Odd Girl Out: An autistic woman in a neurotypical world | 
pickI've seen some reviews (not Litsy!) reflecting a wider societal trend where, if a woman seeks to do something extraordinary, she's required to "do it for" or represent all women. That's an unfair burden to place on anyone! This is LJ's memoir: it's personal.
I greatly appreciated her candour, especially in discussing the ways in which her anxiety, 'special interests' and routines impact upon her life and put strain on her marriage. I needed this.
pickA big old resounding pick for being the book I needed to read this week. I‘m trying to understand what a friend is going through/how to support her, as she goes for diagnostic tests. So far we‘ve established that her view & my view of what autism means are light years apart.
Laura James was 45, a successful journalist, wife and mother of 4 adult children, when she was diagnosed with autism. In this memoir, she looks at her diagnosis and the
pickI don‘t read as many books about autism as a mom of a kid on the spectrum probably should. But I‘d like to more regularly read books BY people with autism, because - besides being inherently important because #ownvoices - they tend to have the tone and perspectives that I find most valuable. This is a great one - the memoir of a brilliant, successful journalist diagnosed as an adult. Insightful, well-written, and entertaining.
pickAs someone who works daily with kids on the Autism spectrum, I found her account of the ways that her Autism affects her life to be so interesting and eye-opening. I particularly loved how she found coping strategies as an adult learning to put a name to some of the challenges that she faced her entire life. This memoir is super relatable and inviting.
❤️? "Books are my greatest pleasure." Me too.
I relate to this bc sometimes a good book can silence my anxiety.
It's so cool that she has Ehlers-Danlos! I have this joint condition, and it can be debilitating at times, and it's so frustrating bc no one has any idea what it is. I love reading about someone else that has this
I love her descriptions of her own emotions! So interesting to read about how people with different conditions see things in a different light! (The narrator is an adult who has been recently diagnosed with Autism)
pickLaura James speaks with clarity and vigour about diagnosis with autism during adulthood. Her passion for facts is evident, with snippets from a range of specialists and professionals used to help illustrate the challenges faced by a woman who has fought to seem neuro typical. When Laura realises that judging herself by living a neuro typical life is not how she wants to live, it is an inspirational finale to a interesting book.
pickLaura James is a wonderful writer and I breezed through this thought-provoking memoir. There is so much to think about and discuss here that I‘m passing along my library book to a friend so that we can talk about it!! @Redheadreading
Today‘s book mail.
