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Not Even Wrong: A Father's Journey into the Lost History of Autism
"Collins elucidates, with great compassion, what it means to be 'normal' and what it means to be human." -Los Angeles Times
When Paul Collins's son Morgan was two years old, he could read, spell, and perform multiplication tables in his head...but not answer to his own name. A casual conversation-or any social interaction that the rest of us take for granted-will, for Morgan, always be a cryptogram that must be painstakingly decoded. He lives in a world of his an autistic world.
In Not Even Wrong, Paul Collins melds a memoir of his son's autism with a journey into this realm of permanent outsiders. Examining forgotten geniuses and obscure medical archives, Collins's travels take him from an English churchyard to the Seattle labs of Microsoft, and from a Wisconsin prison cell block to the streets of Vienna. It is a story that reaches from a lonely clearing in the Black Forest into the London palace of King George I, from Defoe and Swift to the discovery of evolution; from the modern dawn of the computer revolution to, in the end, the author's own household.
Not Even Wrong is a haunting journey into the borderlands of neurology - a meditation on what "normal" is, and how human genius comes to us in strange and wondrous forms.
When Paul Collins's son Morgan was two years old, he could read, spell, and perform multiplication tables in his head...but not answer to his own name. A casual conversation-or any social interaction that the rest of us take for granted-will, for Morgan, always be a cryptogram that must be painstakingly decoded. He lives in a world of his an autistic world.
In Not Even Wrong, Paul Collins melds a memoir of his son's autism with a journey into this realm of permanent outsiders. Examining forgotten geniuses and obscure medical archives, Collins's travels take him from an English churchyard to the Seattle labs of Microsoft, and from a Wisconsin prison cell block to the streets of Vienna. It is a story that reaches from a lonely clearing in the Black Forest into the London palace of King George I, from Defoe and Swift to the discovery of evolution; from the modern dawn of the computer revolution to, in the end, the author's own household.
Not Even Wrong is a haunting journey into the borderlands of neurology - a meditation on what "normal" is, and how human genius comes to us in strange and wondrous forms.
258 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 11, 2008
21 people are currently reading
3163 people want to read
About the author
Paul Collins
13 books280 followersPaul Collins is a writer specializing in history, memoir, and unusual antiquarian literature. His ten books have been translated into a dozen languages, and include Sixpence House: Lost in a Town of Books (2003) and The Murder of the Century: The Gilded Age Crime that Scandalized a City and Sparked the Tabloid Wars (2011). He lives in Oregon, where he is Chair and Professor of English at Portland State University.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
December 4, 2013
Ironically, this book provides for Autism what Autists themselves usually do not have - context. And by using historical explorations along with anecdotes relating to the author's own experience, I finally felt as if, for the first time, I was getting my head around this topic in a way that made sense.
I read this book almost a year after my daughter's diagnosis. For me, Autism has been one of the most bewildering things to try to learn about; each Autist is unique and the cause of the condition is still shrouded in mystery. As the saying goes, "If you know one child with Autism, you know one child with Autism."
There are more precise and clinical treaties on this topic. But for those just beginning the journey of gaining a broader understanding I can't think of a better book to start with.
I read this book almost a year after my daughter's diagnosis. For me, Autism has been one of the most bewildering things to try to learn about; each Autist is unique and the cause of the condition is still shrouded in mystery. As the saying goes, "If you know one child with Autism, you know one child with Autism."
There are more precise and clinical treaties on this topic. But for those just beginning the journey of gaining a broader understanding I can't think of a better book to start with.
May 26, 2010
It is going to be hard for me to provide a truly objective review of this book. The situations that Collins describes as he and his wife learn about autism and their autistic son are so familiar to me that it was almost (though not quite) like reading my own story. Things that others may find shocking or hard to understand seem like "just the way it is" to me.
(I had a similar problem with Temple Grandin's "Thinking in Pictures": people I recommended it to found it unnerving and didn't understand it, when I "got it" right away and couldn't understand why they didn't.)
If you want to read a story that shows parents loving their child unconditionally, not trying to fix him and yet trying to make sure he finds his place in this world, this is an excellent place to start.
(I had a similar problem with Temple Grandin's "Thinking in Pictures": people I recommended it to found it unnerving and didn't understand it, when I "got it" right away and couldn't understand why they didn't.)
If you want to read a story that shows parents loving their child unconditionally, not trying to fix him and yet trying to make sure he finds his place in this world, this is an excellent place to start.
May 16, 2020
This is a copy of my review from amazon.com.
Not Even Wrong: Adventures in Autism was written by historian Paul Collins, the author of Sixpence House: Lost in a Town of Books. His son Morgan bounces around exuberantly playing verbal games with numbers and letters, banging on the piano, reading everything in sight, and interacting with his nanny and parents in his own way.
Morgan is certainly not a "stranger in the strange land of human emotions" as the official review claims (once again, the autistic as weird alien stereotype). He's happy. He has a great time. He's as enthusiastic as Mandy West in Paul West's old classic Words for a Deaf Daughter and Gala: A Fictional Sequel and just as oblivious to the fact that according to autism experts, he's actually living in a world of his own and that there must be a real child in there struggling to get out, etc., etc. He is the real child. That's him.
And his parents! They think he's simply a bright kid with many interests. Who the hell cares if he doesn't answer when you ask his name or play along with dumb "look at the funny monkey" games when there's a much more interesting talking computerized camera in the same room?
In short, the parents don't see anything wrong with the kid, because there isn't anything wrong with the kid. He isn't living in a world of his own. He's just more interested in music, math, reading, and audio equipment than people. A phalanx of experts try to convince Collins that Morgan's in need of vast amounts of therapy to bring him up to "normal", but Collins sensibly doesn't buy it even after he is made to understand that two-year-olds generally have more interest in the above social interactions.
Like Paul West citing stories of famous deaf people, Collins goes back in time to look at historical figures who may have had conditions similar to autism, which the shrinks finally talk him into believing his son is at least sort of, kind of, on the spectrum. He spends a lot of time on Peter the Wild Boy, gets into a bit of Henry Darger and others, and presents us with an endless array of fascinating trivia. Thirty years ago, the obviously devoted Collins would have been targeted, for his thoroughness and thoughtfulness, as one of those too- intellectual "refrigerator parents" whose cold, remote attitude forced their kids to "withdraw into a shell of autism". He talks about Bruno Bettelheim, too -- the charlatan who came up with that, the quack who faked a psychology degree and promoted the theory that all autism was caused by abusive parents. Bettelheim defrauded the psychiatric community and the public for years, while brutalizing hundreds of children at his Orthogenic School.
Collins also finds evidence that so-called Asperger syndrome is not a "mild" or "high functioning" form of autism -- it is autism. The perceived difference between autism and Asperger originated with different samplings and with the differing attitudes of Leo Kanner and Hans Asperger toward their young subjects. Asperger's research was ignored for decades, some of it lost in WWII.
Collins looks for (and finds) a way to help Morgan communicate without murdering who he is, using an array of homemade picture cards. He also finds a school with an autistic program where the kids are permitted to learn in an interdisciplinary fashion, related to their particular interests and styles.
