After wondering all her life why she seemed different from
other people, in her mid-forties Laura James was diagnosed with both
Ehlers-Danlos and Asperger’s (and I suspect she may have synesthesia, too,
although she doesn’t say so). Over the course of a year, she learns all she can
about these disorders, and things start making sense to her- and to her
husband. It’s not that she’s been a failure- she was highly successful, with
four children and a career as a journalist. But there had always been
situations that caused extreme discomfort, sometimes even leading to a meltdown.
Crowds, uncomfortable clothing, sensory
overload- even some colors- are all things she tries to avoid.
Highly intelligent, she and her second husband created a
life that allowed her to succeed and still be protected from things that
stressed her. Getting her diagnosis explained so much about her, but she’d
already gone a long way towards accommodating her problem. The diagnosis meant
she could find out how other people dealt with having autism and allowed her to
be in contact with people who faced the same problems.
The book follows her over a little over a year’s time, with
sections of current time alternating with her past. It’s a really interesting
read, but I could never quite get invested in her story. There is a dryness to
her prose that seemed somehow stand-offish, even though she talks about some
really painful events. Perhaps part of being autistic, perhaps part of being a
journalist, used to presenting facts. A four star read; I recommend it to
anyone with a person with autism in their circle, because it might really help
them to understand that person.
The above is an affiliate link; if you click through and buy something- anything- from Amazon, they will give me a few cents.
I received a copy of this book from the Amazon Vine program in return for an unbiased review.
Neither of these things influenced my review.
No comments:
Post a Comment