We're Not Broken: The Powerful Advantages of Autism
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- Create Date：2021-07-28 20:20:57
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Eric Garcia
- ISBN：1328587843
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Reviews
Lee-ann
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Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review。 We're Not Broken by Eric Garcia is a different take on autism in America， namely because it's written by an autistic person， collecting different autistic stories。 The most interesting and thought-provoking chapter， for me， was the chapter on gender identity。 That autism resources still are sectioned off from different gender identities， instead of combing forces is sadly typical of most entities。 There was a lot of information dumping Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review。 We're Not Broken by Eric Garcia is a different take on autism in America， namely because it's written by an autistic person， collecting different autistic stories。 The most interesting and thought-provoking chapter， for me， was the chapter on gender identity。 That autism resources still are sectioned off from different gender identities， instead of combing forces is sadly typical of most entities。 There was a lot of information dumping in the early chapters that made it difficult to follow and process。 A person was introduced and then there was a tangent about the policies that were created， when I really want to know more about the person。 The book read as uneven to me。 Some chapters were very strong， while others were not。 。。。more
Sean Loughran
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I felt compelled to read this book after reading Eric's article， I'm Not Broken， published by The Atlantic。 I knew very little about autism before reading the article， aside from what I had seen portrayed in television and the media。Reading Eric's book， I was shocked to learn about the misinformation that’s spread about autism in recent years。 In his introduction， Eric talks about the false link between vaccines causing autism， a claim that was popularized by celebrity Jenny McCarty on CNN and T I felt compelled to read this book after reading Eric's article， I'm Not Broken， published by The Atlantic。 I knew very little about autism before reading the article， aside from what I had seen portrayed in television and the media。Reading Eric's book， I was shocked to learn about the misinformation that’s spread about autism in recent years。 In his introduction， Eric talks about the false link between vaccines causing autism， a claim that was popularized by celebrity Jenny McCarty on CNN and The Oprah Winfrey Show， then later claimed by Donald Trump。 I also learned that there are beliefs that autism only affects white males， that autistic people are incapable of holding jobs outside of the technology field， and that those on the spectrum are unable to have relationships or live independently。 Perhaps most shocking are the claims that state a connection between autism and violent behaviour， with people referencing mass shooters in the United States， who they believe are on the spectrum。We're Not Broken is a well researched， fantastically written， and compelling book。 I appreciated Eric's honesty and vulnerability when sharing his own story of living in America with autism。 I loved reading about his passion for music， politics， and journalism， and how he interned at The White House and climbed the ranks to work at some of the biggest publications in Washington。 He also profiles others from underserved communities outside of the typical stereotypes， highlighting and interviewing people of colour， LGBTQ+ people， women， people from low income households， and people in all lines of work。I’m not on the spectrum， but I am a gay male， and I related to the LGBTQ section of the book。 Garcia talks about how a lot of the language used to discriminate against LGBTQ people match that used to discriminate against autistic people。 Eric states， “None of us are failed versions of normal。 We can love and be loved as is。”What is immediately clear from the book， and from those that Eric encounters， is just how misunderstood and mistreated autism is。 Garcia has done a remarkable job at shedding a light on an extremely important topic， and it’s my hope that people can read this book and walk away with a new perspective and understanding of autism。 I certainly learned a lot from this book。 We’re Not Broken is an essential read not only for parents， friends， doctors， teachers， and researchers， but for everyone。 I highly recommend it。Avocado Diaries 。。。more
Angelina
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I have very mixed feelings about this book。 I spent a lot of time trying to finish it， but I ended up only skimming the second half of the book， because it just felt SO LONG。 The author gets carried away a lot and I got lost in the longwindedness。 He talks about how some people are very badly misinformed about autism and the glaring flaws in the help autistic people get， the author promises that there's a pretty easy solution without ever giving it。 Which annoyed me because we are learning how t I have very mixed feelings about this book。 I spent a lot of time trying to finish it， but I ended up only skimming the second half of the book， because it just felt SO LONG。 The author gets carried away a lot and I got lost in the longwindedness。 He talks about how some people are very badly misinformed about autism and the glaring flaws in the help autistic people get， the author promises that there's a pretty easy solution without ever giving it。 Which annoyed me because we are learning how to REALLY help and advocate。 We're also told we'll get stories from other people with autism， but get glimpses instead。 I didn't really learn much about them or how autism has affected their lives。 Overall， it feels like the author just bogs the reader down with facts instead of amplifying other autistic voices。 I was really disappointed！*Thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing me with an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review。* 。。。more
