I'd been tempted to give Robison 3 stars, wished I could give 3.5 but then ultimately settled on 4 because his story is so uplifting, if not always well-told. While I found all of them interesting, I can't think of one that I would have called warm or engaging - until I read John Elder Robison's memoir Look Me In The Eye: My Life With Asperger's. He was constantly told that he would end up as a criminal, him having shifty eyes and all, and what did he have to hide?Reviewing this book will be a complex affair; I gave it four stars but I wouldn't say I "liked" or "enjoyed" it. September 25th 2007 As a young kid, John Elder wanted to play with other children but didn't know how- his odd way of talking earned him labels of being weird and difficult, and for his inability to make eye contact he was called "shifty" and "up to no good".

I was alone as a result of my own limitations, and being alone was one of the bitterest disappointments of my young life.” And all those child psychologists who said “John prefers to play by himself” were dead wrong.

It was not until he was forty that an insightful therapist told him he had the form of autism called Asperger's syndrome. It's really one guy's story about trying to get through life - but he happens to be Augusten Burrough's brother, he worked for KISS for several years and he has Asperger's - well-written, clever and funny in so many ways. MaReviewing this book will be a complex affair; I gave it four stars but I wouldn't say I "liked" or "enjoyed" it. What could I expect? I wanted to read a memoir about growing up within a dysfunctional family and also having a condition thatI am interested in the Asperger's continuum, so when I heard about this memoir - written by Augusten Burroughs's brother - I added it to my Amazon wish list. (The whole naming chapter-- I call people what I want, but I get pissed if they don't respect my made up names? When he's a teenager, he is always dismantling things like radios and burying his little brother in holes in the ground. I played by myself because I was a failure at playing with others. We’d love your help. Before then, John knew there was something wrong with him, but he didn't know what.

I'm available to answer questions here and at my blog, I was born in rural Georgia, where my dad worked as a country preacher. Memoirists focus on details and scenes from their lives that they want to convey without giving us enough context or background to appreciate what we're reading. He couldn't understand social cues and didn't understand when other people got mad at him for asking inappropriate questions or smiling at the wrong times. What a gift to give. The Great Gatsby. No. I guess that's all a matter of perspective - with it being such a wiI don't really know how I feel about this book. On the other hand, it reaffirms the stereotype of the eccentric savant and that people with Asperger's are more caring towards their fixations than towards other people.

When he was young he wanted to make friends and be part of a team, but he had trouble talking to other kids. It is a very funny life story of someone who understands that there are social mores, but has to eventually learn to do them and even as an adult remind himself to follow them. It was no wonder he gravitated to machines, which could, at least, be counted on. On the one hand I suppose I'm glad that it helps dissolve the notion that people with Asperger's (now grouped in under autism in general) are not idiots or freaks, but just people with a different way of thinking. While I found all of them interesting, I can't think of one that I would have called warm or engaging - until I read John Elder Robison's memoir Look Me In The Eye: My Life With Asperger's. When he's a teenager, he is always dismantling things like radios and burying his little brother in holes in the ground. Haven't read Augusten Burroughs' books so didn't feel a connection on that level. Welcome back. That understanding transformed the way Robison saw himself--and the world.--From publisher description. "Their Eyes Were Watching God Chapters 1-4 Summary and Analysis". "I really wanted to like this book. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Nevertheless, I wanted access to the interior of someone with Asperger's. Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperberg's John Elder Robison, 2007 Random House 320 pp. "Look me in the eye," is something John Robinson grew up hearing. He was constantly told that he would end up as a criminal, him having shifty eyes and all, and what did he have to hide? Some editions change by only 10%. The title leads one to believe that the book is about the author's life with Asperger's, but that's a little misleading.