Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's | 
 enlarge | Author: John Elder Robison
Publisher: Crown
Category: Book
List Price: $25.95
Buy New: $13.99
You Save: $11.96 (46%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  141 reviews
Sales Rank: 4293
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.3
ISBN: 0307395987
Dewey Decimal Number: 362.1968588320092
EAN: 9780307395986
ASIN: 0307395987
Publication Date: September 25, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: New hardcover with dust jacket.
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Product Description
Ever since he was small, John Robison had longed to connect with other people, but by the time he was a teenager, his odd habits—an inclination to blurt out non sequiturs, avoid eye contact, dismantle radios, and dig five-foot holes (and stick his younger brother in them)—had earned him the label “social deviant.” No guidance came from his mother, who conversed with light fixtures, or his father, who spent evenings pickling himself in sherry. It was no wonder he gravitated to machines, which could, at least, be counted on.
After fleeing his parents and dropping out of high school, his savant-like ability to visualize electronic circuits landed him a gig with KISS, for whom he created their legendary fire-breathing guitars. Later, he drifted into a “real” job, as an engineer for a major toy company. But the higher Robison rose in the company, the more he had to pretend to be “normal” and do what he simply couldn’t: communicate. It wasn’t worth the paycheck.
It was not until he was forty that an insightful therapist told him he had the form of autism called Asperger’s syndrome. That understanding transformed the way Robison saw himself—and the world.
Look Me in the Eye is the moving, darkly funny story of growing up with Asperger’s at a time when the diagnosis simply didn’t exist. A born storyteller, Robison takes you inside the head of a boy whom teachers and other adults regarded as “defective,” who could not avail himself of KISS’s endless supply of groupies, and who still has a peculiar aversion to using people’s given names (he calls his wife “Unit Two”). He also provides a fascinating reverse angle on the younger brother he left at the mercy of their nutty parents—the boy who would later change his name to Augusten Burroughs and write the bestselling memoir Running with Scissors.
Ultimately, this is the story of Robison’s journey from his world into ours, and his new life as a husband, father, and successful small business owner—repairing his beloved high-end automobiles. It’s a strange, sly, indelible account—sometimes alien, yet always deeply human.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 136 more reviews...
 Not what you expect August 13, 2008
This book is entertaining and well written, but it does not give the information on Asperger's that I was seeking. The author shares more about his upbringing with incompetent parents than the issues associated with having Asperger's. When reading this book it is hard to separate what trials he endured because of Asperger's and what were based on poor parenting.
Different kind of book.. July 29, 2008
Do not read this book and expect to learn all about Asperger's. It is a memoir of the author's life with it. If you are looking for an education on AS, then look to a medical text or web site. Other reviewers are complaining about that aspect, but this is not a textbook. It is an interesting memoir written from the point of view of someone whose point of view is very different and unique from the rest of the world. Other reviewers are also complaining that the book doesn't flow and the writing isn't very colorful. That is true, but it is because of the author's AS. If the editor encouraged the author to change his style then it wouldn't really be written with the outlook of someone with Asperger's Syndrome. The book is unlike most other books because there really is no overall theme, some of the writing is choppy, some parts go too much into description about minute things, but I found this to be interesting because it gave me a glimpse into the mind of someone with AS. The book is not incredibly entertaining, funny, or enthralling, but it is different. Just be prepared for something unusual when reading it. The author's life isn't incredibly out of the ordinary, but the way he sees and does things are. I enjoyed this book, but I can't say that I would read a second book by this author.
Good, but not what I expected July 28, 2008
This is a very entertaining book about a mans life. It is not a book that really talks much about Aspergers. Being the mom of a child with Aspergers Syndrome, I was hoping the book would talk a little more about how he dealt with his life having AS, but it is more just about his very eccentric life. Although it is a fun read, it wasn't what I was hoping for. If you are looking to connect with this book because you or someone you love has AS, You may be slightly dissapointed.
 Tells it like it is... July 6, 2008
I have lived with a partner with Asperger's Syndrome for over 12 years now. How true this book is as far as how their minds process differently from the rest of us "neurotypicals". It validates the difficuities of such a relationship, and portrays how one must accept the effected individual for who they are - they rarely change without egocentric motivation. An excellent book without being technical.
BUY THIS BOOK!!!!!! July 5, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book, above all the others I have read on the subject of Asperger's, is a must have. I gained more insight into how my oldest son might think by reading this book than any book written by people with a lot of initials after their name. Believe me, if you have a child or other relative who has been diagnosed with AS, then you owe it to them to read this book. In all honesty, I do hope that if you do read this book that your child is not going through a similar childhood that this man did.
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