Sign in with Facebook
Darlene's Reviews > We're Not Broken: Changing the Autism Conversation
We're Not Broken: Changing the Autism Conversation
by
by
DNF at 25%
I’m really disappointed because I was so looking forward to reading this book. I think it is important to hear “own voices” perspectives. This book teased telling the stories of autistic adults, the hurdles they face, and how they navigate the world, but it just didn't deliver.
The book starts out with a long-winded introduction that is mostly a really ugly political rant. When the author finally wandered back to the topic, he explained that the purpose of his book was to clear up seven common misconceptions about autism that may have been common in 1933, but really are not now at all.
I was tempted to put the book down at that point, but it promised stories from others with autism and I looked forward to hearing those. Unfortunately, those stories never materialized. The author did start out with half a page about a politician with autism, but rather than a deep dive into her life, there was just a superficial mention of the rally she was speaking at. This was followed by a lot of history of the autism awareness movement where the author attempted to assign ill intentions to every person who ever took up the cause. Then there was a short blip about an attorney with autism that went only slightly deeper. I kept slogging through and the author did swing back to Jessica Benham, the aforementioned politician with autism, a couple of times but still fell short of the depth I needed to hear.
Far from "changing the autism conversation" as the cover promised, this just rehashed old grievances and shut down any attempt at discussion.
Thank you Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this advanced reader copy.
I’m really disappointed because I was so looking forward to reading this book. I think it is important to hear “own voices” perspectives. This book teased telling the stories of autistic adults, the hurdles they face, and how they navigate the world, but it just didn't deliver.
The book starts out with a long-winded introduction that is mostly a really ugly political rant. When the author finally wandered back to the topic, he explained that the purpose of his book was to clear up seven common misconceptions about autism that may have been common in 1933, but really are not now at all.
I was tempted to put the book down at that point, but it promised stories from others with autism and I looked forward to hearing those. Unfortunately, those stories never materialized. The author did start out with half a page about a politician with autism, but rather than a deep dive into her life, there was just a superficial mention of the rally she was speaking at. This was followed by a lot of history of the autism awareness movement where the author attempted to assign ill intentions to every person who ever took up the cause. Then there was a short blip about an attorney with autism that went only slightly deeper. I kept slogging through and the author did swing back to Jessica Benham, the aforementioned politician with autism, a couple of times but still fell short of the depth I needed to hear.
Far from "changing the autism conversation" as the cover promised, this just rehashed old grievances and shut down any attempt at discussion.
Thank you Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this advanced reader copy.
Sign into Goodreads to see if any of your friends have read
We're Not Broken.
Sign In »
Reading Progress
April 20, 2021
– Shelved
February 5, 2022
– Shelved as:
did-not-finish
Comments Showing 1-8 of 8 (8 new)
date
newest »
newest »
message 1:
by
Kat (Books are Comfort Food)
(new)
Apr 20, 2021 09:39AM
I think DNF is appropriate for this book, Darlene. You wrote a fair and honest review. I sure hope your next book is good. 💐
reply
|
flag
Thank you. There are so many good books on autism out there and luckily, I read far more 5-star books than stinkers. Time is precious. Move on.
I'm an autistic woman who got diagnosed at 40 and the misconceptions are astounding. This disappointed me too. I wanted to read other autistic voices instead I was drowning in facts and figures.
Angelina wrote: "I'm an autistic woman who got diagnosed at 40 and the misconceptions are astounding. This disappointed me too. I wanted to read other autistic voices instead I was drowning in facts and figures."I'm with you on that. I feel like this book was a great opportunity missed. The voices were the most important part and they were just glossed over.
There was the misconception of autistic mass shooters in the 1930s?
Not sure what your question is, Toni. None of the "7 misconceptions" in the book was about mass shooters being autistic. I'm only addressing this specific book in my review.
Darlene wrote: "Not sure what your question is, Toni. None of the "7 misconceptions" in the book was about mass shooters being autistic. I'm only addressing this specific book in my review."In the beginning of the book he does address that misconception.
Thank you for this review, as a recently realized 28yo autistic this book was so disappointing. At the end of the book he takes a pro-cop (“I don’t think all cops are bad”) stance and it’s really triggering. Especially when he had just spent the previous 20min going over all the headlining POC and Autistics murders by cops in the past 3 years. You spared yourself really.
