Brown Bag and a Book discussion

Hey everyone! I hope you were able to access and enjoy this month's book. Since my body clock has done a pretty big shift, I thought I'd get this posted before noon today in case I'm not up to make one. :)
I chose to listen to this rather than read it since I seem to do better listening to memoirs. This may have affected my response somewhat- it was short- however he has a pretty flat affectation and I found it easy to wander off mentally while listening. This is not to say I didn't enjoy the book, on the contrary I found much to appreciate about his story and I did learn some interesting facts. The story made me chuckle a few times but I don't think I'd say it was as funny as I had hoped it would be. I am glad that he advocates so strongly for people with ASD, and I hope other readers/listeners have learned from his story too.
What did you all think?

I'm with you, Meghan, on the odd sleeping patterns. Of course, I've been a night owl for years. Our new reality doesn't help. The senior citizen shopping hour is exhausting me. Ha!

I haven't finished reading the book, yet. I just finished part 2. Like you Meghan, I had trouble staying focused and engaged. I did laugh out loud at his humorous way of relating his life. Of course, there were also parts, that through the mist of humor, you feel and empathize with his pain.

The chapter after chapter about the angst of high school did become a bit tiring. Even though the book is short, I think it could be even shorter. We all would probably agree that memoirs don't tend to be page turners, but this one was more like pages glued together.

I'll be looking forward to hearing the other responses in the morning.

I'm a little less critical of the length and the dwelling on the past, because as he talked about his fairly early diagnosis of autism, I couldn't help but remember that I hadn't even heard of autism till well after high school and perhaps beyond college. We -- or at least I -- am forced to wonder how many kids were never diagnosed back in the 1950s and 1960s, when I was working my way through K-12 (actually there was no K when I turned 5 in Indiana.). So that resonated with me.

It's tough for a teenager, even in modern times, to show empathy for others, but I think today's teens are better equipped with the facts than I was. Whether they use them to express caring or empathy for their fellow teens, well, I'm sure that varies. I know I didn't display those qualities with people who might have been diagnosed with autism (but weren't), whose abilities to handle social interaction seemed strange and clueless to me at the time. I certainly didn't bully them, but "I coulda done better."

I did find humor in the stories of his awkwardness, in his misreading of the situations. He seemed to be looking on it with a sense of humor rather than being bitter about it, and that helped me see the other side.

Yes, it was nonfiction. No, it was not a page-turner. He's still a young guy, and perhaps he'll have more to tell later. But I'm sure he's an inspiration to his fellow on-the-spectrum cohorts. And he gently put the nuero-typical among us in our place, which is a decidedly different viewpoint than the one he navigates. I appreciated learning his point of view.

I did listen to the audio version as well. It was frustrating to have him refer to charts that, of course, weren't in the audiobook, but he did offer a website where we could go to see them. I thought that was a clever solution, and he did it with humor.

I did finish the book but had to push myself to do so. I agree that it dwelt too much on the angst of high school. I have a nephew with Asbergers. I saw many of his characterists in this book. As a teacher I have had these students in my classes.

I did enjoy the book and learned a lot about the different ways people on the spectrum process life. I didn't get all of part 3 finished, but I did read the epilogue. How very sad that his young brother died. The book must have been written in the last year or two, because the author references the television show: The Good Doctor. I have a couple of children in our extended family with autism.

The author's chart in chapter 12 entitled "What They said vs. What They Meant" is spot on and amusing, too. I especially had to smile and agree with the first point: What They Said, "Don't take offense, but....." What They Meant: "I've now adequately prepared you for offense. Commencing offense....now!"

Yes, finding out that his brother died was a good ending for the book but a sad ending for the author. I'd like to read a book by his parents; it sounded as if they were pretty creative and accepting, but I'm sure it wasn't/isn't easy.

Yes, Ben, a book written by the parents' perspective would be a good idea.

Are there any ideas on next month's selection for our group? I have noticed that there is usually only one copy available on Libby. I wouldn't mind purchasing a copy of a book if it isn't on a free site. Following are some suggestions from me. My disclaimer: I haven't read any of these books, yet. The Keepers of the House by Shirley Ann Grau. This book is free to read on Amazon Prime. The author won the Pulitzer Prize for it in 1965. Some reviewers liked it and some didn't. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett sounds like a really, good read. The Operator by Gretchen Borg sounds interesting and different. The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd is another suggestion. There is a Wait List for this book on Libby. The Art of Inheriting Secrets by Barbara O'Neal is available on Amazon for $4.99. Lady Clementine by Benedict is a fictional account of Winston Churchill's wife and sounds interesting.

