What do You think about Thinking In Pictures: My Life With Autism (2006)?
Oh, I love Temple Grandin. I didn't expect that I was going to. See, there's this boy - I'll call him Blake - who comes into the library with his mom every Wednesday. He gets some movies, and his mom gets the baby sign language DVDs, and he always gets a couple of science books. He waits patiently at the desk, and he's this picture of quivery anticipation when I walk up to help him, because he knows what he has to do. And he grins and he waves, awkwardly, a sort of half-wave, practiced over and over, and he says "Hi!" and I say "Hi!" and he says "Hi!" and I say "Hi!" and his mom says, with an identical grin, "One time, Blake." After I hand him his library card back, he turns to his mom, tells her that he said hi, and gives her a giant hug, and doesn't let go until it's time to leave.I love Blake. I look forward to helping him and his mom check out their books. And I really appreciate what Temple Grandin has written. It's not like other books about autism, written from an outsider's perspective - a doctor or a parent or a teacher. Temple writes herself. She's successful, intelligent, communicative. She is very methodical in her writing, explaining everything absolutely perfectly, ensuring you get an accurate mental picture of the way she thinks.I can empathize with her in a lot of respects. She explains how individuals who are autistic can be sensitive to sounds. I'm not autistic, but the way my hearing aids process sounds makes me equally sensitive. The expressive way she details the sounds made me realize it's exactly the same way I feel, and I don't blame an autistic kid one bit for reacting with tantrums. It hurts when sounds physically assault you, and it's annoying when you have no way of tuning out a particular sound to focus on another. There are other bits I sympathize with in Temple's narrative: her adherence to a (relatively) strict schedule and her inability to make small talk (oh lord, give me something to talk about besides the weather and clothes, please, or let me go back to my book). What's really nice about it, though, is I think everybody is able to sympathize with Temple at some point. If you think visually, if you make metaphors out of your life, if you empathize with animals, if you were ever a woman in a man's career field, if you feel awkward at parties, if you can't handle algebra, you'll sympathize with Temple. Even if you have experience with none of those things, Temple's writing is vivid in its descriptions. You'll feel like you know her.The book I read contained updates at the end of each chapter. At times the updated sections weren't clearly separated from the body of the "old" text and I wasn't sure if I was reading a current narrative or a slightly outdated one. That combined with the sometimes-repetitiveness of Temple's narrative led to a few moments when I wasn't sure where I was at in the book. I did appreciate the updates, though. They made the text more modern and touched upon some new topics in autism research.I will definitely be looking for more of Temple's books. And continue saying "Hi!" to Blake.
—Megan
One of the theories about people on the autism spectrum is that they lack "theory of mind." Wikipedia defines that as: "the ability to attribute mental states—beliefs, intents, desires, pretending, knowledge, etc.—to oneself and others and to understand that others have beliefs, desires and intentions that are different from one's own." But the more I read about autism and spend time with children on the spectrum, the more I become convinced that we could as easily say that the world lacks the ability to understand THEIR minds (and the minds of animals, which Grandin has an uncanny ability to understand). This book is the work of an extraordinary mind and heart and soul. Grandin, a renowned animal scientist who has autism, is gifted at describing the workings of her own mind and clearly understands how her thinking differs from (and sometimes is superior to) a "typical" mind. I have never read another book like this one; the point of view is truly new to me, and wonderful. She makes clear the difficulties of her life, while celebrating the joys of her visual mind. Reading lots of books on autism spectrum disorder, while at the same reading Buddhist teachings, I've often been struck by their parallels, particularly in living in the present and in a world without words. I've wondered as I've watched a child on the spectrum smile to him or herself if it was possible that s/he was in some way meditating. I was therefore delighted to read about Grandin experiencing what she refers to as a "Zen meditational state" and (in a mirror image of my wondering) speculating that "Maybe the monks who chant and meditate are kind of autistic." While other people have a hard time reconciling her understanding and love of animals with her work--she has designed one-third of all the livestock-handling facilities in the United States and focuses on humane slaughtering--she sees no such moral dichotomy. She has little fear of death and wants to prevent suffering, but it goes beyond that for her. She sees us as partners in the cycle of life--in return for a decent life safe from predators, with adequate food and shelter and the ability to breed, the animal is willing to be domesticated as a food source. She considers the death of an animal "sacred," and wants the slaughter ritual, common in many cultures, to be brought into our system to help prevent abuse and to restore the dignity of animals. "The ritual could be something very simple, such as a moment of silence. In addition to developing better designs and making equipment to insure the humane treatment of all animals, that would be my contribution. No words. Just one pure moment of silence. I can picture it perfectly." I know people with loved ones on the spectrum would devour this book, but I think really it is for anyone interested in a glimpse of another way of thinking and being--another beautiful way. Maybe we can all develop a theory of many minds.
—Suzy
Just simply AMAZING. I did not read the book yet but I saw the movie and it was outstanding. Dr. Temple Grandin teach at Colorado State University. Never ever give up on any children they all have a fantastic mind of their own. Give them as many extra chances as they need until they open the door to another world.I read the book in one day...facinating, and very interesting. I keep my rating at 5 stars. A must read for all educators, therapists, parents and people who just want to learn more about autism!
—Mie