The book ends in almost a parody of the old sunburst-through-clouds, ohmygod-it's a breakthrough fashion when Morgan notices Collins has left the room and yells "Daddy" to bring him back. So those who believe in the sickness/cure paradigm get a Reader's Digest condensed version of what they want, and Morgan remains jolly well autistic.
The book repeatedly and convincingly gives the message that it's a mistake to try to force we autistics to behave as something other than our true selves. Parents of other autistic kids tell Collins about how their kid went through the pink monkey routine when they were mainstreamed, but did fine in an autistic school where they were allowed to communicate in their own way. Simply letting autistic people be autistic is such a revolutionary idea! But I think it will be accepted, along with ideas such as autistic culture, in the very near future.
It is easy to forget that autism is still classified as a mental illness. Part of this confusion is caused by the fact that some psychotic children (made that way by abuse or other toxic life circumstance) behave superficially similar to autistic (cf. Mira Rothenberg's Children with Emerald Eyes: Histories of Extraordinary Boys and Girls). The Journal of Autism used to be the Journal of Autism and Childhood Schizophrenia and the two conditions were constantly being mistaken for each other. Now it is generally acknowledged thanks to Bernard Rimland and others that autism has a biochemical and/or neurological basis and is not a response to child abuse. (I believe it is only a matter of time before multiple personality is similarly demystified.)
As of 2010, most mainstream services for autism are still dedicated to the proposition that autism can and must be cured, and that until that day, autistics must be trained to behave as close to non-autistic as possible. But the internet is full of autistic teens and adults, who explain their experiences on thousands of blogs and Youtube videos, rejecting puzzle-piece objectification. We have the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, owned and operated by autistic people. And there are blogs by parents explaining that, once again, there is nothing wrong with an autistic child. They're just different, so their education (not "intervention") will have to be different.
It'll take a while to change, but I believe it will change. And I will live to see it, and so will you. Thank you, Paul Collins, for bringing that day a little closer.
Not Even Wrong: Adventures in Autism was written by historian Paul Collins, the author of Sixpence House: Lost in a Town of Books. His son Morgan bounces around exuberantly playing verbal games with numbers and letters, banging on the piano, reading everything in sight, and interacting with his nanny and parents in his own way.
Morgan is certainly not a "stranger in the strange land of human emotions" as the official review claims (once again, the autistic as weird alien stereotype). He's happy. He has a great time. He's as enthusiastic as Mandy West in Paul West's old classic Words for a Deaf Daughter and Gala: A Fictional Sequel and just as oblivious to the fact that according to autism experts, he's actually living in a world of his own and that there must be a real child in there struggling to get out, etc., etc. He is the real child. That's him.
And his parents! They think he's simply a bright kid with many interests. Who the hell cares if he doesn't answer when you ask his name or play along with dumb "look at the funny monkey" games when there's a much more interesting talking computerized camera in the same room?
In short, the parents don't see anything wrong with the kid, because there isn't anything wrong with the kid. He isn't living in a world of his own. He's just more interested in music, math, reading, and audio equipment than people. A phalanx of experts try to convince Collins that Morgan's in need of vast amounts of therapy to bring him up to "normal", but Collins sensibly doesn't buy it even after he is made to understand that two-year-olds generally have more interest in the above social interactions.
Like Paul West citing stories of famous deaf people, Collins goes back in time to look at historical figures who may have had conditions similar to autism, which the shrinks finally talk him into believing his son is at least sort of, kind of, on the spectrum. He spends a lot of time on Peter the Wild Boy, gets into a bit of Henry Darger and others, and presents us with an endless array of fascinating trivia. Thirty years ago, the obviously devoted Collins would have been targeted, for his thoroughness and thoughtfulness, as one of those too- intellectual "refrigerator parents" whose cold, remote attitude forced their kids to "withdraw into a shell of autism". He talks about Bruno Bettelheim, too -- the charlatan who came up with that, the quack who faked a psychology degree and promoted the theory that all autism was caused by abusive parents. Bettelheim defrauded the psychiatric community and the public for years, while brutalizing hundreds of children at his Orthogenic School.
Collins also finds evidence that so-called Asperger syndrome is not a "mild" or "high functioning" form of autism -- it is autism. The perceived difference between autism and Asperger originated with different samplings and with the differing attitudes of Leo Kanner and Hans Asperger toward their young subjects. Asperger's research was ignored for decades, some of it lost in WWII.
Collins looks for (and finds) a way to help Morgan communicate without murdering who he is, using an array of homemade picture cards. He also finds a school with an autistic program where the kids are permitted to learn in an interdisciplinary fashion, related to their particular interests and styles.
The book ends in almost a parody of the old sunburst-through-clouds, ohmygod-it's a breakthrough fashion when Morgan notices Collins has left the room and yells "Daddy" to bring him back. So those who believe in the sickness/cure paradigm get a Reader's Digest condensed version of what they want, and Morgan remains jolly well autistic.
The book repeatedly and convincingly gives the message that it's a mistake to try to force we autistics to behave as something other than our true selves. Parents of other autistic kids tell Collins about how their kid went through the pink monkey routine when they were mainstreamed, but did fine in an autistic school where they were allowed to communicate in their own way. Simply letting autistic people be autistic is such a revolutionary idea! But I think it will be accepted, along with ideas such as autistic culture, in the very near future.
It is easy to forget that autism is still classified as a mental illness. Part of this confusion is caused by the fact that some psychotic children (made that way by abuse or other toxic life circumstance) behave superficially similar to autistic (cf. Mira Rothenberg's Children with Emerald Eyes: Histories of Extraordinary Boys and Girls). The Journal of Autism used to be the Journal of Autism and Childhood Schizophrenia and the two conditions were constantly being mistaken for each other. Now it is generally acknowledged thanks to Bernard Rimland and others that autism has a biochemical and/or neurological basis and is not a response to child abuse. (I believe it is only a matter of time before multiple personality is similarly demystified.)
As of 2010, most mainstream services for autism are still dedicated to the proposition that autism can and must be cured, and that until that day, autistics must be trained to behave as close to non-autistic as possible. But the internet is full of autistic teens and adults, who explain their experiences on thousands of blogs and Youtube videos, rejecting puzzle-piece objectification. We have the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, owned and operated by autistic people. And there are blogs by parents explaining that, once again, there is nothing wrong with an autistic child. They're just different, so their education (not "intervention") will have to be different.
It'll take a while to change, but I believe it will change. And I will live to see it, and so will you. Thank you, Paul Collins, for bringing that day a little closer.
September 5, 2012
Though I am often wary of "memoirs of autism" written by neurotypical adults, this book is an exception. Collins struggles to understand his child, not as someone who is "trapped" in a disorder, but simply someone who sees the world in a completely different and useful way. Though there are many social hinderances for people with autism, there are also many benefits, such as the ability to focus for hours on end at something you enjoy. This may be why autism is commonly linked with savants or geniuses, but it's not that autistic people are any smarter - perhaps we are all geniuses, but most neurotypical people are too easily distracted to make huge strides in their fields : ) As an historian, Collins does a great job of giving the reader context for the way autism has been perceived in different cultures. Of course, the perspectives of Native Americans and East Asians (both cultures have had interesting views of autistic behaviors) are missing, but you can't squeeze everything into one book!
