This book is a collection of essays written by autistic authors and organized around 17 major stressors for people with ASD. Each chapter ends with synthesis and coping strategies written by Dr. Tony Attwood, the book’s editor. It’s great! Even as someone who thought she had a pretty solid grasp on presentation/symptoms of ASD, I was astonished by everything I learned about people’s experiences. For example, the no. 1 stressor ranked by surveyants was anxiety, and much of the rest of the content of the book was colored by this lens of what does and doesn’t cause anxiety. I don’t know if anxiety would even crack the top 10 if you surveyed non-autistic people on the street about the defining symptoms of ASD. This is the first book I’ve ever read about ASD so I don’t have a basis of comparison, but I think the format of personal essays was so impactful and such a great approach compared to a strictly-written nonfiction narrative. 12 years out from the initial publication it could likely use a big update given the new challenges of this fascinating modern era; it would be a bear to tackle but I hope the project isn’t left to languish.

Moby Dyke