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A review by mnboyer
Same But Different: Teen Life on the Autism Express: Teen Life on the Autism Express by Ryan Elizabeth Peete, Holly Robinson Peete
2.0
PopSugar 2018 reading challenge #20
This is very thinly veiled fiction; in fact, it is basically autobiographical and I'm not sure why the family didn't just choose to take this direction. Perhaps by calling it fiction, the siblings that are the basis for the book will never read what the other wrote about them. Or, if they do, they'll chuckle and say it was fiction.
But honestly, I loved and hated this book. I think there are a lot of honest moments here: moments where siblings are angry with one another, moments where parents are essentially absent, moments where again, siblings really hate one another but actually just want to protect one another and do right by each other. Yet autism itself is viewed rather negatively throughout. There are never true moments where people say, "yeah, everything is okay" -- no, this focuses on all of the negative aspects. Not really any positive, uplifting moments.
There are also some serious moments where I wonder where the parents are. I'm not trying to parent shame, but there's a scene where the family is on an airplane on the way to a vacation. The book focuses on twins, one who has autism and one that does not. The twin without autism (Callie) ends up essentially babysitting her autistic brother (Charlie) the entire flight. Why is Callie being put in charge of Charlie on this flight? Why is Callie talking to the stewardess, helping her brother with things, etc.??? Again, not trying to parent shame, but would like to highlight that Callie shouldn't be put in constant charge of her brother in situations like these. Where are the parents in these moments?
Overall, I left this book feeling rather negative. I see two siblings who do love one another, but the things they write about each other (especially Callie, really) can be pretty horrid (and while yes, I'm sure they feel this way... immortalize these words for others?). I don't see a lot of positive examples of autism being displayed. Everything is just bleak.
This is very thinly veiled fiction; in fact, it is basically autobiographical and I'm not sure why the family didn't just choose to take this direction. Perhaps by calling it fiction, the siblings that are the basis for the book will never read what the other wrote about them. Or, if they do, they'll chuckle and say it was fiction.
But honestly, I loved and hated this book. I think there are a lot of honest moments here: moments where siblings are angry with one another, moments where parents are essentially absent, moments where again, siblings really hate one another but actually just want to protect one another and do right by each other. Yet autism itself is viewed rather negatively throughout. There are never true moments where people say, "yeah, everything is okay" -- no, this focuses on all of the negative aspects. Not really any positive, uplifting moments.
There are also some serious moments where I wonder where the parents are. I'm not trying to parent shame, but there's a scene where the family is on an airplane on the way to a vacation. The book focuses on twins, one who has autism and one that does not. The twin without autism (Callie) ends up essentially babysitting her autistic brother (Charlie) the entire flight. Why is Callie being put in charge of Charlie on this flight? Why is Callie talking to the stewardess, helping her brother with things, etc.??? Again, not trying to parent shame, but would like to highlight that Callie shouldn't be put in constant charge of her brother in situations like these. Where are the parents in these moments?
Overall, I left this book feeling rather negative. I see two siblings who do love one another, but the things they write about each other (especially Callie, really) can be pretty horrid (and while yes, I'm sure they feel this way... immortalize these words for others?). I don't see a lot of positive examples of autism being displayed. Everything is just bleak.