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A review by mauvenotebook
The Autists: Women on the Spectrum by Clara Törnvall
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
As someone who suspects she may have autism, this book was interesting. It's best parts was when the author was talking about the life experiences of modern women with autism, and the different ways in which autism presents.
However, I did have two major problems with the book. At various points, it talked about autism in a fairly positive light and even suggested that autism isn't a disability, but just a different way of being that is not accommodated by modern society. I feel like this trivializes the experiences of lower-functioning people. for whom autism is very much a disability. The author also has an annoying habit of diagnosing various historical figures(Simone Weils, Emily Dickinson, Lewis Carroll, and Beatrix Potter) with autism, even though she's obviously has never met them and has no professional background in psychiatry or neurology.
However, I did have two major problems with the book. At various points, it talked about autism in a fairly positive light and even suggested that autism isn't a disability, but just a different way of being that is not accommodated by modern society. I feel like this trivializes the experiences of lower-functioning people. for whom autism is very much a disability. The author also has an annoying habit of diagnosing various historical figures(Simone Weils, Emily Dickinson, Lewis Carroll, and Beatrix Potter) with autism, even though she's obviously has never met them and has no professional background in psychiatry or neurology.