It's also worth noting that Collins and his wife are in the privileged position of working from home, so they are the primary caretakers for their son (and able to afford a babysitter when they need a break). It gives them a huge advantage in the attention they are able to give to his development.
It's also worth noting that Collins and his wife are in the privileged position of working from home, so they are the primary caretakers for their son (and able to afford a babysitter when they need a break). It gives them a huge advantage in the attention they are able to give to his development.
April 9, 2021
We, autistic people, usually have an allergic reaction to "autism moms/dads" and their testaments. So I was really surprised when I saw a quote that hit close to home about autism and figured out it came from what seemed a memoir of a father of an infant, then toddler autistic kid. I gave this book a try, and was plenty surprised, in both positive and negative ways. I want to share some of my reflections and hope that someone finds those thoughts of an autistic adult helpful.
First positive surprise - Paul and Jennifer (the parents) don't act like the typical "autism parents" I mentioned in the first paragraph. Since the beginning of the story (early infancy) to the end (where Morgan, the son, is in some school/preschool(?) program so I guess he is several years old then) their love and acceptance of the son "as he is" is clear. They explicitly value Morgan's happiness (and he is happy in the home they provide) over "good behavior or "proper development" or "fitting in". Near the end Paul admits that initially he had a thought if it could be "cured" but no longer, and when he is sad and afraid, it's because he is afraid of someone hurting his son. In Morgan's infancy, the family is always in wonder of his developments, as many new parents probably are, and when people act like the kid "is wrong", they defend him. Still, people's reactions lead to diagnosis and family getting help, and it seems that help is centered on (augumented/alternative) communication, not on learning "proper" behavior - big plus, they saved the son so much trauma that behaviorism and mainstreaming inflicts on autistic people (me included). And parents are willing to actually learn a lot about various facets of autism spectrum.
Also I loved how Paul, upon learning more about autistic traits and the genetic origin, reflects on his own behaviors, memories and family history, and figures out that he may be on the spectrum, even if he is more verbal and better masking than his son (this feels personal for me, a late-diagnosed adult, child of a clearly autistic father and grandfather, all of us masking and verbal). This is something many parents can't bring themself to reflect upon.
In general, the open-minded approach of an author was a very big plus. The story of his family and learning about autism because of his son is interwoven with his research as a historian - centered on "odd" and "quirky" historical figures that displayed traits now considered autistic (I have a feeling this may be a bit of a special interest, and an unconscious pull towards fellow neurodiverse people that so many of us have). Those figures are not very famous, so they form a fascinating collection of "new" stories for many readers. They also form an alternative historical narrative about autism - that we have always been there. We are not a recent "epidemic", we were just known under different (often derogatory) names as a part of societies everywhere. Just like queer studies scholars and historians form narratives of our queer ancestors who lived before the modern lexicon was invented, so does this historian form a narrative of "autism history".
Now, for my biggest concern - obviously the state of knowledge on autism changed a lot between 2004 (when the book was published) and 2021. Still, as an autistic person, I can't condone platforming dr Simon Baron-Cohen and him being presented as the most prominent "autism expert" in the book. Granted, parent's and writer's impulse to learn as much as possible on autism from the most reputable scientists is praise-worthy. However, as of 2021, SBC's theories (that autistics have "extreme male brain", lack "theory of mind" and empathy, and are systems-obsessed and therefore "useful", and in general the stereotype of cold, robotic and uncaring) have been disproven many times, both by scientists and autistics own testaments (the way "refrigerator mother" theory, still lingering in mainstream, is presented only to be debunked in the book). In 2004, they have been made a part of this book, and in 2021 they still linger both in public and medical sphere - I got a formal diagnosis, based, among others, on SBC's tests and questionnaires that focus only on few areas of the spectrum he researched and are heavily influenced by his "lack of theory of mind" hypothesis. In many ways I am that "stereotypical highly functioning autistic" who will pass those tests - very STEM-oriented "gifted kid", always bad with peers and making friends, awkwardly behaving and moving, appearing cold and robotic, avoiding eye contact and missing many jokes, but I am also extremely empathetic (to the point that plight of others can cause my meltdown), queer and nonbinary AFAB person who is extremely verbal (hyperlexic) and definitely does not lack theory of mind nor self awareness. Side note, I suppose being a "girl" born in Eastern Europe (probably a few years before Morgan) may be the biggest reason for my late (adult) diagnosis even though so many stereotypes were there. By the way, Paul acknowledges many privileges of his family - the parents are white Americans who mostly WFH (so they can spend a lot of time with son) and have access to free state disability programs (that don't exist or aren't good in many places). Access that, as Paul notices in this book, is hard for many immigrants because of language bareer.
To sum up, luckily this book was not a run-off-the-mill-autistic-parent-book. The overarching message of acceptance, importance of personal happiness and questioning "normalcy" is nothing-less-than praiseworthy and needs repeating in mainstream. Representation of augmented communication and help service that is not ABA (there are many testimonies on why ABA is bad on the internet, not in this book though) and positive portrayal of a frequently non-verbal autistic child (of a very verbal parent on the spectrum) also count as pros. Still, I can't recommend this book without a BIG caveat regarding some theories (and SBC) presented. For us autistics it may be tiresome or a trigger, for allistics it definitely cannot be a sole source of information, rather a jumping-off point with a reminder to question the scientific (often allistic and ableist) world frequently and listen to the autistic people about our lived experiences.
First positive surprise - Paul and Jennifer (the parents) don't act like the typical "autism parents" I mentioned in the first paragraph. Since the beginning of the story (early infancy) to the end (where Morgan, the son, is in some school/preschool(?) program so I guess he is several years old then) their love and acceptance of the son "as he is" is clear. They explicitly value Morgan's happiness (and he is happy in the home they provide) over "good behavior or "proper development" or "fitting in". Near the end Paul admits that initially he had a thought if it could be "cured" but no longer, and when he is sad and afraid, it's because he is afraid of someone hurting his son. In Morgan's infancy, the family is always in wonder of his developments, as many new parents probably are, and when people act like the kid "is wrong", they defend him. Still, people's reactions lead to diagnosis and family getting help, and it seems that help is centered on (augumented/alternative) communication, not on learning "proper" behavior - big plus, they saved the son so much trauma that behaviorism and mainstreaming inflicts on autistic people (me included). And parents are willing to actually learn a lot about various facets of autism spectrum.
Also I loved how Paul, upon learning more about autistic traits and the genetic origin, reflects on his own behaviors, memories and family history, and figures out that he may be on the spectrum, even if he is more verbal and better masking than his son (this feels personal for me, a late-diagnosed adult, child of a clearly autistic father and grandfather, all of us masking and verbal). This is something many parents can't bring themself to reflect upon.
In general, the open-minded approach of an author was a very big plus. The story of his family and learning about autism because of his son is interwoven with his research as a historian - centered on "odd" and "quirky" historical figures that displayed traits now considered autistic (I have a feeling this may be a bit of a special interest, and an unconscious pull towards fellow neurodiverse people that so many of us have). Those figures are not very famous, so they form a fascinating collection of "new" stories for many readers. They also form an alternative historical narrative about autism - that we have always been there. We are not a recent "epidemic", we were just known under different (often derogatory) names as a part of societies everywhere. Just like queer studies scholars and historians form narratives of our queer ancestors who lived before the modern lexicon was invented, so does this historian form a narrative of "autism history".
