Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-06-07 06:53:12
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：John Elder Robison
- ISBN：0307396185
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Summary
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
“As sweet and funny and sad and true and heartfelt a memoir as one could find。” —from the foreword by Augusten Burroughs
Ever since he was young， John Robison 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， Augusten Burroughs， in them）—had earned him the label “social deviant。” It was not until he was forty that he was diagnosed with a form of autism called Asperger’s syndrome。 That understanding transformed the way he saw himself—and the world。 A born storyteller， Robison has written a moving， darkly funny memoir about a life that has taken him from developing exploding guitars for KISS to building a family of his own。 It’s a strange， sly， indelible account—sometimes alien yet always deeply human。
“As sweet and funny and sad and true and heartfelt a memoir as one could find。” —from the foreword by Augusten Burroughs
Ever since he was young， John Robison 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， Augusten Burroughs， in them）—had earned him the label “social deviant。” It was not until he was forty that he was diagnosed with a form of autism called Asperger’s syndrome。 That understanding transformed the way he saw himself—and the world。 A born storyteller， Robison has written a moving， darkly funny memoir about a life that has taken him from developing exploding guitars for KISS to building a family of his own。 It’s a strange， sly， indelible account—sometimes alien yet always deeply human。
Reviews
Fallon Rasinski
，
WOW wow WOW-This book is AMAZING！ --having a close friend with a brother who has Aspergers， this really opened my eyes to what he has gone through on the daily basis。 I was the friend who questioned things he did and probably made not so kind looks because I didn’t know what was so unique with him。 As I grew up， I was finally understanding what he was dealing with， but I never saw anything from his perspective。 With “look me in the eye”， I got to see inside his world， just a small bit。 --John El WOW wow WOW-This book is AMAZING！ --having a close friend with a brother who has Aspergers， this really opened my eyes to what he has gone through on the daily basis。 I was the friend who questioned things he did and probably made not so kind looks because I didn’t know what was so unique with him。 As I grew up， I was finally understanding what he was dealing with， but I never saw anything from his perspective。 With “look me in the eye”， I got to see inside his world， just a small bit。 --John Elder Robison does a fantastic job expressing who he is as a writer， but also who he is as a person。 Having a syndrome， disease， or sickness， doesn’t make you any less of a person than someone else， and he nailed that in the head。 Others with Aspergers are intelligent and well-gifted。 The talents they have surprise us， but that is what makes them special。 --I can’t wait to read his brothers book “running with scissors”。 I’ve only heard good things from those around me。 。。。more
Patrice
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Spoiler Alert！ This was an interesting book！ Like， how the Author refers to hands as "paws" or people as animals。 His childhood pranks were somewhat disturbing， but all In all， I was inspired by Robisons story to re-connect to my potential。 It was a great story of his ability find his true self and overcome his obstacles in life。 Spoiler Alert！ This was an interesting book！ Like， how the Author refers to hands as "paws" or people as animals。 His childhood pranks were somewhat disturbing， but all In all， I was inspired by Robisons story to re-connect to my potential。 It was a great story of his ability find his true self and overcome his obstacles in life。 。。。more
Eliot Graff
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Not the greatest writing， nor is the empathy between the reader and John Robison built really well。 It's an interesting accounting， but one in which a ghostwriter might have helped a lot。 Not the greatest writing， nor is the empathy between the reader and John Robison built really well。 It's an interesting accounting， but one in which a ghostwriter might have helped a lot。 。。。more
Joleen
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Another book that helped me understand my son。 I read excerpts from the book to him and it pleased him that this author's experiences， feelings and difficulties growing up were so similar to his own （minus the dysfunction family。。。yikes）This is an autobiographical work by John Elder Robison， describing his non-diagnosed Asperger’s for 40 years。 No one knew why he was so very different。 He was called shifty simply cause he couldn’t look someone in the eye。 Even labeled psychotic because of his od Another book that helped me understand my son。 I read excerpts from the book to him and it pleased him that this author's experiences， feelings and difficulties growing up were so similar to his own （minus the dysfunction family。。。yikes）This is an autobiographical work by John Elder Robison， describing his non-diagnosed Asperger’s for 40 years。 No one knew why he was so very different。 He was called shifty simply cause he couldn’t look someone in the eye。 Even labeled psychotic because of his odd lack of normal emotions or reactions。 John Elder told stories of his youth， his inability to socialize like regular kids， and his failures in school， despite being gifted。 He also told of his wretched home life which was quite sad at times。The book shifted gears， from explaining his Asperger’s to his work life and his success in the music and gaming world。 This part was okay， but not helpful as I was hoping。 But still quite interesting。Later he shared stories of how different his thought processes were。 I gleaned much from those stories。 Again， as the last book， I highlighted in every chapter。Very good book for parents of an Aspergian child （his term）， or anyone trying to figure out their own life with Asperger’s。 。。。more