Jordan
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This was a well-researched， empathetic， and personal look at autism from a journalist who is himself autistic。 Also a third-generation Mexican American， Garcia gave a fantastic primer on the different intersections of identity that come into play with autism， looking at race， gender， sexuality， and more。 He talked candidly and with honesty about his own past missteps， even as someone who has autism， offering a model for growth and increased understanding。 This growth is even more important to co This was a well-researched， empathetic， and personal look at autism from a journalist who is himself autistic。 Also a third-generation Mexican American， Garcia gave a fantastic primer on the different intersections of identity that come into play with autism， looking at race， gender， sexuality， and more。 He talked candidly and with honesty about his own past missteps， even as someone who has autism， offering a model for growth and increased understanding。 This growth is even more important to consider as we think about how （relatively） quickly nomenclature and verbiage around disabilities in general and autism in particular change。 He interviewed a diverse group of autistic people， all with a range of different support needs， which a lesser journalist/writer （or even more egregiously， someone not in the community themselves） would have found it easy to not do。 My one qualm is one that I'm not even sure is one with the book itself， or my mood， but there were some moments where I felt like the writing could have been tightened up a bit。It was especially poignant to read this as disability rights are in the news in a big way， with one of the most famous pop stars in the world fighting to regain control of her own life after over a decade of having decisions made for her by people who financially benefit from those decisions。 I'm so frustrated and angered that this is the current situation， but I'm hopeful that we are moving towards disability justice with books like Garcia's and other texts like Alice Wong's edited Disability Visibility。 I would highly recommend for anyone interested in learning more about autism from autistic folks directly。Thanks to HMH and Netgalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Luisa Gatto
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This book is very important for whoever works with autistic people and/or their families。 It is important to respect autistic views and inputs in any decisions about them and in this book the writer highlighted also that might have been true 20-30 years ago， it is not nowadays。 His own carrier is an excellent example of this。 I will suggest it to my supervises and all the families I work with。 One great point for this book is that the author was really open-minded and reported various angles wit This book is very important for whoever works with autistic people and/or their families。 It is important to respect autistic views and inputs in any decisions about them and in this book the writer highlighted also that might have been true 20-30 years ago， it is not nowadays。 His own carrier is an excellent example of this。 I will suggest it to my supervises and all the families I work with。 One great point for this book is that the author was really open-minded and reported various angles without judgment （a real journalist）。 He also divided the book into chapters by subjects: very functional given the amount of information reported。 。。。more
Kari
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This book did exactly what it was meant to do- change the conversation on Autism。 Even as a young special education teacher equipped with an ASD endorsement on my teaching certificate， I learned so much。 I learned the history of autism diagnoses， the gender gap， current challenges， etc。 You name it- the book addressed it！ Broken into different sections， this book hit all aspects of today’s world with the connection to Autism and people living with it。 Definitely a great educational read！
Gara