Now, for my biggest concern - obviously the state of knowledge on autism changed a lot between 2004 (when the book was published) and 2021. Still, as an autistic person, I can't condone platforming dr Simon Baron-Cohen and him being presented as the most prominent "autism expert" in the book. Granted, parent's and writer's impulse to learn as much as possible on autism from the most reputable scientists is praise-worthy. However, as of 2021, SBC's theories (that autistics have "extreme male brain", lack "theory of mind" and empathy, and are systems-obsessed and therefore "useful", and in general the stereotype of cold, robotic and uncaring) have been disproven many times, both by scientists and autistics own testaments (the way "refrigerator mother" theory, still lingering in mainstream, is presented only to be debunked in the book). In 2004, they have been made a part of this book, and in 2021 they still linger both in public and medical sphere - I got a formal diagnosis, based, among others, on SBC's tests and questionnaires that focus only on few areas of the spectrum he researched and are heavily influenced by his "lack of theory of mind" hypothesis. In many ways I am that "stereotypical highly functioning autistic" who will pass those tests - very STEM-oriented "gifted kid", always bad with peers and making friends, awkwardly behaving and moving, appearing cold and robotic, avoiding eye contact and missing many jokes, but I am also extremely empathetic (to the point that plight of others can cause my meltdown), queer and nonbinary AFAB person who is extremely verbal (hyperlexic) and definitely does not lack theory of mind nor self awareness. Side note, I suppose being a "girl" born in Eastern Europe (probably a few years before Morgan) may be the biggest reason for my late (adult) diagnosis even though so many stereotypes were there. By the way, Paul acknowledges many privileges of his family - the parents are white Americans who mostly WFH (so they can spend a lot of time with son) and have access to free state disability programs (that don't exist or aren't good in many places). Access that, as Paul notices in this book, is hard for many immigrants because of language bareer.
To sum up, luckily this book was not a run-off-the-mill-autistic-parent-book. The overarching message of acceptance, importance of personal happiness and questioning "normalcy" is nothing-less-than praiseworthy and needs repeating in mainstream. Representation of augmented communication and help service that is not ABA (there are many testimonies on why ABA is bad on the internet, not in this book though) and positive portrayal of a frequently non-verbal autistic child (of a very verbal parent on the spectrum) also count as pros. Still, I can't recommend this book without a BIG caveat regarding some theories (and SBC) presented. For us autistics it may be tiresome or a trigger, for allistics it definitely cannot be a sole source of information, rather a jumping-off point with a reminder to question the scientific (often allistic and ableist) world frequently and listen to the autistic people about our lived experiences.
June 2, 2013
Collins draws upon a number of different unusual accounts in history (children raised by wolves, savants of all stripes, boffins, etc) to tell his own story of raising his son who was diagnosed as being on the Autism spectrum at an early age.
Collins includes A LOT of information but at the same time glosses over certain parts of the memoir-ish stuff which were likely too difficult or tedious for him to share. If you want to know HOW exactly his son's behavioral therapists were able to do what they did, there are other books which will tell you. (This book could have easily have been twice as long (or more).)
The way in which these two projects is meshed is nothing short of masterful. Collins's intuitive knack for spinning a yarn will make you turn pages as you question whether humanity's collective mental processes are more alike or different & where you fit in in the tale of us.
Collins includes A LOT of information but at the same time glosses over certain parts of the memoir-ish stuff which were likely too difficult or tedious for him to share. If you want to know HOW exactly his son's behavioral therapists were able to do what they did, there are other books which will tell you. (This book could have easily have been twice as long (or more).)
The way in which these two projects is meshed is nothing short of masterful. Collins's intuitive knack for spinning a yarn will make you turn pages as you question whether humanity's collective mental processes are more alike or different & where you fit in in the tale of us.
May 13, 2013
We received our son's autism diagnosis a few months before I began reading Not Even Wrong. Having read (and loved) Collins' earlier works, I was eager to read it, and wasn't disappointed once I started.
He manages to capture, so eloquently and subtly, the experience of coming to grips with the autism diagnosis in his own son, Morgan, while simultaneously telling the intriguing stories of historical figures who may also have had autism.
I would recommend this book to any parent who is starting the autism journey with their child, but I think anyone would find it a fascinating read.
He manages to capture, so eloquently and subtly, the experience of coming to grips with the autism diagnosis in his own son, Morgan, while simultaneously telling the intriguing stories of historical figures who may also have had autism.
I would recommend this book to any parent who is starting the autism journey with their child, but I think anyone would find it a fascinating read.
November 20, 2013
I spent a good portion of my adult life working with individuals on the autism spectrum, many of whom were nonverbal or had limited verbal capabilities. I was there to watch the evolution of their verbal language, which was nothing short of beautiful. Many parts of this book take me back to the wonder I felt watching my clients connect the dots to verbal communication.
August 26, 2008
Can't recommend this one enough. Collins not only discusses his son's autism and he and his wife's "traits" that might be considered slightly autistic in nature, but delves quite deeply into the history of autism and historical figures who may have been autistic.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 4, 2009
Not Even Wrong is not quite the book I thought it would be when I ordered it from the library. The story of Collins' son, Morgan, diagnosed as autistic just before his third birthday, the book is also the autobiography of Collins' adjustment to his son's condition, and his attempt (along with his wife) to work a path through the world for their family. There's much about this approach that I appreciated: Collins' realizes he probably places on the spectrum himself, albeit at an extremely high-functioning point, and comes to understand the prevalence of autistic behaviors in his family line; as a historian of literature, he's also particularly well suited to delve into accounts of individuals in the past who were very likely autistic before autism was understood. Still, there's a sense in which this isn't Morgan's story - and perhaps in good measure it never can be. Yet that's what I wanted more of - to understand how Morgan learned to navigate the world; to gain some appreciation for his particular ordering of the universe; to explore the tension between honoring him as fully human just as he is, and his parents' want to give him basic tools of verbal communication and sociability.
I'm glad to have read the book, and yet feel curiously ambivalent about it. I wonder if this will change as I read the other stack of books about autism and Asperger's in my pile.
I'm glad to have read the book, and yet feel curiously ambivalent about it. I wonder if this will change as I read the other stack of books about autism and Asperger's in my pile.
July 18, 2009
This book is written by the author of Sixpence House, a favorite book of my friend Laura (M) who loves Paul Collins and passed this book along to me. The book goes through the process of Paul Collins receiving a diagnosis of Autism for his young son. I really appreciated the honest insight from a parent who really didn't see it coming because it's a perspective that I really need to work to understand. Collins also offers some really interesting ideas on autism as a whole (one quote I wrote down from the book will definitely be saved away along with the autism experts' incredible insights I've been collecting). He alternates between personal story and his research into other people with Autism, most famous, some less known and the history of the diagnosis (which is really interesting). I think his research is very interesting, but those chapters are better for people who have not done a lot of research on Autism (he borrows heavily from Uta Frith-see my review of Autism: Explaining the Enigma)
March 22, 2016
Excellent book!! But autistics are not all about numbers and strict logic. I learned to read at a young age and I build worlds in my mind. I have r's ead a lot of fantasy books and can probably write my own but will need an editor to work closely with me. I love the affirmation that autistic children, and the adults they grow into are a world of their own. One worthy to explore if you are willing to jump in. I do want to say one thing. I didn't like how the adults trying to help ie teachers and such experts, they want to break them out of their worlds and get them to focus on the outside of themselves. It's the way that they are doing it that I don't like, it's more abrupt. I prefer the play therapy that I have seen used, it's intense interaction but it focuses on the child's interest and you slowly draw them out. It's a lot of work and it takes a few years for some to make a breakthrough, but I prefer that than forcing their attention, it can induce a meltdown, we are 'safe' in our inner worlds, that's all I can say on that. But this is a great book.
