Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's
by John Elder Robison
List Price:
Our Price: $12.89
You Save: $13.06 (50%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $8.49 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: John Elder RobisonEdition: Hardcover
Published: 2007-09-25
ISBN: 0307395987
Number of pages: 304
Publisher: Crown
Book Reviews of Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's
Book Review: Tells it like it is...
Summary: 5 Stars
I have lived with a partner with Asperger's Syndrome for over 12 years now. How true this book is as far as how their minds process differently from the rest of us "neurotypicals". It validates the difficuities of such a relationship, and portrays how one must accept the effected individual for who they are - they rarely change without egocentric motivation. An excellent book without being technical.
Summary of Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's
Ever since he was small, John Robison had longed to connect with other people, but by the time he was a teenager, his odd habits—an inclination to blurt out non sequiturs, avoid eye contact, dismantle radios, and dig five-foot holes (and stick his younger brother in them)—had earned him the label “social deviant.” No guidance came from his mother, who conversed with light fixtures, or his father, who spent evenings pickling himself in sherry. It was no wonder he gravitated to machines, which could, at least, be counted on.After fleeing his parents and dropping out of high school, his savant-like ability to visualize electronic circuits landed him a gig with KISS, for whom he created their legendary fire-breathing guitars. Later, he drifted into a “real” job, as an engineer for a major toy company. But the higher Robison rose in the company, the more he had to pretend to be “normal” and do what he simply couldn’t: communicate. It wasn’t worth the paycheck.
It was not until he was forty that an insightful therapist told him he had the form of autism called Asperger’s syndrome. That understanding transformed the way Robison saw himself—and the world.
Look Me in the Eye is the moving, darkly funny story of growing up with Asperger’s at a time when the diagnosis simply didn’t exist. A born storyteller, Robison takes you inside the head of a boy whom teachers and other adults regarded as “defective,” who could not avail himself of KISS’s endless supply of groupies, and who still has a peculiar aversion to using people’s given names (he calls his wife “Unit Two”). He also provides a fascinating reverse angle on the younger brother he left at the mercy of their nutty parents—the boy who would later change his name to Augusten Burroughs and write the bestselling memoir Running with Scissors.
Ultimately, this is the story of Robison’s journey from his world into ours, and his new life as a husband, father, and successful small business owner—repairing his beloved high-end automobiles. It’s a strange, sly, indelible account—sometimes alien, yet always deeply human.
General Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Audiobooks on Cassette
- Audiobooks on CD
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- e-Books
- Engineering
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Medicine
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Books I've read so far in 2008
The Homeplace (Singing River Series #1)by Gilbert Morris
Zondervan; Published: 2005-08-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.20
Price in other shops:
Jews Without Money: A Novelby Michael Gold
PublicAffairs; Published: 2004-03-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.09
Price in other shops:
The Fertility Dietby Jorge Chavarro, Walter C. Willett, Patrick J. Skerrett
McGraw-Hill; Published: 2007-11-07; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.77
Price in other shops:
Tales From The Cribby Jennifer Coburn
Kensington; Published: 2008-02-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.26
Price in other shops:
The Mistress's Daughter: A Memoirby A. M. Homes
Viking Adult; Published: 2007-04-05; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $4.90
Price in other shops:
Miss Julia Paints the Town (Miss Julia)by Ann B. Ross
Viking Adult; Published: 2008-03-27; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $9.95
Price in other shops:
The Key (Red Dress Ink)by Jennifer Sturman
Red Dress Ink; Published: 2006-12-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.97
Price in other shops:
The Hunt (Red Dress Ink) (Red Dress Ink)by Jennifer Sturman
Red Dress Ink; Published: 2007-12-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.40
Price in other shops:
Nineteen Minutes: A Novelby Jodi Picoult
Atria; Published: 2007-03-05; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $6.15
Price in other shops:
Anything for Jane: A Novelby Cheryl Mendelson
Random House Trade Paperbacks; Published: 2008-06-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.00
Price in other shops:
Similar Books and other products
Pretending to Be Normal: Living With Asperger's Syndromeby Liane Holliday Willey
Jessica Kingsley Publishers; Published: 1999-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.77
Price in other shops:
Parenting a Child With Asperger Syndrome: 200 Tips and Strategiesby Brenda Boyd
Jessica Kingsley Publishers; Published: 2003-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.61
Price in other shops:
The OASIS Guide to Asperger Syndrome: Completely Revised and Updated: Advice, Support, Insight, and Inspirationby Patricia Romanowski Bashe, Barbara L. Kirby, Simon Baron-Cohen, Tony Attwood
Crown; Published: 2005-03-29; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $14.98
Price in other shops:
Shattered Dreams: My Life as a Polygamist's Wifeby Irene Spencer
Center Street; Published: 2007-08-22; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.02
Price in other shops:
Freaks, Geeks & Asperger Syndrome: A User Guide to Adolescenceby Luke Jackson
Jessica Kingsley Pub; Published: 2002-08-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.04
Price in other shops:
Louder Than Words: A Mother's Journey in Healing Autismby Jenny McCarthy
Dutton Adult; Published: 2007-09-17; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $11.96
Price in other shops:
Can I Tell You About Asperger Syndrome?: A Guide for Friends and Familyby Jude Welton
Jessica Kingsley Publishers; Published: 2003-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.36
Price in other shops:
The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndromeby Tony Attwood
Jessica Kingsley Publishers; Published: 2006-11-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $18.67
Price in other shops:
All Cats Have Asperger Syndromeby Kathy Hoopmann
Jessica Kingsley Pub; Published: 2006-10-26; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $9.11
Price in other shops:
A Wolf at the Table: A Memoir of My Fatherby Augusten Burroughs
St. Martin's Press; Published: 2008-04-29; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.49
Price in other shops: