Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's

Robison's perspective of himself is entertaining and enlightening. I loved reading about his rock and roll perspective~It made me laugh and yet put me in awe at how much we all take for granted in the world of social language pragmatics. Much better read than I had anticipated. I expected another dry rendition from an "aspergian" and I was pleasantly surprised.

I bought this book mainly b/c I am a psychiatric social worker and wanted to read more about Aspergers. Plus, I thought it would be interesting to hear the story of a somewhat minor player in the writer's brother's memoir, Running with Scissors. This book met my first expectations, yet I was often bored and it took many starts and stops before I had this book completely read.

This book is shockingly greatl... Honestly speaking, I wasn't expecting *that* much... I mean, obviously the publisher would have realized that the "Running With Scissors" as well as Asperger's tie-in would be enough to guarantee a few sales and make it radio circuit/TV talk show friendly stuff... so why wouldn't the publisher put it out? Much to my surprise, however, its really a book in its own right... and the author, John Elder Robison has a unique gift as a story teller. - - As to whether it was him (or his editor, or a ghost writer) its really surprising. He uses deceptively simple language... yet engages you. Because of this, I wonder if any reader would object to me refering to the book as being in the "Mark Twain" tradition of American literature. (This may be another one of those hidden Asperger trait gifts that he alludes to - - perhaps since people with Asperger's aren't as motivated to impress other people, it allows them write without wasting space on showing off unnecessary syntax and vocabulary. I mean, its really like he's in the room with you, and telling you the story in such a way to set the scene and carry you along.)

Whatever, the book is the story of what today is referred to as a person with Asperger's (and also from a severely dysfunctional family) - - prior to the term, he would have probably just been called a weird "Trekky" type techno nerd... you know, the strange D+D playing/Pink Floyd listening-to nerd kid with the long greasy hair who had some "genius" gift that the school kept him occupied with to keep him from getting into trouble (and often would be rumored as "sadistically disturbed" anyway.) - - Even as a musician, I've actually dealt with techs with traits like this... they come across as very dry, totally non-interested in small talk, definitely weird, and 100% obsessed with their projects and tool... LITTLE DID I KNOW... in fact, reading this book, as you hear how he took his gift and wound up on the road with KISS and a special FX technician, you become amazed... More amazing (and of interested to psych majors) is the way he describes his thought processes... for example the practical, yet different way he visualizes things, as well as his can do attitude... and the description of his emotions beneath what appears to others as a cool facade.

John Elder Robinson comes off in the book as a fellow who is both cool, nerdy and deeply disturbed (for reasons explained) and tells a tail that offers insight, understanding, hope... and makes you laugh... especially when he's feeling evil.

Must have reading, and perhaps useful summer reading for HS students (if you look past the potentially corrupting stuff) to teach students to better understand peers who are "somewhat different", as well as to inspire those who have differences to come to accept themselves andfind their special talents and pursue them... not just for fans of his brother or people interested in Asperger's... a sometimes funny, sometimes emotionally disturbing memoir for all !

Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's is a memoir written by John Elder Robison, brother of Augusten Burroughs- the author of Running with Scissors.
Augusten encountered many fans who thanked him for mentioning Asperger's in Running with Scissors and also writing an essay on John in his book Magical Thinking. Instead of writing a whole book about his brother, he convinced John to write it himself. Though I enjoyed RWS, some of the crazier events disturbed me. Robison's memoir is much tamer, yet still entertaining and humorous.

The memoir is less about Asperger's and more about John's take on his crazy family. As a young boy, he feared his alcoholic father and became increasingly disconnected to his mentally ill mother. He dropped out of school and left home at 17. Because of his Asperger's he was good at working with machines and ended up as a guitar technician for the band KISS. However, being around people was not comfortable for him, so he left and continued to struggle to find a career that would suit him. Interspersed with his stories from these various positions are chapters that describe Asperger's and how it has affected his relationships and career choices. These chapters give great understanding to people unfamiliar with Asperger's and Autism.

Look Me in the Eye is a must read for all fans of Augusten Burroughs works. Fans of memoirs will enjoy his tales of growing up in a dysfunctional family and how that lead to him being on the road with KISS. Those looking for understanding of Asperger's will want to skim the book and read the asperger's-focused chapters.

The subtitle suggests that this is a memoir about having Asperger's syndrome. Actually, it's a book about a guy who grew up in a wildly dysfunctional family, who had a series of adventures, and who turned out okay. Many of his idiosyncrasies, however, have nothing to do with Asperger's. His Asperger's isn't even particularly salient in this memoir. What stuck out for me was his obsession with practical jokes, some quite elaborate, all apparently executed because Robison derives enormous enjoyment from humiliating people. (This is not a feature of Asperger's.) And yet, throughout the book, he whines about how he felt humiliated in many situations. His annoying habit of insisting on his own names for things (e.g., "Aspergian," which is his own peculiar term) also has nothing to do with Asperger's. Robison likes to entertain an audience with outlandish stories, and that's what he's doing here. If that's your idea of a good read, you'll enjoy this book.