September 18, 2011
An Interesting book, almost two books interspersed, like shuffling a deck of cards, bringing them together by allowing the reader to make their own connections between his historical research and the day-to-day life of the author and his young son. This book had me hopping back and forth to the computer to check on the lives of the personalilties/eccentrics he was talking about. There must be so many more stories out there.
The only thing lacking seemed to be his emotional response to his real life family's challenge of a wonderful son with autism; he most often details his behaviors or lack of response in very matter of fact scenes. He seemed to truly appreciate the child's point of view and NOT pathologist every response the boy made- but eventually he does reveal some level of distress, which legitimized his investment in this writing and drew me in until I was sorry when it ended.
The only thing lacking seemed to be his emotional response to his real life family's challenge of a wonderful son with autism; he most often details his behaviors or lack of response in very matter of fact scenes. He seemed to truly appreciate the child's point of view and NOT pathologist every response the boy made- but eventually he does reveal some level of distress, which legitimized his investment in this writing and drew me in until I was sorry when it ended.
April 10, 2012
I was really moved by this and keep thinking about the way the author slowly unfolded the narrative. There is very little internal from the author (the father) - he sets up scenes with his son and lets us witness the trials and triumphs of learning about his child. You realize along the way that he himself is definitely on the autism spectrum, and it makes you appreciate the way that parents have a special understanding of their progeny. The compassion and acceptance both parents show to their son is admirable.
While I like Collins' style I was less interested in the historical narrative of Peter the Wild Boy which interweaves with Morgan's story, largely because the latter is so compelling. But his prose style is so strong I'm planning to check out his first novel.
There is an interesting interview on NPR's "Being" featuring Collins and his wife Jennifer, which is where I first heard of the book.
While I like Collins' style I was less interested in the historical narrative of Peter the Wild Boy which interweaves with Morgan's story, largely because the latter is so compelling. But his prose style is so strong I'm planning to check out his first novel.
There is an interesting interview on NPR's "Being" featuring Collins and his wife Jennifer, which is where I first heard of the book.
December 4, 2013
Paul Collins ci parla del suo bambino Morgan, che a neppure tre anni sa leggere, contare, ha una memoria straordinaria ed è intelligentissimo. Ma è anche autistico, e non reagisce agli stimoli esterni, non sa chiedere ciò che vuole, non si rende conto che gli altri non possono leggergli nel pensiero. Collins descrive episodi della loro vita quotidiana con affetto e dolcezza, intervallandoli a vari excursus nel mondo dell'autismo. Da Peter il Ragazzo Selvaggio agli ingegneri della Microsoft, il mondo è popolato da cervelloni intelligenti quanto stravaganti in grado di effettuare ragionamenti inarrivabili per la maggior parte di noi, ma che non riescono a stabilire contatti umani né a concepire che cosa siano le convenzioni sociali.
È un libro veramente interessante, Morgan è un bambino dolcissimo, e il padre è davvero scrupoloso nel cercare di capire non solo il suo bambino, ma anche il mondo dell'autismo in generale.
È un libro veramente interessante, Morgan è un bambino dolcissimo, e il padre è davvero scrupoloso nel cercare di capire non solo il suo bambino, ma anche il mondo dell'autismo in generale.
Currently reading
July 17, 2011I just got this book, after hearing a fascinating discussion among Paul Collins, Jennifer Elder, his wife, and Krista Tippit on NPR this morning.
I look forward to reading it, because Paul and Jennifer seem to have a unique approach, seeing the continuum of autism, and even the empirical advantages of being able to see the world through the eyes of an autistic person, in this case their son.
As a historian, I also appreciate the historical dimensions of both Paul's book and also Jennifer's youth-reader effort, Different Like Me: My Book of Autism Heroes. It should be very encouraging for both autistic kids and their friends/ parents/ relatives to read that people such as Einstein, Kant, and many others (including apparently many Microsoft engineers and some well-known artists and musicians) are people with autism of one level or another.
Ed, July 17
I look forward to reading it, because Paul and Jennifer seem to have a unique approach, seeing the continuum of autism, and even the empirical advantages of being able to see the world through the eyes of an autistic person, in this case their son.
As a historian, I also appreciate the historical dimensions of both Paul's book and also Jennifer's youth-reader effort, Different Like Me: My Book of Autism Heroes. It should be very encouraging for both autistic kids and their friends/ parents/ relatives to read that people such as Einstein, Kant, and many others (including apparently many Microsoft engineers and some well-known artists and musicians) are people with autism of one level or another.
Ed, July 17
January 9, 2012
Paul Collins is quickly becoming one of my favorite newly-discovered authors. After reading his wonderfully funny Sixpence House, I knew I needed to try something else. This one starts where Sixpence House left off, when his family has moved back to the US and at the age of about three, his son Morgan is given an autistic spectrum diagnosis. Having worked with autistic and other special-needs kids at a previous job, many of the behaviors he described were very familiar to me, though I never worked with anyone quite so young. This book was not as humorous as his last (understandable and completely appropriate given the topic), but I actually thought it showed a lot more depth in the writing. Highly, highly recommended, and not just for anyone with connections to autism.
February 4, 2015
The cover art of NOT EVEN WRONG (the edition I read has a longer subtitle: A Father's Journey into the Lost History of Autism) depicts a collage of objects significant to Collins' son Morgan and the diversions the author encounters during his research. In a way, it is a reflection of autism itself: A collage of symptoms and behaviors. Morgan (Paul's son) is described as an “autist,” not “autistic.” The behaviors that unfold are a part of who he is, not just a trail of descriptors. We see an inquisitive child who can read at age 2, has an uncanny talent for mimicry and enthuses over popcorn and popsicles, but who does not say “Mommie” or “Daddy.” He's engaging, happy, volatile, focused, and, well, different. Thus we are introduced to the notion of a syndrome -- a collection of extreme idiosyncrasies. One of Morgan's most astonishing feats is the correct alignment of the planets on the window in the exact spot where they can be viewed as if they are suspended in the sky. Such moments of revealed vision are breathtaking.
