I really enjoyed the insight Temple gave into her mind as an autistic child growing up. I would not read this book expecting to learn about autism across the board this book strictly talks about temples experience.

The beginning of the story spoke about her journey as a “recovered autistic person”. While the book did talk about her experience working through some of the downfalls and obstacles that come with being autistic I was disappointed when I finished the book and didn’t have a better understanding into autism generally speaking. While I understand autism is unique in that not one autistic person necessarily deals with the same symptoms as another I was hoping that temple would have made some comparisons so that the reader could understand the severity she faced in her autism. I didn’t feel that I really understood where she started and how she grew overtime (which I thought was the whole point of the book).

With that being said temples story is a unique one and she does a great job of humanizing those born with autism. She has compelled me to learn more about others who have similar experiences.

I saw this book and thought it was amazing that an autistic person could be the writer, and be living a 'normal' life. I want to know more, as my nephew is autistic. So far, it's an amazing view inside the head of an autistic person!
A little repetitive over all, but what an interesting insight.

Temple Grandin is such an amazing person. I really enjoyed this book. It was well put-together and easy to follow. Grandin's insight into her experience with autism is awe-inspiring. Having read her book Thinking in Pictures: My Life with Autism first, this book clarified a lot of important concepts that I did not fully understand the importance of previously, such as the symbol of doors. If you are at all interested in Autism Spectrum Disorders, I highly recommend this book. It's a quick read and definitely worth it. Grandin goes through each stage of her life from early childhood to young adulthood and describes her own hardships and successes in living with autism. While no two individuals with ASDs are the same, Grandin gives insight into her own life, which may be beneficial to others. It is also an important tool in better understanding how some individuals with ASDs see the world.

Before I move on to my personal thoughts about this book, I just want to acknowledge that there are a couple of things about it that may be considered by some people to be controversial, particularly with regard to some of the vocabulary Ms. Grandin uses in her discussion of autism. Examples include her occasional reference to "recovering" from autism and her tendency to refer to children not on the spectrum as "normal." My take on these things is that this is her story told in her words. If she feels as though, in her personal journey through life, she has recovered from autism, she has a right to think of herself that way. And using the word "normal" instead of a more accepted term like "neurotypical", I think, speaks volumes about how it feels to be a child with autism. It tells the reader, in just one word, how isolated she felt when she was growing up. How weird. How very much not "normal." Again, it's her story. She can tell it in whatever words she wants to use.

Now, on to my real review. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to everyone. Literally, everyone, not just people on the autism spectrum and their parents. Why? Because there are a lot of misunderstandings about autism in our society, and we would all benefit from the peek behind the curtain that this book offers. Parents of autistic children need to read this so they will understand a little better what is going on in their children's heads. People with autism should read this for inspiration, because my goodness, this is an inspiring story. Adults with undiagnosed autism or people who fall into the gray area called "borderline" should read this and know that they are not alone. Someone out there understands them. And everybody else should read this and learn to see the person behind the disorder. Bullying is such a common experience for people with autism during the school years. What if the parents of those bullies read this book, then talked to their kids about it? Would the bullying stop? Would those kids learn to see the autistic classmate as a person instead of a "weirdo"? Maybe not, because kids are kids and they make unfortunate choices at times, but it would be worth a try.

Overall a very good book that has made me want to read more of Temple Grandin's work.

Autism is a world beyond our world, a world we can only access if we really want to do it. I would like to congratulate Temple Grandin for being so brave in sharing with us all her knowledge she has accumulated during these years, if we learn to understand how this world works for autistic people, that is for sure we are going to make it a better place for everybody. Now that I know little bit more about autism and asperger than I knew before, I am glad to say that I am actually applying all of this with my son and some other special children I have met so far. I hope everybody gets to do the same, you will be amazed by them, they are so intelligent and outstanding, so human, there is plenty of things to learn about. Well done Temple !!!

I like Temple Grandin's positive and practical approach to life, the universe and everything.

This was very interesting and kept me not wanting to put it down. I believe this book helped me to understand my beautiful niece really early on after my niece was first diagnosed and helped me in advance to understand and hope that she could become with Lots and lots of very hard work into the wonderful, beautiful and often times "almost" normal young lady that she has become. Thank you Temple for explaining some of how the autistic mind works differently than us "normal" ones. Very informative.

É sempre muito difícil avaliar uma autobiografia, afinal, é a vida da pessoa.

Mas vamos lá, é sempre inspirador ler histórias de pessoas autistas.

Me identifiquei demais com muitas características dela, principalmente na infância.

É tão reforçador ver que a família o apoio e o amor tem impacto decisivo no desenvolvimento.

Mas não é um livro para todo tipo de público, ele precisa ser lido com senso crítico, primeiro levando em consideração o ano que foi publicado e segundo que a Temple não é médica, desde que o livro foi lançado descobrimos muito mais coisas sobre o autismo, tanto em relação a diagnóstico, prognóstico, quanto tratamento.

Por isso família desavisada ou sem senso crítico não deve ler.

Mas para o público correto é um livro ótimo.

I'd been reading a lot of nonfiction books this year, and I'd noticed that most of them left out the experiences of people with disabilities or mental illness. Over the last few weeks, I've been making a concerted effort to pick up more books about disabilities. So, somehow, this is the second book by Temple Grandin I've read in the last month.

Emergence: Labeled Autistic is a familiar story if you've seen the HBO movie with Claire Danes in the title role. It covers Temple's growing up with autism in a society that had no idea what that meant, her difficulties and adjustments, and how she learned to turn it to her advantage.

This book came out in 1996, so some of the terminology it uses has been phased out. Definitely a lot of the questions answered by her mother about her upbringing (included in an appendix) would no longer be asked today. The book also discusses Temple's having "recovered" from autism, which is no longer in use. Today, we acknowledge that a person with a particular diagnosis may still have a productive role in society, and that overcoming one's difficulties doesn't negate them.

A lot of the understanding we have today about autism and how it works is thanks to Temple Grandin's contributions, and so we have her to thank for the fact that autism isn't a life sentence of isolation and blame. While a lot of people still react negatively to those with autism, there's a movement toward inclusion that's benefiting entire communities.

The narrative has a much different focus than most memoirs I've read. Temple struggles with understanding other people and finding a balance in her life between her fear of overstimulation and the need for some unfamiliarity. She's able to verbalize a lot of her struggles in a way that I found easy to grasp.

While no two people with autism are exactly the same, I found it enlightening to read of Temple Grandin's upbringing and struggles in her own words, and to apply her observations to other people with autism I know. The book is a quick, accessible read, so I'd recommend that anyone, from neurotypical to on the autism spectrum, give it a try. It can't hurt to learn how others perceive the world.

I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it. However, it was interesting overall. Especially because it is now outdated 15+ years.

It was a little choppy. It was repetitive as well. I read about a suffocating aunt and a dream for a hug-like machine repeatedly. I did appreciate how well researched everything appeared to be. Whenever an action was described, the author would back that up with research of why that action happened and if it's common, etc.

Though somewhat dated, this is a nice introduction to a woman who has accomplished a lot in life where many felt she could not. She should be an inspiration to us all.