The Boy Who Felt Too Much: How a Renowned Neuroscientist and His Son Changed Our View of Autism Forever
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- Create Date：2021-07-10 07:51:23
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Lorenz Wagner
- ISBN：1951627490
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Summary
An International Bestseller， the Story behind Henry Markram’s Breakthrough Theory about Autism， and How a Family’s Unconditional Love Led to a Scientific Paradigm Shift
Henry Markram is the Elon Musk of neuroscience， the man behind the billion-dollar Blue Brain Project to build a supercomputer model of the brain。 He has set the goal of decoding all disturbances of the mind within a generation。 This quest is personal for him。 The driving force behind his grand ambition has been his son Kai， who has autism。 Raising Kai made Henry Markram question all that he thought he knew about neuroscience， and then inspired his groundbreaking research that would upend the conventional wisdom about autism， expressed in his now-famous theory of Intense World Syndrome。
When Kai was first diagnosed， his father consulted studies and experts。 He knew as much about the human brain as almost anyone but still felt as helpless as any parent confronted with this condition in his child。 What’s more， the scientific consensus that autism was a deficit of empathy didn’t mesh with Markram’s experience of his son。 He became convinced that the disorder， which has seen a 657 percent increase in diagnoses over the past decade， was fundamentally misunderstood。 Bringing his world-class research to bear on the problem， he devised a radical new theory of the disorder: People like Kai don’t feel too little; they feel too much。 Their senses are too delicate for this world。
Henry Markram is the Elon Musk of neuroscience， the man behind the billion-dollar Blue Brain Project to build a supercomputer model of the brain。 He has set the goal of decoding all disturbances of the mind within a generation。 This quest is personal for him。 The driving force behind his grand ambition has been his son Kai， who has autism。 Raising Kai made Henry Markram question all that he thought he knew about neuroscience， and then inspired his groundbreaking research that would upend the conventional wisdom about autism， expressed in his now-famous theory of Intense World Syndrome。
When Kai was first diagnosed， his father consulted studies and experts。 He knew as much about the human brain as almost anyone but still felt as helpless as any parent confronted with this condition in his child。 What’s more， the scientific consensus that autism was a deficit of empathy didn’t mesh with Markram’s experience of his son。 He became convinced that the disorder， which has seen a 657 percent increase in diagnoses over the past decade， was fundamentally misunderstood。 Bringing his world-class research to bear on the problem， he devised a radical new theory of the disorder: People like Kai don’t feel too little; they feel too much。 Their senses are too delicate for this world。
Reviews
Eric Wünsche
，
I think the book is super interesting and absolutely worth reading。 Even though it is very scientific it doesn’t get dry or boring。 It makes you think， reflect on certain things and ask yourself questions you haven’t thought about before。
Tamara Leemans
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It reads fluently but at times you really want to skip a page because of the propaganda。 Was probably more of an eye opener twenty years ago but to me underwhelming in 2021。
Alice
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Book is terribly written: it has too many （almost exclusively） irrelevant details， a sappy tone and not enough actual content。 The gist of this book can be summarized as follows: "Contrary to what many people think， people with autism are very sensitive。" I read the Dutch translation。 Book is terribly written: it has too many （almost exclusively） irrelevant details， a sappy tone and not enough actual content。 The gist of this book can be summarized as follows: "Contrary to what many people think， people with autism are very sensitive。" I read the Dutch translation。 。。。more
Angelena A aa¡
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DNF
Noora Celica
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It really showed a great insight into the world of autistic people。
Mira Ayoub
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Simply heartwarming。
Marcela
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I wasn't sure whether to rate this book highly or not。 My therapist recommended it and it certainly seemed to have affected her view on autism and neurodiversity。 It seemed to tell several stories， mainly focused on Henry the neuroscientist and how his son influenced his research。 There was a lot of buildup explaining how the basic neuroscience research with rats did not gel with conventional views of autism and finally led to his "intense world" theory of autism。 And then once they explain it t I wasn't sure whether to rate this book highly or not。 My therapist recommended it and it certainly seemed to have affected her view on autism and neurodiversity。 It seemed to tell several stories， mainly focused on Henry the neuroscientist and how his son influenced his research。 There was a lot of buildup explaining how the basic neuroscience research with rats did not gel with conventional views of autism and finally led to his "intense world" theory of autism。 And then once they explain it there is a bit of hand waving as to implications as to how we should treat autism differently based on that theory but I was definitely left wanting more。 The conclusion tells about the son's current life in Israel， which seems to be more accepting of disability than the rest of the world。 。。。more
Katy