If the first reaction to their son's diagnosis is denial, the second is immersion in research. It is here that author Paul Collins reveals his own uniqueness. There is a genetic component to autism, and Paul looks back into his own childhood. Tantrums at school due to extreme frustration; the sense of being overwhelmed by too many noises, demands, social cues, chaotic voices, people, random sounds and objects; difficulties with sustained focused listening, and overfocusing when an activity is of interest, but not necessarily the subject at hand – many readers will recognize some of the symptoms of attention deficit disorder. But that can be a good thing. The same associative thought patterns seem to guide the structure of this book. One riff takes him from the door of the Earlswood Museum, to Dr. Frederick Sano's 1918 drawing of James Henry Pullen's brain, to the treatment of mental disturbance in the 1850's , to Dr. J. Langdon Down's innovations at the Earlswood Asylum, to the parsing of autism from retardation. to the biographical details of James Henry Pullen. His narrative is always so engaging, so focused on the fruit of his endless curiosity, that the reader often emerges from a passage wondering how exactly he got there.
Much of Collins' story is poignant. We watch a year-long struggle in a special school as he and his wife try various techniques to encourage Morgan to communicate verbally – the first small step at opening up the door to the concept of otherness. One of Collins' treks is to the Liberty Dog Program at the Sanger Correctional Facility. It is the opening to a wide-ranging discussion from the autobiography of Temple Grandin to our capacity for nonverbal communication. The Liberty Dog Program pairs prison inmates with a training program for dogs destined to work with the disabled (visit the web address: libertydogprogram.com). The story ends when he views a photography of a child named Liam with his dog. Liam is an autist. He realizes that the bond of friendship that photo reveals is a mirror of his son's relationship to the much resuscitated “Elmo” doll that Morgan is so attached to. It is a look that recognizes friendship.
Collins' research always feels alive. It begins with the story of Peter, the 19th century feral child brought to England by King George I. To tell that story, he journeys to Berkhamsted and reads the correspondence of contemporaries such as Jonathan Swift. When he visits Vienna or quotes from a book, it is as if he is visiting the ghost of Freud, or relating a conversation with Hans Asperger. A visit to the Microsoft campus, and a discussion with Dr. Simon Baron Cohen brings us back, inevitably, to an essential question about these spectrum disorders.
What distinguishes enthusiasm from obsession? What divides introversion from an inability to socialize? What separates eccentricity from being “not even wrong” (a shorthand for not even sharing the same assumptions)? Is there a re-configuration of the genes of a great engineer or musician that also dips into autism? We assume we are swimming in a sea of normality, but how many are pretending to fit in? It is a twist on the Turing test (where a computer fools us into believing it is human) – people pretending to meet a seemingly arbitrary set of social expectations. Fate plays such a pronounced role in the happiness of each individual autist. Ultimately, Collins muses, “A genius must assiduously ignore others in order to be guided by his own curiosity, by a desire to make sense of the world....To someone with great focus, the fascination is the point. It was blind, brilliant, dumb luck that we had an Isaac Newton who focused on something that other people found important. There are Newtons of refrigerator parts, Newtons of painted light bulbs, Newtons of train schedules, Newtons of bits of string. Isaac Newton happened to be the Newton of Newtonian physics, and you cannot have him without having the others, too.”
Paul Collins is a gifted writer, and the book he has produced is not only enlightening, but both entertaining and thought-provoking as well.
If the first reaction to their son's diagnosis is denial, the second is immersion in research. It is here that author Paul Collins reveals his own uniqueness. There is a genetic component to autism, and Paul looks back into his own childhood. Tantrums at school due to extreme frustration; the sense of being overwhelmed by too many noises, demands, social cues, chaotic voices, people, random sounds and objects; difficulties with sustained focused listening, and overfocusing when an activity is of interest, but not necessarily the subject at hand – many readers will recognize some of the symptoms of attention deficit disorder. But that can be a good thing. The same associative thought patterns seem to guide the structure of this book. One riff takes him from the door of the Earlswood Museum, to Dr. Frederick Sano's 1918 drawing of James Henry Pullen's brain, to the treatment of mental disturbance in the 1850's , to Dr. J. Langdon Down's innovations at the Earlswood Asylum, to the parsing of autism from retardation. to the biographical details of James Henry Pullen. His narrative is always so engaging, so focused on the fruit of his endless curiosity, that the reader often emerges from a passage wondering how exactly he got there.
Much of Collins' story is poignant. We watch a year-long struggle in a special school as he and his wife try various techniques to encourage Morgan to communicate verbally – the first small step at opening up the door to the concept of otherness. One of Collins' treks is to the Liberty Dog Program at the Sanger Correctional Facility. It is the opening to a wide-ranging discussion from the autobiography of Temple Grandin to our capacity for nonverbal communication. The Liberty Dog Program pairs prison inmates with a training program for dogs destined to work with the disabled (visit the web address: libertydogprogram.com). The story ends when he views a photography of a child named Liam with his dog. Liam is an autist. He realizes that the bond of friendship that photo reveals is a mirror of his son's relationship to the much resuscitated “Elmo” doll that Morgan is so attached to. It is a look that recognizes friendship.
Collins' research always feels alive. It begins with the story of Peter, the 19th century feral child brought to England by King George I. To tell that story, he journeys to Berkhamsted and reads the correspondence of contemporaries such as Jonathan Swift. When he visits Vienna or quotes from a book, it is as if he is visiting the ghost of Freud, or relating a conversation with Hans Asperger. A visit to the Microsoft campus, and a discussion with Dr. Simon Baron Cohen brings us back, inevitably, to an essential question about these spectrum disorders.
What distinguishes enthusiasm from obsession? What divides introversion from an inability to socialize? What separates eccentricity from being “not even wrong” (a shorthand for not even sharing the same assumptions)? Is there a re-configuration of the genes of a great engineer or musician that also dips into autism? We assume we are swimming in a sea of normality, but how many are pretending to fit in? It is a twist on the Turing test (where a computer fools us into believing it is human) – people pretending to meet a seemingly arbitrary set of social expectations. Fate plays such a pronounced role in the happiness of each individual autist. Ultimately, Collins muses, “A genius must assiduously ignore others in order to be guided by his own curiosity, by a desire to make sense of the world....To someone with great focus, the fascination is the point. It was blind, brilliant, dumb luck that we had an Isaac Newton who focused on something that other people found important. There are Newtons of refrigerator parts, Newtons of painted light bulbs, Newtons of train schedules, Newtons of bits of string. Isaac Newton happened to be the Newton of Newtonian physics, and you cannot have him without having the others, too.”
Paul Collins is a gifted writer, and the book he has produced is not only enlightening, but both entertaining and thought-provoking as well.
June 18, 2019
Under-stated but profound. There are many books on autism, most of them aren't particularly good. This one takes a different angle of acceptance and understanding. Collins, while reflecting on his young son's difficulties, explores the history of eccentrics who were probably undiagnosed.
May 2, 2015
Wonderful book written by the father of an autistic son. I love that he weaves the stories of other autistic people from the past and present into his own son's story. I recorded a few quotes that I just loved (to keep for my own memory), and I'll share them here as well:
"Everything is a phrase from somewhere: from TV, from computer games, from books, from songs. He collects broken bits of language like a magpie, gathering stray threads of conversation; and he arranges them into a nest, comfortable to him and bafflingly strange to anyone else."
"Autists are described by others--and by themselves--as aliens among humans. But there's an irony to this, for precisely the opposite is true. They are us, and to understand them is to begin to understand what it means to be human. Think of it: a disability is usually defined in terms of what is missing. A child tugs at his or her parents and whispers, "Where's that man's arm?" But autism is an ability and a disability: it is as much about what is abundant as what is missing, an overexpression of the very traits that make our species unique. Other animals are social, but only humans are capable of abstract logic. The autistic outhuman the humans, and we can scarcely recognize the result."