Chris
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Story of a person growing up with Asperger's and how it affected his life。 The impact of Asperger's on his life and how he has adapted in order to fit in was interesting。 John is an interesting guy and I enjoyed hearing about parts of his life。 His pranks were really funny。 Story of a person growing up with Asperger's and how it affected his life。 The impact of Asperger's on his life and how he has adapted in order to fit in was interesting。 John is an interesting guy and I enjoyed hearing about parts of his life。 His pranks were really funny。 。。。more
Liz
，
An informative and sincere-seeming little book， but I had two disappointments with it: （1） it doesn't have the humor and verve of his brother's Running with Scissors， even when describing some of the same wild personalities and events （unfair comparison， I know）; and （2） I found the way he talked about his wives discomfiting。 He says that he is happy with his current wife， who seems like a truly patient and lovely person， but he also calls her "Unit Two" and frequently asks her if he should've m An informative and sincere-seeming little book， but I had two disappointments with it: （1） it doesn't have the humor and verve of his brother's Running with Scissors， even when describing some of the same wild personalities and events （unfair comparison， I know）; and （2） I found the way he talked about his wives discomfiting。 He says that he is happy with his current wife， who seems like a truly patient and lovely person， but he also calls her "Unit Two" and frequently asks her if he should've married one of her sisters instead。 When he's badgering her about this and questioning whether another （perhaps younger？） sister would've been a better deal， she answers， "Depends on what you want her for"-- and he finds this "disturbingly vague" and illogical and possibly suggestive of low self-esteem。 It upset me a bit that， for all the progress Robison has made in human relationships and all of the things his wife is described as doing for him， he still thinks of her as so interchangeable with other women。 I hope that's an area in which he can continue to grow。 But overall， this is a sweet and straightforward memoir about an easily-misunderstood condition。 。。。more
Natalie
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Would give 3。5 stars。 The middle chapters have some wild and crazy experiences。 The beginning and end have more of the information I was looking for。
La gata de Poe
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No ha sido una lectura literaria para mí。 Se trata de la autobiografía de John Elder Robinson， un hombre que descubrió a los 40 años que tenía， dentro de los trastornos del espectro autista， el síndrome de Asperger。 Ha sido un acercamiento a las vivencias y a la mentes de muchos niños y niñas con los que trabajamos a diario en las aulas。 Es un grito a la tolerancia， una llamada a abrirnos a otras formas de mirar el mundo。
Debbie Estenes
，
I found this book very insightful！ It's first hand perception of experiences actually opened windows into what is going on inside autism。 The struggles， confusion and adaptation to what is perceived to be normal behavior。 The author achieved so much and is definitely the exception to the rule。 I found this book very insightful！ It's first hand perception of experiences actually opened windows into what is going on inside autism。 The struggles， confusion and adaptation to what is perceived to be normal behavior。 The author achieved so much and is definitely the exception to the rule。 。。。more
Andrew Barnes
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This book was good！ I do believe his brother is a stronger memoirist， but I think John Elder Robinson had a lot of unique points to make！ His stories were interesting and I was always intrigued！
Melanie
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I quit listening to this book at around 40%。 I thought this would be more about the author's autism and less about his dysfunctional family。 Also， he is mean and hateful to everyone he encounters and then wonders why they don't really like him。 His pranks are mean-spirited and he has a very condescending tone。 I got tired of listening so I'm moving on to something else。 I quit listening to this book at around 40%。 I thought this would be more about the author's autism and less about his dysfunctional family。 Also， he is mean and hateful to everyone he encounters and then wonders why they don't really like him。 His pranks are mean-spirited and he has a very condescending tone。 I got tired of listening so I'm moving on to something else。 。。。more
Brenna
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Really enjoyed John’s sharing of his experience with Aspergers。 As they say， if you’ve met one Aspie， you’ve met one Aspie， so while his experience is not that of all individuals with Aspergers and is， therefore， not prescriptive， it does beautifully allow any neurotypical to step into his shoes and explore a while。
