Summary:
Ever since he was young, John Elder Robinson longed to connect with others, but that proved to be nearly impossible. His odd behavioral habits— an inability to hold eye contact, a lack of conversational and social skills, an inability to stand still, and a lack of empathy—gave him the title of the “social misfit.” Many thought he was defective because he was different, but really, he was just misunderstood. John grew up knowing he was different, and it wasn’t until he was forty that he was diagnosed with a mild form of autism called Asperger’s Syndrome. Instead feeling bitter, he actually felt relieved. He finally had a better understanding of why he was the way he was. He no longer had to wonder why he felt uncomfortable looking someone in the eye, or why he found it difficult to participate in a normal conversation. Despite all of this, he had accomplished a lot in his life. Whether it was creating the legendary fire-breathing guitar for KISS or building a family of his own, John was able to lead a normal—even exciting—life.
Response:
After reading this book, I have mixed feelings towards it. In regards to the topic of Asperger’s, it is fantastic and very informative. I found some of the stories he told of his childhood to be quite humorous. When he was younger, he would play with blocks with his friend Doug. He told of how he never mixed different colored blocks together, and when Doug would mix the blue blocks with the red blocks, John would hit him. John became quite frustrated when his mother would scold him, for she never saw the “terrible things he did” (Robinson 7). I found that particular story to be hilarious, for Doug hadn’t actually done anything wrong. John told many other stories like that portraying his Aspergian tendencies, and I really enjoyed that aspect of the book. On the other hand, the novel itself had a rather dark and depressing feel to it. It dealt with many dark topics such as the ridicule he endured as a child, his father’s alcoholism, his mother’s mental illness, his parents’ eventual divorce, his mother decision to become bisexual, and his life with the band KISS. Though I didn’t particularly like the darker side of the novel, I found his examples and explanations of Asperger’s Sydrome very helpful and interesting. All and all, I thought it was a pretty decent book, but it is not one that I will be rereading anytime soon.
Robinson, John Elder. Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger’s. New York, NY: Crown Publishers, 2007.
Ever since he was young, John Elder Robinson longed to connect with others, but that proved to be nearly impossible. His odd behavioral habits— an inability to hold eye contact, a lack of conversational and social skills, an inability to stand still, and a lack of empathy—gave him the title of the “social misfit.” Many thought he was defective because he was different, but really, he was just misunderstood. John grew up knowing he was different, and it wasn’t until he was forty that he was diagnosed with a mild form of autism called Asperger’s Syndrome. Instead feeling bitter, he actually felt relieved. He finally had a better understanding of why he was the way he was. He no longer had to wonder why he felt uncomfortable looking someone in the eye, or why he found it difficult to participate in a normal conversation. Despite all of this, he had accomplished a lot in his life. Whether it was creating the legendary fire-breathing guitar for KISS or building a family of his own, John was able to lead a normal—even exciting—life.
Response:
After reading this book, I have mixed feelings towards it. In regards to the topic of Asperger’s, it is fantastic and very informative. I found some of the stories he told of his childhood to be quite humorous. When he was younger, he would play with blocks with his friend Doug. He told of how he never mixed different colored blocks together, and when Doug would mix the blue blocks with the red blocks, John would hit him. John became quite frustrated when his mother would scold him, for she never saw the “terrible things he did” (Robinson 7). I found that particular story to be hilarious, for Doug hadn’t actually done anything wrong. John told many other stories like that portraying his Aspergian tendencies, and I really enjoyed that aspect of the book. On the other hand, the novel itself had a rather dark and depressing feel to it. It dealt with many dark topics such as the ridicule he endured as a child, his father’s alcoholism, his mother’s mental illness, his parents’ eventual divorce, his mother decision to become bisexual, and his life with the band KISS. Though I didn’t particularly like the darker side of the novel, I found his examples and explanations of Asperger’s Sydrome very helpful and interesting. All and all, I thought it was a pretty decent book, but it is not one that I will be rereading anytime soon.
Robinson, John Elder. Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger’s. New York, NY: Crown Publishers, 2007.
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