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Diagnosis Normal: Living with Abuse, Undiagnosed Autism and Covid-grade crazy
‘I have three glum melancholy, inappropriate outbursts, and extreme slapstick. On a good day, I can pass as normal but not for too many minutes. I’m what most people would regard as a hardened introvert . . . I like other people. I’m just not very good at them.’
Emma Jane has lived a thousand colourful lives. She escaped a small town and a traumatic childhood by moving to Sydney, where she made an indelible imprint on the oppressively blokey mediascape. She played in an all-girl band, married a rock star she hardly knew, had a baby, ditched journalism for academia, and changed her name from Emma Tom to Emma Jane. But all the while she was struggling with her mental health. Then, during the first Sydney lockdown she was accidentally sectioned in a psychiatric ward. At the time she wasn’t sure whether to be more embarrassed by the institutionalisation or the fact she’d forgotten to set her at-home eyebrow dye timer and looked like Groucho Marx. Given everyone suffered some sort of corona-related DIY body hair disaster, however, she decided to focus on her confinement, and when she was subsequently diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder a number of things suddenly fell into place.
Emma writes candidly about the complex combination of autism, mental illness and childhood sexual abuse that led to her being the person she is, and explores the impact each has on so many others in society. Critically, by breaking the toxic silence surrounding sexual violence and mental illness, she raises the possibility of not just surviving them but thriving . As she ‘We need to speak unspeakable things. We need more un-pretty stories.’
Emma Jane has lived a thousand colourful lives. She escaped a small town and a traumatic childhood by moving to Sydney, where she made an indelible imprint on the oppressively blokey mediascape. She played in an all-girl band, married a rock star she hardly knew, had a baby, ditched journalism for academia, and changed her name from Emma Tom to Emma Jane. But all the while she was struggling with her mental health. Then, during the first Sydney lockdown she was accidentally sectioned in a psychiatric ward. At the time she wasn’t sure whether to be more embarrassed by the institutionalisation or the fact she’d forgotten to set her at-home eyebrow dye timer and looked like Groucho Marx. Given everyone suffered some sort of corona-related DIY body hair disaster, however, she decided to focus on her confinement, and when she was subsequently diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder a number of things suddenly fell into place.
Emma writes candidly about the complex combination of autism, mental illness and childhood sexual abuse that led to her being the person she is, and explores the impact each has on so many others in society. Critically, by breaking the toxic silence surrounding sexual violence and mental illness, she raises the possibility of not just surviving them but thriving . As she ‘We need to speak unspeakable things. We need more un-pretty stories.’
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About the author
Emma A. Jane
8 books9 followersDr Emma A. Jane (formerly Emma Tom) is a Senior Lecturer in the School of the Arts & Media at UNSW Sydney.
Blockchain, cognitive enhancement, online misogyny, cyberbullying, cybercrime, digilantism, and digital mobs are the foci of her ongoing research into the social and ethical implications of emerging technologies. She also researches and publishes on transgender-related issues, as well as on issues relating to gender more generally. Emma's work is interdisciplinary, informed by the fields of philosophy, cultural and media studies, internet studies, feminist and gender theory, discourse analysis, sociology, literary theory, and social psychology. Prior to her career in academia, Emma spent nearly 25 years working in the print, broadcast, and electronic media during which time she won multiple awards for her writing and investigative reporting.
In 2016, the public benefit of Emma's research into misogyny online was recognised when she was named the Anne Dunn Scholar of the Year. This followed her receipt, in 2014, of a Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) from the Australian government to fund a three-year research project into gendered cyberhate and digital citizenship. Most recently (in April 2017) she received the UNSW Arts and Social Sciences Dean’s Award for Achievements by an Early Career Researcher.
Emma has published nine books including a novel, Deadset, which in 1997 won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Asia and the South Pacific for Best First Novel. Her most recent publication, Misogyny Online: A Short (and Brutish) History, was published by SAGE in 2017. In a review of Misogyny Online in the journal Information, Communication & Society (2017), social theorist Frances Shaw calls Jane "one of the most authoritative researchers on gendered digital harassment and its impacts". She writes that Jane's work is generating "a great deal of impact internationally and in policy and regulatory settings", and she applauds Misogyny Online for its "winning combination of conceptually and philosophically rich analysis, forensic and details-oriented storytelling, and heartfelt investment in and passion for the subject matter". Describing the book as "fascinating", "poignant", "reflexive", "entertaining", "impactful", "affecting", "precise", "focussed", "extensive, thorough and rigorous", written with "ferocious intensity", and "essential reading for those working in the field", Shaw also highlights its "powerful narrative" about how misogyny online silences and coerces women out of political participation. She concludes that Misogyny Online "should impel others to act to change their approaches to response, prosecution and governance, and to change the culture that creates the conditions for gendered harassment to occur and to be accepted".
Emma has presented the findings of her research to the Australian Human Rights Commission, and regularly speaks at large, public events such as the Festival of Dangerous Ideas and the All About Women festivals at the Sydney Opera House.
During her previous career as a journalist, she received the 1997 Henry Lawson Award for Journalism, and the 2001 Edna Ryan Humour Award for “using wit to promote women’s interests”.