Annie
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Fascinating and well written biography。
Erin McMahon
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This was part of the reading I wanted to do for Autism Awareness month。 It was great， I'd highly recommend it。 This was part of the reading I wanted to do for Autism Awareness month。 It was great， I'd highly recommend it。 。。。more
Anna
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Did not finish。 It was interesting。 But it's more autobiography that plods along Did not finish。 It was interesting。 But it's more autobiography that plods along 。。。more
Kasia Chojkiewicz
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This is what I needed: another perspective！ I am glad John Robison wrote this book so we， normal people （ if these really exist） could be more sensitive toward others people's point of view！ And。。。 yes， life may look totally different if it happens that you are not really blend in！ You are still a human being but。。。 I wish people looked more for understanding others instead of giving suggestions， that immediately implies that you are sitting on a higher house and giving me， down here， some advic This is what I needed: another perspective！ I am glad John Robison wrote this book so we， normal people （ if these really exist） could be more sensitive toward others people's point of view！ And。。。 yes， life may look totally different if it happens that you are not really blend in！ You are still a human being but。。。 I wish people looked more for understanding others instead of giving suggestions， that immediately implies that you are sitting on a higher house and giving me， down here， some advices！Thank you for the beautiful lesson of listening despite of our differences！ 。。。more
Natty
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Having been recently diagnosed as neuroatypical on the autism spectrum after a 40 year struggle of trying to not be the weird kid this book was a huge affirmation of the work involved in translating my spectrum experiences and behavior patterns into acceptable forms for the neurotypicals in society。 The shutting down and avoiding working/interacting with others to avoid the inevitable error that results in judgement/scorn/ostracism is a big theme of my life that I'm working on as well so it's ni Having been recently diagnosed as neuroatypical on the autism spectrum after a 40 year struggle of trying to not be the weird kid this book was a huge affirmation of the work involved in translating my spectrum experiences and behavior patterns into acceptable forms for the neurotypicals in society。 The shutting down and avoiding working/interacting with others to avoid the inevitable error that results in judgement/scorn/ostracism is a big theme of my life that I'm working on as well so it's nice to read someone else's journey that is going well。 。。。more
Melissa
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Fascinating memoir about/by a savant with Asberger's， his way of seeing the world， his challenges growing up without a diagnosis， and his interesting and varied life。 （He used to tour with KISS！ He's the brother of Augustin Burroughs！） Highly recommend！ Fascinating memoir about/by a savant with Asberger's， his way of seeing the world， his challenges growing up without a diagnosis， and his interesting and varied life。 （He used to tour with KISS！ He's the brother of Augustin Burroughs！） Highly recommend！ 。。。more
Yuna
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An interesting insight into the life of an Aspergian， but sometimes got a little dull。 I skimmed a few sections where the author was just describing the mechanics of a certain thing he had made。 I found the details of his home life more gripping but considering that he left home at 16， there wasn't a lot of that within the book。 This book focuses less on Asperger's。 and more on John Robison's life， straight up。 If you want a lot of details on Asperger's as a condition， I would maybe pick up some An interesting insight into the life of an Aspergian， but sometimes got a little dull。 I skimmed a few sections where the author was just describing the mechanics of a certain thing he had made。 I found the details of his home life more gripping but considering that he left home at 16， there wasn't a lot of that within the book。 This book focuses less on Asperger's。 and more on John Robison's life， straight up。 If you want a lot of details on Asperger's as a condition， I would maybe pick up something a little different。 。。。more
Michelle Duda
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Amazing I site into the world of Asperger’s。
Nat A
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Wonderful book from start to finish， a childhood favorite。 I'm not sure if I would be diagnosed similarly but I found much of his descriptions of Aspergian life to be quite relatable。 I also loved the inner monologues and the playful moments quite a bit。 His impulse to spin long-winded mistruths also was shockingly similar to my childhood tendencies。 I guess it's personal for me: I feel like this memoir understands me in some strange way that I can't quite put my finger on。 Wonderful book from start to finish， a childhood favorite。 I'm not sure if I would be diagnosed similarly but I found much of his descriptions of Aspergian life to be quite relatable。 I also loved the inner monologues and the playful moments quite a bit。 His impulse to spin long-winded mistruths also was shockingly similar to my childhood tendencies。 I guess it's personal for me: I feel like this memoir understands me in some strange way that I can't quite put my finger on。 。。。more