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An account of neuroscientist Henry Makram and his groundbreaking work to prove autism is a condition where the brain fires extra neurons to intensify every feeling - and that autistic people close down to protect themselves from this， instead of the previous belief that they were incapable of feeling。 He was inspired by his son Kai who is autistic。
Dagmar Bočáková
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It is a wonderful read for everyone who happens to have a person on the autistic spectrum in their life。 It helps to understand where the screams are coming from and gives a valuable suggestions about what could be changed to improve quality of life of people with autism and their families。 This book got 5 stars from me， not because I would consider it an extraordinary written gem of narrative and masterpiece of language， but simply because it introduces the very touching and human story behind It is a wonderful read for everyone who happens to have a person on the autistic spectrum in their life。 It helps to understand where the screams are coming from and gives a valuable suggestions about what could be changed to improve quality of life of people with autism and their families。 This book got 5 stars from me， not because I would consider it an extraordinary written gem of narrative and masterpiece of language， but simply because it introduces the very touching and human story behind Intense World Theory and offers a peek behind the scene of the Blue Brain Project。 It is written in a very understandable language， that allows general public to grasp the concept behind otherwise complex neuroscientific research and dive into everyday struggles of researchers as well as patients。 。。。more
Zulugoat
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wow， just wow。。。full disclosure， I made it midway to Chapter 6 of Part III （way way way too far） before jumping into SUPERSPEED SKIM mode。。。I thought I had read some of the worst books out there， but every now and then， I am hit with a brick in the face by something just so dreadful， that you want to say: "there are just no words to describe how shitty this， is"， though you actually KNOW that there are words to do so， except that none of them can even euphemismically be used in a polite manner。H wow， just wow。。。full disclosure， I made it midway to Chapter 6 of Part III （way way way too far） before jumping into SUPERSPEED SKIM mode。。。I thought I had read some of the worst books out there， but every now and then， I am hit with a brick in the face by something just so dreadful， that you want to say: "there are just no words to describe how shitty this， is"， though you actually KNOW that there are words to do so， except that none of them can even euphemismically be used in a polite manner。Here we are faced with toilet paper level stuff。I am in my early 40s and I have read my fair share of books， this is the first one I go through that manages to discuss a serious topic， without listing ANY， and I mean， ANY， source， note， biography or anything。。。 Keep in mind， the main topic here is Autism， yes， Autism， but hey， who am I to ask for scientific mumbo jumbo like notes。。。The passage below taken from Part III， near the end of Chapter 4 entitled Counterintuitive， beautifully captures what I am talking about"A team of research scientists and doctors from Boston and Cleveland worked with autistic children and found that， even in moments of calm， their brains process 42 percent more information than the brains of normal children。 This， they concluded， is what prompted their social withdrawal。 One of the professors wrote an e-mail to the Markrams after the release of the study。 “Unfortunately， when we wrote the study， we didn’t know how much it dovetails with your theory。 Instead we interpreted our results in the classical framework: autism as a withdrawal into the self。”so yeah， you read that right， no date， no name， no name of an institution， no note， no footnote， no NOTHING。。。 it is basically like this throughout the book。。。 it's nothing short of infuriating。。。 （and very convenient if one is looking to avoid any questions about any of the facts in the book。。。 you just cannot find a date， name， or anything to pin on him）。。。 He MIGHT have done some research here， but then he would be the first author in HISTORY who is SOOO humble to decide not to show the encyclopedic notes used。。。 VERY UNLIKELY。。。 what is more likely， you ask？。。。 author spent one afternoon at the Biergarten churning this out。Really feel bad for Henry Markram， his son Kai， all the serious scientists alluded to in this book as well as everyone affected by this serious dreadful disease， BUT this is just not the way to do them any justice。。。 it is really really embarrassing。。。 It reads like Danielle Steele - of romance novel fame - deciding to write a romantic comedy on autism， and this would be her first draft， written as a joke while passed out， drunk on her toilet bowlSeriously？。。。 you have GOT to be kidding me。。。 OMG！。。。 I need a quadruple whiskey after this 。。。more
M。 Funk
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I've been reading a lot of books on autism lately for research purposes， and was very excited to find this one。 I was eager to dive into the concept of autism as a condition involving too much empathy rather than too little。 Unfortunately， there was not "diving in" to this book。 The story unfolded slowly and seemed to be written with the intent to tease and tantalize the reader。。。 what's happening？ What will come next？ What's the big reveal？ This does not seem like an appropriate approach for a I've been reading a lot of books on autism lately for research purposes， and was very excited to find this one。 I was eager to dive into the concept of autism as a condition involving too much empathy rather than too little。 Unfortunately， there was not "diving in" to this book。 The story unfolded slowly and seemed to be written with the intent to tease and tantalize the reader。。。 what's happening？ What will come next？ What's the big reveal？ This does not seem like an appropriate approach for a biographical， research-based book。 I'd rather get straight to the facts。 I appreciate the theory very much， but the book was a bit difficult to digest。 。。。more
