This book offers an excellent perspective on Autism, both what it is and what it isn't. It is written by someone who has lived with Autism their entire life.

The author, perhaps due to his personal experience with this condition (it's not entirely clear what the most appropriate term is to refer to it), refrains from presenting sappy stories of overcoming or romanticism, which are often associated with books of this kind.

Instead, the author provides a more objective and realistic view of Autism. Through his own experiences, he shares insights into the challenges and joys that come with living with this condition.

The book is a valuable resource for anyone who wants to learn more about Autism, whether they are directly affected by it or simply interested in understanding it better. It offers a unique and honest perspective that is both informative and engaging.

Overall, the book was an interesting read.

At times, I felt that some parts of the story dragged on a bit too long, which made it a bit of a struggle to get through. However, there were other areas that really picked up the pace and kept me engaged.

I found myself curious about the author's life and would have liked to have known more details. It was quite interesting to see how he just inserted himself into the lives of his former classmates.

This added an element of mystery and intrigue to the story.

Despite the slow parts, I still enjoyed the book and would recommend it to others who are looking for an engaging read.

It made me think about my own relationships with former classmates and how our lives have changed over the years.

Overall, it was a worthwhile read that left me with some food for thought.

Some people on the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) fail, while others succeed. This statement is about as profound as it gets in this regard.

Quite frankly, too little time was dedicated to each individual character for me to develop any specific sympathy or empathy towards them. The book seemed to devolve into the literary equivalent of channel surfing. There's a suicidal soap opera character *flip*, a successful speech writer *flip*, a puppet-obsessed computer genius whom you'd do well to avoid spilling your milkshake on *flip*, a gay ASD bicycle messenger under the thumb of a controlling lover...and the list goes on. Maybe Nazeer's issue isn't so much ASD as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - Combined?

And I'm still attempting to figure out what exactly the "other side" of the other side is. It surely can't be that there haven't been an abundance of "tell all" biographies from just about every point on the spectrum. And even beyond that, considering the way authors (including Nazeer) persist in insisting that Kim Peek was autistic when he wasn't. (In fact, some days I feel like just about the only person on the spectrum who hasn't done that tell all that's bound to bring fame and fortune. For a substantial advance and no due date...well, I'll consider the idea under advisement. Once the check clears.)

I think I'll be using this as a text for my thesis if I can resolve the following question:

What exactly is a memoir? This particular book claims to be a memoir. It presents the story of four individuals who were acquainted with each other during their autistic childhood. Since then, they have grown up and drifted apart. The book is penned by one of their grammar school classmates. Interestingly, Nazeer only writes about himself in a tangential or implicit manner.

A memoir is typically a personal account of one's life experiences, often focusing on significant events, relationships, and personal growth. In this case, the author is delving into the lives of these four former classmates, perhaps shedding light on the challenges and triumphs they have faced as they have journeyed through life.

By exploring this question of what a memoir is and how this book fits into that definition, I hope to gain a deeper understanding of the genre and its potential for revealing the human experience. This will, in turn, inform my thesis and contribute to a more comprehensive analysis of the text.

Hmmm.... the difference between Autism and Asberger's.

Autism and Asberger's are both neurodevelopmental disorders, but they have some distinct characteristics.

Autism typically presents with significant challenges in social interaction, communication, and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior. Individuals with autism may have difficulties in understanding and expressing emotions, making eye contact, and engaging in reciprocal conversations. They may also have intense interests in specific topics and engage in repetitive behaviors such as hand-flapping or rocking.

On the other hand, Asberger's is often characterized by relatively intact language development, but with difficulties in social skills and nonverbal communication. People with Asberger's may have a narrow range of interests and may be overly focused on details. They may also have problems with sensory processing, such as being hypersensitive or hyposensitive to certain stimuli.

In conclusion, while there are some similarities between Autism and Asberger's, the differences in their symptoms and characteristics can have a significant impact on an individual's life and the support they require.

This is a truly fantastic book.

It offers a quick and engaging read that provides a very interesting and valuable insight into the lives of adults with autism.

The author has done an excellent job of presenting the experiences, challenges, and joys of these individuals in a way that is both accessible and thought-provoking.

Whether you are familiar with autism or not, this book is sure to expand your understanding and empathy.

It is a great book that I would highly recommend to anyone interested in learning more about this fascinating and often misunderstood condition.

Overall, it is a must-read for anyone looking for a unique and inspiring perspective on the human experience.

I'm currently in the midst of reading "Send in the Idiots."

This book delves into the lives of autistic people and is penned by an autistic individual himself.

In the narrative, he shares his experiences as he discovers the lives of some students he attended a special school with when they were around 9, 10, or 11 years old.