I forgot about the references to the charts and website, it was slightly off-putting to not be able to see them when listening to the book. Ben, I did not consider how recent the diagnoses of ASD is, but now that you've mentioned it, I was wondering how many kids went undiagnosed at the time I was a child. His humor really did help with the subject not feeling too weighty, even when he was talking about really tough moments in his life. I would also like to read a story from the perspective of his parents- three children all on the spectrum must have made for a crazy life.
As far as the next book we read, I'm open to whatever. The following are available on Hoopla (I know you have limited borrows but it is the easiest in terms of everyone can have the title out at the same time): The Keepers of the House, The Operator and Lady Clementine. I have heard good things about The Invention of Wings and based on the summary, I think The Operator would be a fun read. What does everyone else think?

I read the book on my hubby's iPad and it was the first book I ever read that way (I hate reading electronically, bleh, but I suppose it is better than getting COVID-19) so that may have influenced my opinion a bit, but I thought it was a very short read and a lot of fun with all of the graphs, yet at the same time it would have me thinking fairly deeply.

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and so I have some experience with Autism Spectrum but I certainly do not specialize in it and to have a job working with people on the spectrum it seems you really do need to specialize in it.

I found his humor to be witty and his view to be very interesting. I do think he could have shortened it a bit, but I get that you are going to have some drawn out parts of a memoir written before age 30 so I was fine with it.

I agree about a book from his parents perspective, I can only imagine what they have gone through and they have done it together, which is a lot to say in today's day and age when you have not one but two special needs children. Of course, that may be my neuro-typical bias coming out, I want to hear from someone similar to me, but it was certainly eye-opening to read from his own unique perspective.

I always have an extra little smile when I see his work pop up on social media now, snippets of his stand up are all over TikTok, he is quite popular and that says a lot about how he uses his "disadvantage" as an advantage and even though he would say he does not like it when people call him inspiring, that is the word that keeps coming to mind! :)

I'm enjoying everyone's insights and comments. That is interesting that he is popular on TikTok. I thought the same thing you did, Shannon, that it must have been extremely difficult for the parents to have two special needs children.

Yes, Meghan, I also thought The Operator would be a fun read. One of my mother's jobs, before my time, was a switchboard operator at a publishing house. So, I can visualize the switchboard quite easily. I think The Invention of Wings would probably be more interesting than The Keepers of the House. Both these two books have some similarities from what I've read in reviews. For those of us who love historical fiction, Lady Clementine would also be interesting. I didn't check Hoopla for the availability of the books. Thanks for checking on this, Meghan.

Gretchen wrote: "Yes, Meghan, I also thought The Operator would be a fun read. One of my mother's jobs, before my time, was a switchboard operator at a publishing house. So, I can visualize the switchboard quite ea..."

I am open to whatever book, I trust your all's judgement! :)

Sorry. I had to go away for a bit, but it looks as if the discussion did well without me.

I too am flexible, ready to read anything on Hoopla for which there is some unanimity. I prefer audio, but I can do good old text, too. Have Kindle, will read.

“Funny, you don’t look autistic” was a good read. I had a few takeaways that provided for more understanding of ASD. First was his debt of gratitude to his parents and the doctor who diagnosed him with the disorder. I can only imagine what a relief to find out that you are different because of a disorder. It must be so hard to not understand facial expressions or body language or how to interact socially. We all want to feel accepted. His parents were so awesome and kind. Their love and support to help him work through his disabilities so he could claim his own space in the world was very touching. Thankfully we are living in an age where there is more understanding of neurological and mental issues which provides for treatment and not shaming. Michael is a stand up comedian and author of a memoir and in a relationship and advocating for those who are marching to their own drum. Pretty impressive for a young man who walks a different path. May he continue to live out his dreams.

I miss our time together. Both books look interesting. I’m a middle child so I defer all decisions to the movers and shakers. 😀📚

Great observations concerning the book, Liz. I am also a middle child, so I'm more than open for any other suggestions, besides my own suggestions, concerning a book for next month.

I'm not a middle child, just lazy. If I were more informed about either book, I might have an opinion, but I'm not, and I don't.

Besides, sometimes terrible books make for good discussion!