Jörg
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Das vielleicht wichtigste Buch der WeltDieses Buch ist wirklich bahnbrechend und ich finde die Theorie und die Schlüsse richtigDies ist such die erste Ansicht über Autismus welche mir als korrekt erscheintDas Buch liest sich auch sehr gut und alles wird verständlich ausgedrückt， ich hoffe es wird eine Fortsetzung geben
Sheila
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I liked how this book wove the story of Henry's son Kai between their discoveries about autism。 Their Discovery that autism is hyper sensitivity rather than a lack of sensitivity was quite eye-opening for me。 I knew that autistic kids need quiet and low lighting， but I never knew why。 I loved their research that showed autism can be prevented and treated by limiting choices and stimuli。 That early intervention can lead to children becoming successful， gifted individuals as opposed to autistic in I liked how this book wove the story of Henry's son Kai between their discoveries about autism。 Their Discovery that autism is hyper sensitivity rather than a lack of sensitivity was quite eye-opening for me。 I knew that autistic kids need quiet and low lighting， but I never knew why。 I loved their research that showed autism can be prevented and treated by limiting choices and stimuli。 That early intervention can lead to children becoming successful， gifted individuals as opposed to autistic individuals with severe challenges。 Taking in way more stimuli than non-autistic people， if they can learn to process what they take in， it only makes sense that they will process more information than an average person。 Quite an encouraging read！ 。。。more
Rosemary
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This book gave me more empathy and understanding of Autistic people， as in how stimuli that we take as normal can be magnified in their receptors so strongly as to be terribly painful and episode provoking to them。 It also pointed out how different each autistic person can be， with different likes， dislikes and problems。 I liked how it spoke of certain countries finding job placement for Autistic people according to their abilities， and being sensitive to their individual coping mechanisms。 Don' This book gave me more empathy and understanding of Autistic people， as in how stimuli that we take as normal can be magnified in their receptors so strongly as to be terribly painful and episode provoking to them。 It also pointed out how different each autistic person can be， with different likes， dislikes and problems。 I liked how it spoke of certain countries finding job placement for Autistic people according to their abilities， and being sensitive to their individual coping mechanisms。 Don't we all need work to validate our existence and make us feel we're worthwhile and fit it？ There are areas of the book that mention time-line theories that are non-Biblical。 Also take into account that the Markham family， while extremely hard working also seem to be abundantly blessed with funds to travel， take vacations and give their son many advantages that are out of range of the average family。 Sad to say， many families do not have time to lavish the attention on their son as this family has done。 Since there is such a continuing high rate of Autism， more needs to be done in every country to give these children the best we can offer and in giving each country will also reap benefits of these different but often highly gifted people。 。。。more
Kate Flint
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A decent telling of the lives of the Markrams and the journey of Henry， Kai， Anat， and Kamila Markram and others who contributed to reshaping the neurotypical world's understanding of autism。 The first half of the book was a little slow and the writing felt clunky at times with dialogue that didn't help the story move along。 I would have like to have learned more about how their work and intense world theory has shaped programs and resources that help adults and children with autism and parents A decent telling of the lives of the Markrams and the journey of Henry， Kai， Anat， and Kamila Markram and others who contributed to reshaping the neurotypical world's understanding of autism。 The first half of the book was a little slow and the writing felt clunky at times with dialogue that didn't help the story move along。 I would have like to have learned more about how their work and intense world theory has shaped programs and resources that help adults and children with autism and parents raising autistic children。 。。。more
Penny
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Very easy to read， almost glib at times， but a respectful biography of of the Markham family and the father's search for a scientific understanding of autism because of his desire to understand and help his son。 Interesting to see how much our current understanding of autism and therapy approaches have been influenced by this research。 Very easy to read， almost glib at times， but a respectful biography of of the Markham family and the father's search for a scientific understanding of autism because of his desire to understand and help his son。 Interesting to see how much our current understanding of autism and therapy approaches have been influenced by this research。 。。。more
Karen
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Remarkable book！ Following the life story of Markram’s autistic son and watching how it affected his research is just amazing。
Stephen
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Interesting to see autism through a different set of eyes。 To be seen as people who feel too much it leads to more discovery about the brain and ways to deal with it and work with it。 Will lead to more understanding and empathy in the long run。
Anna