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I am a retired teacher assistant from public schools， and three out of four of my grandchildren have been diagnosed as being on the spectrum。 I was excited to read this ARC， and learn more about autism。 When my first grandchild was identified as autistic， I worried about his future。 If we can give him the support that he needs now and in his future， from what Mr。 Garcia states， anything is possible。 This is certainly positive。 I was horrified by the “remedies” used in the past， but I have to con I am a retired teacher assistant from public schools， and three out of four of my grandchildren have been diagnosed as being on the spectrum。 I was excited to read this ARC， and learn more about autism。 When my first grandchild was identified as autistic， I worried about his future。 If we can give him the support that he needs now and in his future， from what Mr。 Garcia states， anything is possible。 This is certainly positive。 I was horrified by the “remedies” used in the past， but I have to confess that ABA therapy was not described fairly in this book。 My grandson， diagnosed at 4， was unable to get a haircut without a meltdown due to sensory issues。 ABA broke this task down little by little， and he is now able to endure haircuts without the tragic meltdowns of the past。 This is a reasonable expectation for a child， and everyone was respectful and aware of the difficulty of this process， and his constant strength and resilience in difficult situations fill me with pride。 ABA， when done by the right people for the right reasons， can be invaluable。 It is simply one of many tools that can support my grandson， and although at this point he no longer needs this service， his parents have learned how to break down difficult tasks so that their son can navigate through life。As a mother I wanted my children to become good， kind adults with the ability to share their unique gifts and talents， and the strength and wisdom to make their own path in the world。 I want this for all of my grandchildren as well！ Reading this book was part of my effort to become more informed， and I would recommend it for the historical perspective offered by the author， as well as the many portrayals of neurodivergent individuals。 。。。more
Ruth
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An excellent follow-up to Steve Silberman's Neurotribes。 Written by an autistic author， with personal anecdotes along with excellent factual statistics。 An excellent follow-up to Steve Silberman's Neurotribes。 Written by an autistic author， with personal anecdotes along with excellent factual statistics。 。。。more
Betty
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I was thrilled to be invited by the publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to review this book。 The author himself is in the Spectrum Generation。 Garcia emphasizes we need to hear from these people with autism themselves， not from their parents or professionals。 I definitely understand his great point。 I was born Deaf。 Like other Deaf people， we do not appreciate it when professionals， interpreters and non-Deaf people speak for and about us。 Garcia goes into detail about past misinformation， ste I was thrilled to be invited by the publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to review this book。 The author himself is in the Spectrum Generation。 Garcia emphasizes we need to hear from these people with autism themselves， not from their parents or professionals。 I definitely understand his great point。 I was born Deaf。 Like other Deaf people， we do not appreciate it when professionals， interpreters and non-Deaf people speak for and about us。 Garcia goes into detail about past misinformation， stereotypes， and mythology about autism。 Each chapter focuses on an issue such as government policy， education including accommodations， relationships， health care。 At times the book is dry with its research。 Garcia tells us about his own experiences and about others on the spectrum。 Those tidbits are very interesting。 I've taught quite a few students on the autism/Asperger spectrum。 I fondly remember specific interactions with two。 I'm tempted to tell about them here。 I've also met other adults whom I recognized as having Aspergers。 When asked， they confirmed this。 I thank the publishers and Netgalley for inviting me to read this book。 I now am wondering about the students I worked with， plus how and what they're doing in their adulthood。 Memories memories。 。。。more
Oxana Tomova
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We're Not Broken is about autism and misconceptions about autism。I have very mixed feelings about this book。 I spent a lot of time trying to finish it， but I ended up only skimming the second half of the book， because it just felt SO LONG， even though it's a relatively short book。 The author gets carried away a lot and some of his points seriously confused me。 While he talks about how some people are very badly， if at all， informed about autism， and the glaring flaws in the help autistic people We're Not Broken is about autism and misconceptions about autism。I have very mixed feelings about this book。 I spent a lot of time trying to finish it， but I ended up only skimming the second half of the book， because it just felt SO LONG， even though it's a relatively short book。 The author gets carried away a lot and some of his points seriously confused me。 While he talks about how some people are very badly， if at all， informed about autism， and the glaring flaws in the help autistic people get， the author promises that there's a pretty easy solution without ever giving it。 Which annoyed me， because after all， some people with autism will never be able to enter the work-force and it's not from lack-of-trying from neurotypical people， rather， some people with autism just don't fit with any of the jobs available， just like some neurotypical people， and that's fine。We're also told we'll get stories from other people with autism， but rather than get their stories and outlook on life， they get mentioned in passing when the author tries to validate his points。 For example， in the section about love， a couple where both parties are autistic is mentioned。 However， we don't really learn much about them and how autism has affected their dating before and even now in their marriage。 Overall， it feels like the author just misses the point most of the times。At times the book did provide interesting data about autism in the US specifically。 There are many things that are just so different here in Europe， and that also lowered my interest in the book。*Thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing me with an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review。* 。。。more