"Autists are the ultimate square pegs, and the problem with pounding a square peg into a round hole is not that the hammering is hard work. It's that you are destroying the peg. What if normal school makes you abnormally miserable? And what if growing up into normal society makes you a miserable adult? Is that success? Is that normal? Do you want to be in the mainstream if it's going to drown you?"
"Everything is a phrase from somewhere: from TV, from computer games, from books, from songs. He collects broken bits of language like a magpie, gathering stray threads of conversation; and he arranges them into a nest, comfortable to him and bafflingly strange to anyone else."
"Autists are described by others--and by themselves--as aliens among humans. But there's an irony to this, for precisely the opposite is true. They are us, and to understand them is to begin to understand what it means to be human. Think of it: a disability is usually defined in terms of what is missing. A child tugs at his or her parents and whispers, "Where's that man's arm?" But autism is an ability and a disability: it is as much about what is abundant as what is missing, an overexpression of the very traits that make our species unique. Other animals are social, but only humans are capable of abstract logic. The autistic outhuman the humans, and we can scarcely recognize the result."
"Autists are the ultimate square pegs, and the problem with pounding a square peg into a round hole is not that the hammering is hard work. It's that you are destroying the peg. What if normal school makes you abnormally miserable? And what if growing up into normal society makes you a miserable adult? Is that success? Is that normal? Do you want to be in the mainstream if it's going to drown you?"
January 23, 2013
Colpisce la modestia e la serenità con cui Collins parla del figlio autistico. Non diventa giudice, non gioca il ruolo del super esperto, ma al tempo stesso non è rassegnato. E' un padre che cerca il meglio per il proprio figlio, e lo fa con molta umiltà cercando la strada migliore, documentandosi e studiando, ma ricordandosi che l'autismo non può essere ricondotto alle consuete categorie con cui noi "normali" osserviamo il mondo. E' appunto questo il senso del titolo, a significare che da oggi in poi per suo figlio Collins dovrà modificare le proprie categorie di giudizio, il proprio modo di valutare le cose che accadono e che li circondano. Un libro tenero e istruttivo.
July 16, 2014
Highly recommended to anyone interested in autism. Mom NOS is also a fan.
Reading the memoirs of parents who's children have autism, one of the things you notice is the broad spectrum of reactions. For a lot of parents, like Collins, there is an acceptance that "this" is how this child is. It may be very different from other children, or not. But for a given child, "this" is normal. Other parents seem to view their child's behavior as apart from the child himself, so that "this" isn't the child but a symptom of a disease the child has.
I think Paul Collins is probably a very good father, and I enjoyed his book.
Reading the memoirs of parents who's children have autism, one of the things you notice is the broad spectrum of reactions. For a lot of parents, like Collins, there is an acceptance that "this" is how this child is. It may be very different from other children, or not. But for a given child, "this" is normal. Other parents seem to view their child's behavior as apart from the child himself, so that "this" isn't the child but a symptom of a disease the child has.
I think Paul Collins is probably a very good father, and I enjoyed his book.
December 4, 2018
Collins' best book yet: poignant, well researched, and intensely personal. Paul and Jennifer began to realize that their son Morgan was mathematically and linguistically gifted, but unable to relate to other socially. As they looked for a diagnosis and suspected Asperger's syndrome, Paul did what he does so well: he researched the subject. Historical accounts, early medical studies, and a visit to Asperger's home in Austria all combined to provide a fascinating account of this fascinating syndrome. Undiagnosed cases may have included feral children, authors like Jonathan Swift and Daniel Defoe, and many of the 21st century "computer geeks" like Bill Gates.
August 17, 2012
Great help in understanding autism from a parents perspective. Very well written
August 27, 2020
Comunque non è come pensano loro: non è una tragedia, non è una triste storia e neppure il film della settimana. È la mia famiglia.
October 6, 2023
Als ihr Sohn Morgan zwei Jahre alt ist, können Paul und seine Frau Jennifer nicht mehr die Augen vor der Tatsache verschließen, dass er anders als die meisten anderen Kinder ist: er kann buchstabieren und Kopfrechnen, aber er erkennt seinen eigenen Namen nicht. Viele kleine Beobachtungen fügen sich zu einem Ganzen zusammen und Untersuchungen bestätigen es: Morgan ist ein Autist. Was für die Eltern nur eine Diagnose bedeutet, ist für andere ein Stigma. Den Grund dafür sucht Paul in der Geschichte des Autismus und findet viel Interessantes, aber auch Vieles, was ihn nachdenklich macht.
Die Eltern erkannten schon früh, dass Morgan in seiner eigenen Welt lebte, aber sie fanden es nicht schlimm. Morgan war in seiner Welt glücklich. allerdings fiel ihnen auch auf, dass der Umgang mit anderen Kindern ihm nicht nur schwerfiel, sondern mehr und mehr zu einer Qual wurde. Aber genau diesen Umgang muss er lernen, als er alt genug für die Vorschule wird. Für die Eltern beginnt ein Irrweg zwischen Kinderpsychologen, verschiedenen Schulformen, gut gemeinten Ratschlägen und Verzweiflung.
Paul erzählt seine Geschichte sehr ehrlich. Seine ersten Gedanken waren, ob man "das" heilen kann, oder wie Morgen in unserer leistungsorientierten Gesellschaft bestehen kann. Mahr als einmal waren seine Frau und er am Ende ihrer Kräfte, wenn ihr Sohn sich so verhielt, wie er eben war und nicht so, wie sie es nach zahlreichen Therapiestunden erwarteten.
In dieser Zeit begann Paul, sich mit der Geschichte des Autismus auseinander zu setzen, von den ersten Studien bis zu Rainman. Aber er setzt sich auch mit seiner eigenen Vergangenheit auseinander und erkennt Parallelen zwischen seinem Sohn und sich selbst. Und die Eltern stellen sich die ehrliche Frage: wollen wir wirklich noch ein zweites Kind und das noch einmal durchmachen?
Irgendwann wird alles einfacher. Paul und Jennifer haben eine Schule für Morgan gefunden, in der man auf ihn eingeht und er glücklich zu sein scheint. Für Paul ist es eine bittersüße Erkenntnis: sein Sohn mag anders sein, aber in seinem Anderssein ist er glücklich. Sein Anderssein ist nicht falsch, auch wenn das die herrschenden Normen vielleicht suggerieren.
Die Eltern erkannten schon früh, dass Morgan in seiner eigenen Welt lebte, aber sie fanden es nicht schlimm. Morgan war in seiner Welt glücklich. allerdings fiel ihnen auch auf, dass der Umgang mit anderen Kindern ihm nicht nur schwerfiel, sondern mehr und mehr zu einer Qual wurde. Aber genau diesen Umgang muss er lernen, als er alt genug für die Vorschule wird. Für die Eltern beginnt ein Irrweg zwischen Kinderpsychologen, verschiedenen Schulformen, gut gemeinten Ratschlägen und Verzweiflung.