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This is an eye-opening book。 Its been a while since I read a book about autism that keeps me captivating to know more。 Love the style it is written， a scientist writing about his research not in a-matter-of-fact style but also how it is so real in his life that it actually helps him to approach the matter differently。Special needs peeps are always misunderstood - but are we understanding them the right way？
Ranjana
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3。5 stars
Jennifer Althaus
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I’m going to be a little harsh on this book。 I expected more。 In true honesty I found it a flat read that jumped around a little。 At times there seemed no point to what was happening。 This is one of those books that has so much to say and teach yet isn’t saying it。 It is possible it has got lost when being translated into English。 There was a brief few chapters in the middle where I connected and related and actually felt the book might be going somewhere so for that reason I give it three star I’m going to be a little harsh on this book。 I expected more。 In true honesty I found it a flat read that jumped around a little。 At times there seemed no point to what was happening。 This is one of those books that has so much to say and teach yet isn’t saying it。 It is possible it has got lost when being translated into English。 There was a brief few chapters in the middle where I connected and related and actually felt the book might be going somewhere so for that reason I give it three stars。 It took me way too long to read this book as every time I picked it up I was sure I would have to call defeat。 Have you read this book？ What did you think？ 。。。more
Mary
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Not sure why I read it。 It was a tad interesting。
Leslie King
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Not putting a star rating on this one， hard to with this type of book。。。 Interviews and facts and timelines were included。 Kind of read it for a class， also wanted to gain the information。 It is fascinating that the change in viewing of autism is in such recent history。 Really， this man's research （Henry Markram's） was so new when the latest DSM came out， that a significant amount of his so far proven research isn't reflected in the diagnostic criteria。 Educate yourself， because you might be the Not putting a star rating on this one， hard to with this type of book。。。 Interviews and facts and timelines were included。 Kind of read it for a class， also wanted to gain the information。 It is fascinating that the change in viewing of autism is in such recent history。 Really， this man's research （Henry Markram's） was so new when the latest DSM came out， that a significant amount of his so far proven research isn't reflected in the diagnostic criteria。 Educate yourself， because you might be the one educating the professionals。 。。。more
Maryann
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Eat read to understand autism more while also getting a story of how science changes。
Vaughan Hatton
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As someone who works with people on the spectrum， this book was a must read。 Such a heart warming story。 I think everyone needs to understand ASD in this day and age。 Today more people than ever are being put on the spectrum。 No single case is the same。
Patrick Arnold
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A beautiful book。 As the dad of an autistic daughter， I nearly wept with all the things Kai had gone through because I have gone through them as well。 I wish this book had been available to me twenty years ago so I hadn’t made so many mistakes with my beautiful girl。
Mary
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These scientist parents believed in finding a way to help their autistic son grow and be happy in society in ways different than the accepted norms of the day。 Because of their continued efforts， many in the medical community now view autism differently。
Tracy
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This is groundbreaking material， which I have not heard too much about。 I wonder if it has not been received too well in the communities。 It makes sense that autistic people are over sensitive as opposed to under。 And I don't see much of the therapy being explained， but you can go to their webpages for that， I believe。 Yet another journey with devoted parents and a different ending， because we're all different This is groundbreaking material， which I have not heard too much about。 I wonder if it has not been received too well in the communities。 It makes sense that autistic people are over sensitive as opposed to under。 And I don't see much of the therapy being explained， but you can go to their webpages for that， I believe。 Yet another journey with devoted parents and a different ending， because we're all different 。。。more
Marcia
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 As a mom of an autistic daughter， I appreciate this book on so many levels。 An autistic brain does not need to be stimulated。 It's on overdrive already！ I see so much of my daughter in this boy and for the first time in 16 years I feel some relief！ I finally have some understanding and， most importantly， HOPE。 It reads like a story， not necessarily like a novel， but a story。 A family's story of pain， confusion， love， understanding and hope。 A story that parents of autistic kids will find relatab As a mom of an autistic daughter， I appreciate this book on so many levels。 An autistic brain does not need to be stimulated。 It's on overdrive already！ I see so much of my daughter in this boy and for the first time in 16 years I feel some relief！ I finally have some understanding and， most importantly， HOPE。 It reads like a story， not necessarily like a novel， but a story。 A family's story of pain， confusion， love， understanding and hope。 A story that parents of autistic kids will find relatable and hit them right in the heart。 。。。more
Trish McLellan
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