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A review by melbsreads
Same But Different: Teen Life on the Autism Express by Ryan Elizabeth Peete, Holly Robinson Peete, RJ Peete
challenging
fast-paced
2.5
Trigger warnings: Autism Speaks, bullying.
Oof. This is fiction but barely. Peete has twins - a neurotypical girl and an autistic boy. The protagonists are twins - a neurotypical girl and an autistic boy. Charlie's chapter were interesting but also unsettling?? And I think in a lot of ways his chapters (and the book in general) are indicative of how much society has changed in regards to understanding and acceptance of autism since the book was published.
So Charlie's entire existence seems to be about...how to "normalise" his autism. Don't wear the headphones that make you comfortable. Don't pull your hood up. Don't eat gluten. Don't tell people you're autistic, that turns your whole life into your diagnosis. Tell people you HAVE autism, that means it's just a diagnosis. Follow the rules. Be interested in sport like the other kids. Go on a vacation that will be seriously traumatic for you. Etc.
Callie's entire existence seems to be split between being Charlie's second parent - she's the one to inform his teacher that he's autistic and how to manage him behaviour - and loathing Charlie's existence because it makes her life difficult. Like, I get that they're teenagers, and that teenagers are often horrible people. But given how closely this appears to be based on the Peetes' actual lives, I..........have concerns.
There was, however, a great section in the author's note at the end where Peete discusses her concerns for her autistic son as a Black man who loves wearing hoodies. I just wish that had somehow been woven into the story or that this had been a nonfiction book written by the kids with input from their mother. Instead, I was left with a somewhat icky feeling and I wasn't surprised in the slightest to see Autism Speaks near the top of the list of resources at the end of the book.
Oof. This is fiction but barely. Peete has twins - a neurotypical girl and an autistic boy. The protagonists are twins - a neurotypical girl and an autistic boy. Charlie's chapter were interesting but also unsettling?? And I think in a lot of ways his chapters (and the book in general) are indicative of how much society has changed in regards to understanding and acceptance of autism since the book was published.
So Charlie's entire existence seems to be about...how to "normalise" his autism. Don't wear the headphones that make you comfortable. Don't pull your hood up. Don't eat gluten. Don't tell people you're autistic, that turns your whole life into your diagnosis. Tell people you HAVE autism, that means it's just a diagnosis. Follow the rules. Be interested in sport like the other kids. Go on a vacation that will be seriously traumatic for you. Etc.
Callie's entire existence seems to be split between being Charlie's second parent - she's the one to inform his teacher that he's autistic and how to manage him behaviour - and loathing Charlie's existence because it makes her life difficult. Like, I get that they're teenagers, and that teenagers are often horrible people. But given how closely this appears to be based on the Peetes' actual lives, I..........have concerns.
There was, however, a great section in the author's note at the end where Peete discusses her concerns for her autistic son as a Black man who loves wearing hoodies. I just wish that had somehow been woven into the story or that this had been a nonfiction book written by the kids with input from their mother. Instead, I was left with a somewhat icky feeling and I wasn't surprised in the slightest to see Autism Speaks near the top of the list of resources at the end of the book.