The Reason I Jump

I think it can really open the mind, erase misconceptions, and let people in on some of what people with autism go through. Naoki is honest with his experiences. He even states when he doesn't struggle with a certain autistic traits but tries to explain them anyway. The only thing, at times I couldn't believe a 13 year old boy with autism wrote this. It was too perfect. I couldn't help wonder how much the translators may have shaped the book. Still worth the read, especially for someone who works in the field or knows someone autistic.

This was a quick read for me. I am very familiar with autism having a close family member with the diagnosis. I would simply caution readers that “if you have met 1 person with autism then you have met 1 person with autism”. Too often I meet well meaning individuals who have read a book such as this and then pigeon hole all their knowledge about this vast topic. My family member related with 90% of this book. The other parts his experiences were totally different. It is a great conversation starter and easy read for those interested or working with children on the spectrum. You cannot be a part of the autism community and not be proud and grateful of authors such as this.

Pros: Q&A format, includes some of his fiction

Cons: will possibly make you cry in public

This is a non-fiction book written by a 13 year old Japanese autistic boy, in which he answers questions he's been asked numerous times about why he does the things he does. It's an amazing look inside autism.

This is a book that may well make you cry, so beware of reading it in public. In David Mitchell's introduction, when talking about some of Higashida's included fiction and the accusation that autistic people have no empathy, he writes:

“Like all storytelling mammals, Naoki is anticipating his audience's emotions and manipulating them. That is empathy. The conclusion is that both emotional poverty and an aversion to company are not symptoms of autism but consequences of autism, its harsh lockdown on self-expression and society's near-pristine ignorance about what's happening inside autistic heads.”

Similarly in his answer to the question “Would you like to be ‘normal'?” Higashida says that when he was younger he wanted to be normal but now,

“I've learned that every human being, with or without disabilities, needs to strive to do their best, and by striving for happiness you will arrive at happiness. For us, you see, having autism is normal - so we can't know for sure what your “normal” is even like. But so long as we can learn to love ourselves, I'm not sure how much it matters whether we're normal or autistic.”

While it's a short read, it's both inspiring and educational. Understanding is the first step towards becoming better people with regards to how we interact with those who are autistic in our midst.