Paul erzählt seine Geschichte sehr ehrlich. Seine ersten Gedanken waren, ob man "das" heilen kann, oder wie Morgen in unserer leistungsorientierten Gesellschaft bestehen kann. Mahr als einmal waren seine Frau und er am Ende ihrer Kräfte, wenn ihr Sohn sich so verhielt, wie er eben war und nicht so, wie sie es nach zahlreichen Therapiestunden erwarteten.
In dieser Zeit begann Paul, sich mit der Geschichte des Autismus auseinander zu setzen, von den ersten Studien bis zu Rainman. Aber er setzt sich auch mit seiner eigenen Vergangenheit auseinander und erkennt Parallelen zwischen seinem Sohn und sich selbst. Und die Eltern stellen sich die ehrliche Frage: wollen wir wirklich noch ein zweites Kind und das noch einmal durchmachen?
Irgendwann wird alles einfacher. Paul und Jennifer haben eine Schule für Morgan gefunden, in der man auf ihn eingeht und er glücklich zu sein scheint. Für Paul ist es eine bittersüße Erkenntnis: sein Sohn mag anders sein, aber in seinem Anderssein ist er glücklich. Sein Anderssein ist nicht falsch, auch wenn das die herrschenden Normen vielleicht suggerieren.
February 16, 2020
Ο τρόπος που ξεδιπλώνεται η αμηχανία της αξιολόγησης με το πως εξελίσσεται ο αυτισμός στον χρόνο του χθες κ του σημερα ειναι εντυπωσιακός! Ταυτίστηκα με την αγωνία το αγχος τα ερωτηματικά του γονιού κ ενθουσιαστικά με τον τροπο που αντιμετωπίστηκε... δεν υπάρχει σωστο ή λάθος, όσο πιο γρήγορα το αποδεχθείς τοσο λιγότερες τρικλοποδιές θα βάζεις στον ευατο σου!
Αριστούργημα Οχι γιατι με αγγίζει σε αυτο που ζω καθημερινά, αλλα γιατι ξεχνάμε ποια ειναι τα αυτονόητα!
«Ξέρετε οταν έβλεπα κάποιον να φέρεται ή να μιλάει περίεργα ή απλά να δείχνει αλλόκοτος μεσα στο λεωφορείο συνήθιζα να σκέφτομαι: τι προβλημα εχει; Ακομα μου βγαίνει αυτη η αντίδραση.τωρα όμως σταματάω κανω μια παύση κ αναρωτιέμαι: Οχι αλήθεια τι προβλημα εχει; Υπάρχει μια αλυσίδα γεγονότων δεκαετιών πισω απο αυτο το άτομο που βλέπετε. Ίσως το μόνο που μπορείτε να κάνετε ειναι να του ευχηθείτε σιωπηλά καλή τύχη κ να προσπαθήσετε να μην είστε βάναυσου κ κοπανοι απέναντι του. Ίσως μπορείτε να αναρωτηθείτε ποσα λίγα σας χωρίζουν απο αυτο το άτομο. Ίσως βέβαια να σας χωρίζουν πολλα. Αλλα σε καθε περίπτωση: ειναι τοσο διαφορετικοί απο κάποιους άλλους που ο κόσμος τους εχει σε υπόληψη, παρόλο που ειναι περίεργοι;»
(Ούτε καν λάθος)
Αριστούργημα Οχι γιατι με αγγίζει σε αυτο που ζω καθημερινά, αλλα γιατι ξεχνάμε ποια ειναι τα αυτονόητα!
«Ξέρετε οταν έβλεπα κάποιον να φέρεται ή να μιλάει περίεργα ή απλά να δείχνει αλλόκοτος μεσα στο λεωφορείο συνήθιζα να σκέφτομαι: τι προβλημα εχει; Ακομα μου βγαίνει αυτη η αντίδραση.τωρα όμως σταματάω κανω μια παύση κ αναρωτιέμαι: Οχι αλήθεια τι προβλημα εχει; Υπάρχει μια αλυσίδα γεγονότων δεκαετιών πισω απο αυτο το άτομο που βλέπετε. Ίσως το μόνο που μπορείτε να κάνετε ειναι να του ευχηθείτε σιωπηλά καλή τύχη κ να προσπαθήσετε να μην είστε βάναυσου κ κοπανοι απέναντι του. Ίσως μπορείτε να αναρωτηθείτε ποσα λίγα σας χωρίζουν απο αυτο το άτομο. Ίσως βέβαια να σας χωρίζουν πολλα. Αλλα σε καθε περίπτωση: ειναι τοσο διαφορετικοί απο κάποιους άλλους που ο κόσμος τους εχει σε υπόληψη, παρόλο που ειναι περίεργοι;»
(Ούτε καν λάθος)
September 19, 2021
A few years ago I read Paul Collins' Sixpence House, which was about moving his family to "the town of books", Hay-on-Wye in Wales, where over 40 bookstores thrive in a village of only 2000 or so inhabitants. This is a sequel, but each book stands alone very well. Not Even Wrong is about his autistic little boy and the fun, and fears, that are all part of raising him. As well as the personal stories, he takes us into the history of autism in a way that is never dry as some history telling is, bringing patients and doctors to vigorous life on the page. You'll find out who Dr. Asperger was and meet the doctor that Downs Syndrome is named after. And if you've never heard the story of "The Wild Boy", you're really missing something. Paul Collins addresses all these things with warmth and wit, and a conversational style that makes his books a pleasure to read.
March 2, 2026
I've owned the hard copy of this book forever, but finally decided to just buy the audio version so that I could listen to it while crafting. I have a renewed interest in the topic and wanted to read more about the history.
What I loved about this book were the personal glimpses into the father and son relationship here. The author learns that his son has autism while the child is a toddler, but he always maintained that the boy was fine the way he is and that it's just a different way of processing the world not something that's going to be "cured" so that his son will be "normal."
I really enjoyed the historical stories threaded through the narrative as Collins researches historical cases that likely represent people with autism spectrum disorders in times before that was an official diagnosis.
A lovely memoir, worth reading even 20 years after it was published.
What I loved about this book were the personal glimpses into the father and son relationship here. The author learns that his son has autism while the child is a toddler, but he always maintained that the boy was fine the way he is and that it's just a different way of processing the world not something that's going to be "cured" so that his son will be "normal."
I really enjoyed the historical stories threaded through the narrative as Collins researches historical cases that likely represent people with autism spectrum disorders in times before that was an official diagnosis.
A lovely memoir, worth reading even 20 years after it was published.
February 14, 2018
I saw&heard Collins in the documentary Loving Lampposts. I was intrigued by his book's title, knowing its reference as I do.
I got antsy duringmost some of the book's historical bits (the "Lost History of Autism" parts (see the subtitle)). I read those as fast as possible, to get back to the "Father's Journey" parts. In retrospect, the Lost History bits did help me improve upon my notions of mind and autism.
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Snips 'n' Snails
It's engineers all the way down.
They were also nursing at 3 y.o.
Exhibit V:
I got antsy during
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Snips 'n' Snails
It's engineers all the way down.
They were also nursing at 3 y.o.
Exhibit V:
"The autistic are prone to a constellation of oddities: synaesthesia, not at all coincidentally, happens to be one of them. Epilepsy, Tourette's, and perfect musical pitch all coincide with autism at a significant rate."
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