Written by Naoki Higashida a very smart very self-aware and very charming thirteen-year-old boy with autism it is a one-of-a-kind memoir that demonstrates how an autistic mind thinks feels perceives and responds in ways few of us can imagine. Parents and family members who never thought they could get inside the head of their autistic loved one at last have a way to break through to the curious subtle and complex life within. Using an alphabet grid to painstakingly construct words sentences and thoughts that he is unable to speak out loud Naoki answers even the most delicate questions that people want to know. Questions such as: “Why do people with autism talk so loudly and weirdly?” “Why do you line up your toy cars and blocks?” “Why don’t you make eye contact when you’re talking?” and “What’s the reason you jump?” (Naoki’s answer: “When I’m jumping it’s as if my feelings are going upward to the sky.”) With disarming honesty and a generous heart Naoki shares his unique point of view on not only autism but life itself. His insights—into the mystery of words the wonders of laughter and the elusiveness of memory—are so startling so strange and so powerful that you will never look at the world the same way again.
