Look Me In The Eye

"I may look and act pretty strange at times, but deep down I just want to be loved and understood for who and what I am. I want to be accepted as part of society, not an outcast or outsider. I don't want to be a genius or a freak or something on display. I wish for empathy and compassion from those around me, and I appreciate sincerity, clarity, and logicality in other people. I believe most people- autistic or not- share this wish." ~Epilogue of the paperback edition of Look me in the eye by John Elder Robison.

Really, this paragraph summarizes the whole book, its meaning, and the reason John Elder Robison wrote his memoir. And it is one of the most moving memoirs I've read in a while. Not because its a sob story, because it's not, but because it really accomplishes what he set to achieve and his purpose is clear-educating the public about Asperger's Syndrome. The way John Elder Robison writes you do welcome him, relate to him and learn about Asperger's. You laugh, your heart warms, you almost (and maybe do) cry too. You're angry at the mistreatment, and possibly shamed by your lack of knowledge and understanding.

I always know when I truly have been moved by a book because I can't satisfactorily put it into words how I feel about it and this is one of those cases. He has an amazing tale. An entertaining one. And one that I recommend everyone read. It does seem a little fantastical. But that is what makes a good memoir. When extraordinary things happen to ordinary people. What makes a great memoir is when the author also proves that they're no ordinary person too.

Now couple points to make. Have you read or heard of Running with Scissors? If you have, know that I came away horrified by that book, thinking there is no way it was a true biography. And when James Frey wrote A Million Little Pieces and it came out that some of it was potentially fabricated, I expected Augusten Burroughs to be accused of the same. So when I started reading the forward of this book and discovered that John Elder is his brother I almost put down the book on the spot.

However John Elder's reflections, information and emotion seem so sincere that when he relates to his brother in this book and the events of Running with Scissors I now have a different opinion of that book. Even though Look me in the eye came afterwards I needed it to give credibility to the Scissors. I believe John Elder and as a result I now believe Augusten Burroughs and because of that, Burroughs childhood is even more horrifying.

And I just want to say some of the pranks that he pulled as a child are just downright funny. I would have high fived him, even if they happened to me! And I hate pranks.

It is hard to review a biography because its not fiction. There are no character designs and plot designs. Just the choices made on how to display your life. I think the right choices and explanations of relationships were well used to create a book that moves. This book has also motivated my next read. A Young Adult book that has been sitting on my shelf for 3 years. Winner of teh Schneider Family Book Award and the Newberry Book Award, RULES by Cynthia Lord is about a 12 year old girl's struggle to deal with her younger brother's autism.