Darlene
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DNF at 25%I’m really disappointed because I was so looking forward to reading this book。 I have sought out books and lectures by those living with autism to better help my son， who lives with the same。 I think it is important to hear “own voices” perspectives。 As such， I thought I had some idea what to expect with this book but knew that the more perspectives I read， the more I could grow。 I was wrong。The book starts out with a long-winded introduction that is mostly a really ugly political rant DNF at 25%I’m really disappointed because I was so looking forward to reading this book。 I have sought out books and lectures by those living with autism to better help my son， who lives with the same。 I think it is important to hear “own voices” perspectives。 As such， I thought I had some idea what to expect with this book but knew that the more perspectives I read， the more I could grow。 I was wrong。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 - 1。 That autism only affects white males， 2。 That those with autism who need a lot of support are less human than those with high-functioning， 3。 That “autistic people should appear in the media only when they inspire hope or pity”， 4。 That people with autism can only hold jobs in tech fields， 5。 That people with autism are incapable of romantic relationships， 6。 That people with autism cannot live independently， 7。 That people with autism are incapable of advocating for themselves。 I was aghast that he believed these were “common” misconceptions。 I’ve honestly never met a single person that believed any of these things。 I truly worry for the author because of who he must be surrounding himself with。I was tempted to put the book down at that point， but it promised stories from others with autism， so 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。None of my criticism of this book is a criticism of authors with autism in general。 This book is the anomaly。 I’ve read， listened to， and spoken to dozens of people with autism who demonstrated far more self-awareness than the author showed in this book。 I don’t see that there was any intention in this book to show how those with autism function， what accommodations they need， or how neurotypicals go forward in bridging a more inclusive world as was promised with the jacket description。 This is all really ugly rant and blame and no solutions。Thank you Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this advanced reader copy。 。。。more
Katy
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This review is based on the ARC。 Note that I am part of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt。 That being said， I hope everyone I know will read this book when it comes out in August。 As an autistic person， this is the most all-inclusive guide to the autistic experience written by an autistic person that I have ever read。 Eric Garcia combines his passion for policy and reporting with his lived experience to showcase the myriad intersectional issues （such as race， gender identity and sexual orientation， and This review is based on the ARC。 Note that I am part of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt。 That being said， I hope everyone I know will read this book when it comes out in August。 As an autistic person， this is the most all-inclusive guide to the autistic experience written by an autistic person that I have ever read。 Eric Garcia combines his passion for policy and reporting with his lived experience to showcase the myriad intersectional issues （such as race， gender identity and sexual orientation， and income level） autistic people face and how so many misconceptions about it have come to be part of the popular consciousness。 On a personal level， I could relate on a painful level to avoiding asking for accommodations in school to avoid being seen as weak or making excuses （which， despite avoiding accommodations after some bad special ed experiences in elementary school， people accused me of anyways simply for asking for help or having the gall to study）， when these accommodations could've helped me and ultimately lead to less stress and pressure on myself。 I also appreciated how Garcia was vulnerable and honest about his experiences， particularly as an autistic man who once invaded the boundaries of women。 I wish more men could learn from their mistakes like Garcia has and really do the work to understand neurodivergence is not an excuse for sexism and lack of respect for boundaries。 At the crux of Garcia's argument is the truth that we live in a world where autism is stigmatized and parents/advocates/"experts" focus more on a cure than accessibility。 Garcia is humble about his own success （which still wasn't easy）， acknowledging that there are so many other autistic people out there who could have meaningful careers but lack the support they need to do。 This is a great starting point for those who want to know more about autism from its source， and for those who are neurodivergent， a great resource for finding diverse voices in the community。 。。。more
Jeff
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