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“One of the most remarkable books I’ve ever read. It’s truly moving, eye-opening, incredibly vivid.”--Jon Stewart, NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR • FINALIST FOR THE BOOKS FOR A BETTER LIFE FIRST BOOK AWARD • You’ve never read a book like Using an alphabet grid to painstakingly construct words, sentences, and thoughts that he is unable to speak out loud, Naoki answers even the most delicate questions that people want to know. Questions such as: “Why do people with autism talk so loudly and weirdly?” “Why do you line up your toy cars and blocks?” “Why don’t you make eye contact when you’re talking?” and “What’s the reason you jump?” (Naoki’s answer: “When I’m jumping, it’s as if my feelings are going upward to the sky.”) With disarming honesty and a generous heart, Naoki shares his unique point of view on not only autism but life itself. His insights--into the mystery of words, the wonders of laughter, and the elusiveness of memory--are so startling, so strange, and so powerful that you will never look at the world the same way again. In his introduction, bestselling novelist David Mitchell writes that Naoki’s words allowed him to feel, for the first time, as if his own autistic child was explaining what was happening in his mind. “It is no exaggeration to say that Praise for “This is an intimate book, one that brings readers right into an autistic mind.” -- “Amazing times a million.” --Whoopi Goldberg, “ --Andrew Solomon, “Extraordinary, moving, and jeweled with epiphanies.” “Small but profound . . . [Higashida’s] startling, moving insights offer a rare look inside the autistic mind.” -- ...