Mosh
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This is a fascinating look at growing up/living with Asperger's。 Over my years of teaching， I've had students on varying levels of the spectrum， but this gives me more insight into who they are and - I hope - how to better communicate with and teach them。I find it interesting that at one point， when he starts working with bands， the narrative shifts from how he feels to what he does。 He focuses little on his inability to communicate or understand subtle conversational cues and more on pressures This is a fascinating look at growing up/living with Asperger's。 Over my years of teaching， I've had students on varying levels of the spectrum， but this gives me more insight into who they are and - I hope - how to better communicate with and teach them。I find it interesting that at one point， when he starts working with bands， the narrative shifts from how he feels to what he does。 He focuses little on his inability to communicate or understand subtle conversational cues and more on pressures he felt to get the job done or his confidence ini his abilities。 At that point， it becomes a memoir like that of anyone else。 This might be intentional to show that *he*， on many levels， is like anyone else。I don't know if it's intentional or not， but I think Robison's lack of engagement with others is exemplified by his relationship with Little Bear; she pretty much shows up in the text as an afterthought。 When he's on the road with KISS， he casually mentions that they'd moved in together。 This seems like a huge step for him， but he glosses over it。 I don't think he didn't love her， but he doesn't go into much detail about their relationship the way he does with his son。I also see much of myself in him。 I， too， have a tendency to re-name people and objects。 I， too， sometimes have difficulty engaging as deeply on a personal level with friends and family as I think I ought to。 And I， too， have a tendency to think of facts I know as common knowledge。 Robison goes into great detail describing a computer circuit or car part， as if knowing about what he's discussing is equal to knowing George Washington was the U。S。's first president; I often find myself saying something and being met with blank stares。 Granted， sometimes this is from students who have no concept of history， but it happens nonetheless。 。。。more
Christoph Weber
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Somewhat tragic but told in an entertaining and （mostl） fun way。 I could have done without some of the KISS memories， I'm not much into that and a lot just shows his attention to detail， but not any "dealing with aspergers" stuff。 Somewhat tragic but told in an entertaining and （mostl） fun way。 I could have done without some of the KISS memories， I'm not much into that and a lot just shows his attention to detail， but not any "dealing with aspergers" stuff。 。。。more
Stacey Meyer
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A must read for every teacher！
Natalie Loomans
，
I really liked this book because I learned so many new things about Asperger's。 I really liked this book because I learned so many new things about Asperger's。 。。。more
Amanda Liverzani
，
I very much wanted to like this book but the author is so apt at codeswitching that I doubt his sincerity--but that might just be my own cynicism。 A rare memoir where at the end one still feels the author is enigmatic。
Amy Schroeder
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This was the first book about Asperger's where the individual could reason his way out of the atypical symptoms。 There were many funny parts， but told in a straightforward Aspergian voice。 This was the first book about Asperger's where the individual could reason his way out of the atypical symptoms。 There were many funny parts， but told in a straightforward Aspergian voice。 。。。more
Oberst Ink
，
As a fellow aspie， I could have been reading a book about my own life， just set in a different location。 In my first attempt at writing my own first book， there were so many parallels between John Elder's life and my own， that I ended up going in a completely different direction so as to not just rewrite his wonderful tale。 As a fellow aspie， I could have been reading a book about my own life， just set in a different location。 In my first attempt at writing my own first book， there were so many parallels between John Elder's life and my own， that I ended up going in a completely different direction so as to not just rewrite his wonderful tale。 。。。more
Judy
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3。5 I listened to this on audio。 Good insight into the world of an asberger。 I believe I am on the spectrum， as are some of my children and my husband （most definitely）。 This was the biggest reason I wanted to read this book。 I'm going to try the petting thing to see if it helps。 🤔 3。5 I listened to this on audio。 Good insight into the world of an asberger。 I believe I am on the spectrum， as are some of my children and my husband （most definitely）。 This was the biggest reason I wanted to read this book。 I'm going to try the petting thing to see if it helps。 🤔 。。。more
Jessica Bertram
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