It's truly fascinating as it's a more socially-oriented book compared to Temple Grandin's work (the autistic vet who invented the hug box).

Anyway, if you relished "The Curious Incident" and liked getting inside the mind of someone with autism, this is excellent as it's written with that social aspect in mind, that part of autism which is so difficult to comprehend. It's a good read!

The conclusion of the book has a very good wrap-up. I would dearly love to meet Kamran and have a face-to-face conversation with him.

I thought it was quite perceptive of him to end his book almost where he started it. It's a great read for educators working with those on the higher end of the autistic spectrum or for those who have an inclination towards autism.

The author, who is autistic himself, provides a true account of reconnecting with some of his fellow classmates from early childhood.

This book has been extremely eye-opening for me, as it has helped me to understand more fully that those with autism are individuals.

Each person that Kamran visited or, in a very sad case, learned about second hand after their death, demonstrated that the diagnosis of autism does not completely define them.

Some were more successful at integrating with the "normal" world, while others faced greater challenges, but all did so in their own unique ways.

I particularly enjoyed reading this book from Kamran's perspective, as it gave a first-hand account of how he learned to navigate through life with autism.

His experiences and insights offer a valuable and often overlooked perspective on what it means to live with this condition.

Overall, this book is a must-read for anyone who wants to gain a deeper understanding of autism and the individuals who live with it.

3 and a half stars.

Kamran Nazeer, who has high functioning autism, chronicles his journey to locate those he attended a "special school for children with autism" with during his childhood. He aims to discover what became of them and how they have fared since, while also comparing his own progress. Before his trip, he manages to track down only a handful. Consequently, the book is divided into sections detailing their respective histories and current lifestyles. One of his childhood friends, Elizabeth, committed suicide. Another served time in prison for extreme violence and now uses puppets to communicate when he struggles. The others Nazeer found lead relatively normal lives, achieving some success and happiness, often defying expectations set by "Rain Man".

Nazeer presents some fascinating thoughts on conversation, language, and theory of mind that merit further reading and discussion. He also believes that many individuals with autism can "get better" and improve significantly with the right intervention and support. This is his first book, and he plans to team up with another friend to get an Autism Bus and travel across the country to find the other people from his "special school".

If you are new to autism, whether due to a recent diagnosis of a child or yourself, this book may not be an ideal introduction. Nazeer's high functioning nature, excellent writing, and profound insights can cause confusion. However, it does offer hope to parents and those diagnosed, emphasizing that the word "autism" is not a sentence but a beginning.

Here and there, Nazeer seems to lose the narrative a bit in his explanations of what certain situations reminded him of. At least, I felt that in some places, the editing could have been tighter or made clearer with chapter sub-headings. That's my only complaint.

Library borrow.

I lost interest when the author got all technical.

It seemed that the author was overly focused on presenting technical details, which made the reading less engaging for me.

I went on and skipped large chunks of background that I didn't find interesting.

The extensive background information felt unnecessary and failed to capture my attention.

For me, it is much more interesting to see the people interact.

By reading about the experiences of real people, I can learn and gain valuable insights.

I am more interested in the human aspect rather than the science behind the experience.

Understanding how people behave, communicate, and interact in different situations is what truly fascinates me.

I believe that learning from real-life experiences is a more effective way to gain knowledge and understanding.

So, in the future, I hope that authors will focus more on presenting the human side of the story rather than getting too technical or providing excessive background information.

The title of this article seems rather lackluster. However, upon closer inspection, there are a few interesting perspectives that emerge.

It is quite evident that this piece was likely written in the early 2000s. During that time, the world was undergoing significant changes in various aspects such as technology, society, and culture.

The author may have been influenced by the events and trends of that era, which could have led to the development of these unique viewpoints.

Despite the unappealing title, the content holds the potential to offer valuable insights and a different way of looking at things.

Perhaps with a more engaging title and further exploration of these interesting perspectives, this article could have had a greater impact on its readers.

It serves as a reminder that sometimes, beneath the surface of something that may seem ordinary at first glance, there can be hidden gems waiting to be discovered.

The author, who is on the high end of the autism spectrum, undertakes a remarkable journey over the course of a year. He visits four of his former classmates and their families.

All of them attended the same innovative preschool in New York City, specifically designed for children with autism. What makes this story even more captivating is that the author had not been in contact with any of these individuals for a long time.

As a result, the story unfolds in a way that seems more like a work of fiction than non-fiction. The narrative is crafted with such smoothness and skill that it becomes completely engrossing.

I found myself unable to put the book down, eagerly turning the pages to discover what would happen next in the author's encounters with his former classmates and their families.

It is a truly unique and engaging account that offers a fascinating perspective on the lives of those on the autism spectrum and the power of reconnecting with the past.