Blockchain, cognitive enhancement, online misogyny, cyberbullying, cybercrime, digilantism, and digital mobs are the foci of her ongoing research into the social and ethical implications of emerging technologies. She also researches and publishes on transgender-related issues, as well as on issues relating to gender more generally. Emma's work is interdisciplinary, informed by the fields of philosophy, cultural and media studies, internet studies, feminist and gender theory, discourse analysis, sociology, literary theory, and social psychology. Prior to her career in academia, Emma spent nearly 25 years working in the print, broadcast, and electronic media during which time she won multiple awards for her writing and investigative reporting.
In 2016, the public benefit of Emma's research into misogyny online was recognised when she was named the Anne Dunn Scholar of the Year. This followed her receipt, in 2014, of a Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) from the Australian government to fund a three-year research project into gendered cyberhate and digital citizenship. Most recently (in April 2017) she received the UNSW Arts and Social Sciences Dean’s Award for Achievements by an Early Career Researcher.
Emma has published nine books including a novel, Deadset, which in 1997 won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Asia and the South Pacific for Best First Novel. Her most recent publication, Misogyny Online: A Short (and Brutish) History, was published by SAGE in 2017. In a review of Misogyny Online in the journal Information, Communication & Society (2017), social theorist Frances Shaw calls Jane "one of the most authoritative researchers on gendered digital harassment and its impacts". She writes that Jane's work is generating "a great deal of impact internationally and in policy and regulatory settings", and she applauds Misogyny Online for its "winning combination of conceptually and philosophically rich analysis, forensic and details-oriented storytelling, and heartfelt investment in and passion for the subject matter". Describing the book as "fascinating", "poignant", "reflexive", "entertaining", "impactful", "affecting", "precise", "focussed", "extensive, thorough and rigorous", written with "ferocious intensity", and "essential reading for those working in the field", Shaw also highlights its "powerful narrative" about how misogyny online silences and coerces women out of political participation. She concludes that Misogyny Online "should impel others to act to change their approaches to response, prosecution and governance, and to change the culture that creates the conditions for gendered harassment to occur and to be accepted".
Emma has presented the findings of her research to the Australian Human Rights Commission, and regularly speaks at large, public events such as the Festival of Dangerous Ideas and the All About Women festivals at the Sydney Opera House.
During her previous career as a journalist, she received the 1997 Henry Lawson Award for Journalism, and the 2001 Edna Ryan Humour Award for “using wit to promote women’s interests”.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 3, 2022
All the things my brain needed to hear and more - I picked up this book whilst haunting the bookstore as I have many similar life experiences that were described in the blurb, but what really sold me was the first page of the Caveat section - I felt like I was meeting a very quirky friend I've known forever and they were about to let me poke around in their brain. Naturally I bought it, left it on my "to read" pile for a few months before finishing it in one day. As a victim/survivor/person that experienced "community supported agriculture" on top of domestic family abuse, mental health problems and suspected neurodivergency whilst manically trying to figure out gender/sexuality/who the fuck am I - this book and the way the author spoke so authentically about their experiences was everything I needed to hear. The victories, the losses, the messiness, the everything - I wish I could have read this earlier to have insight that people can "overcome" all the shit from the beginning and create uniquely meaningful lives for themselves. I applaud the strength it would have taken to write this account and I feel so *relieved* to have advocates like this author in Australia. I hope one day I may be strong enough to do the same. Thank you thank you thank you
April 18, 2022
It is somehow discombobulating to read a book by someone with precarious mental health, this certainly isn't a relaxing memoir. But I found it educational and it gave me an inkling of what it feels like to be that disordered mentally, in this case her daughter is affected with mental health challenges as well. Hospital admissions, being repeatedly sectioned, literally dozens of psychiatrists over years for PTSD, anxiety, depression and finally a diagnosis of autism on top. But for all of that Emma Jane, previously Emma Tom, writes with candour about many things in a way that we can see her strong points such as a passion for knowledge and an ability to research and find out what she needs to know, whether that is about deleterious drug combinations or the work required to hold her position at a Sydney university. A roller-coaster of a read, another case of 'thank goodness I don't walk that path'.
April 3, 2022
A fabulous insight into autism and how different it can be between ppl. A fast read, if somewhat confronting at times. The key points at the end are also insightful as to how we can reconsider current practices.
April 25, 2022
A personal account of horrific trauma and autism that is also beautifully written, intelligent, heartfelt and funny - and has given me not just incredible and insight into an old friend (the author) but into so much more about the world, about people, how important it is to really see and listen and be kind to those around you.
April 9, 2022
This book was pretty mind-blowing. I found myself connecting with Emma perhaps even a little too closely. The way that she approaches storytelling is just like her personality - powerful and confusing and detailed all at the same time. I couldn't read this all in one go, I needed to take my time and sip it in small gulps to give myself enough time to really think about the implications of the work.
Buy this for the people in your life who don't believe or can't understand what gender fluidity, autism and abuse can have on a human who appears fine. It's a deep insight into just one human psyche and what that can look like. It's not comfortable to read, and the line about being not being good with people resonated with me. I am better able to interpret other people from reading this book.
