all told through the lens of some of the author's own special interests. Relatable to the autistic reader whether they share the author's particular interests or not.