If you are looking for a fictional #ownvoices autism novel, then can I suggest Helen Hoang? It's still insightful, but not nearly as full-on as this book. Normalising things is not normal! The human brain is a little crazy, and we indeed understand very little.
I don't usually read non-fiction publications such as those that Emma A Jane writes in her scholarly work, but if the strength of personality and impactful writing is anything to go by, I should get my hands on those as well. If this was fiction, I'd give it 5 stars!
Buy this for the people in your life who don't believe or can't understand what gender fluidity, autism and abuse can have on a human who appears fine. It's a deep insight into just one human psyche and what that can look like. It's not comfortable to read, and the line about being not being good with people resonated with me. I am better able to interpret other people from reading this book.
If you are looking for a fictional #ownvoices autism novel, then can I suggest Helen Hoang? It's still insightful, but not nearly as full-on as this book. Normalising things is not normal! The human brain is a little crazy, and we indeed understand very little.
I don't usually read non-fiction publications such as those that Emma A Jane writes in her scholarly work, but if the strength of personality and impactful writing is anything to go by, I should get my hands on those as well. If this was fiction, I'd give it 5 stars!
May 24, 2022
The middle part was completely good, I just found the early and late parts a wee bit densely wordy/jargony, so that I kept feeling like I needed to re-read sections, only when I did it didn't help much. But back to the good parts, which was most of the body of the book: she covers so many topics so meaningfully that identification on some level is possible for quite a wide array of audience. For me, identification was most profound on the subjects of late diagnosis of autism and ADHD, mental illness, and the experience of writing. I believe this memoir is not only honest, brave and entertaining, but also well-informed, insightful, validating and genuinely helpful. I plan to pass it on to at least three people I know will love it.
May 31, 2022
- thanks to @penguinbooksaus for my #gifted copy
Diagnosis Normal is a memoir I did not know I needed in my life, but I'm certainly grateful that I had the chance to read this book. Before getting into details, I want to thank the author -whom I'm going to take the liberty to refer to as Emma in this review- for the courage, the passion, the sacrifices and the challenges behind publishing her story.
Because I certainly cannot judge any aspect of Emma's life, I will limit to comment on her writing and how she delivers the parts of her life she chose to share.
I must admit that I first, I did not connect with Emma's writing. I think I picked up her memoir at a time when I was not up to doing much brainwork, so it was not easy for me to warm up to her verbose writing style. Right at the beginning, just when I was reading the introduction, I was tempted to quit and try another time. I did not. And in hindsight, I am glad I persevered.
Once I was past that initial bump and made peace with the fact that I constantly needed to google words and phrases to understand the references, my reading experience improved exponentially. I became glued to the pages at some point, and I could not bear to stop reading. I was in a constant state of humbleness for the honour of learning about Emma's lived experiences.
To say that this memoir is heartbreaking is not enough. The emotional and intellectual impact felt almost palpable. It is impossible not to be moved by Emma's life story and her intelligent and brilliant commentary. Emma goes so far as to recommend possible solutions or plans that could be put in place as a society, for example, to reduce and hopefully eliminate paedophilia. And we all should be listening carefully to what advocates like Emma have to say.
Overall, Diagnosis Normal is the memoir of a resilient woman that went through and is still experiencing the consequences of abuse, undiagnosed autism, cancer and sadly, so much more. It is as raw and moving as it is insightful and impactful. It is my heartfelt wish that many get the chance to read this book. 100% recommended.
Diagnosis Normal is a memoir I did not know I needed in my life, but I'm certainly grateful that I had the chance to read this book. Before getting into details, I want to thank the author -whom I'm going to take the liberty to refer to as Emma in this review- for the courage, the passion, the sacrifices and the challenges behind publishing her story.
Because I certainly cannot judge any aspect of Emma's life, I will limit to comment on her writing and how she delivers the parts of her life she chose to share.
I must admit that I first, I did not connect with Emma's writing. I think I picked up her memoir at a time when I was not up to doing much brainwork, so it was not easy for me to warm up to her verbose writing style. Right at the beginning, just when I was reading the introduction, I was tempted to quit and try another time. I did not. And in hindsight, I am glad I persevered.
Once I was past that initial bump and made peace with the fact that I constantly needed to google words and phrases to understand the references, my reading experience improved exponentially. I became glued to the pages at some point, and I could not bear to stop reading. I was in a constant state of humbleness for the honour of learning about Emma's lived experiences.
To say that this memoir is heartbreaking is not enough. The emotional and intellectual impact felt almost palpable. It is impossible not to be moved by Emma's life story and her intelligent and brilliant commentary. Emma goes so far as to recommend possible solutions or plans that could be put in place as a society, for example, to reduce and hopefully eliminate paedophilia. And we all should be listening carefully to what advocates like Emma have to say.
Overall, Diagnosis Normal is the memoir of a resilient woman that went through and is still experiencing the consequences of abuse, undiagnosed autism, cancer and sadly, so much more. It is as raw and moving as it is insightful and impactful. It is my heartfelt wish that many get the chance to read this book. 100% recommended.
March 4, 2022
If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews