JOHN ELDER ROBISON is the New York Times bestselling author of Look Me in the Eye, Be Different and Raising Cubby. He lectures widely on autism and neurological differences, and is a member of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee of the US Dept. of Health and Human Services. John also serves on committees and review boards for the CDC and the National Institutes of Health. A machinery enthusiast and avid photographer, John lives in Amherst, Massachusetts with his family, animals, and machines.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
“An entertaining, provocative and highly-readable story by a great
storyteller...you will rethink your own definition of normal, and
it may spark a new appreciation of the untapped potential behind
every quirky, awkward person who doesn’t quite fit in.”
—New York Times blog
“Deeply felt and often darkly funny, Look Me in the Eye is a
delight.”
—People magazine (Critics Choice, 4 Stars)
“It's a fantastic life story (highlights include building guitars
for KISS) told with grace, humor, and a bracing lack of
sentimentality.”
—Entertainment Weekly
“A highly entertaining, crazy ride...heartbreaking, inspiring and
funny.”
—Psychology Today
“Lean, powerful in its descriptive accuracy and engaging in its
understated humor...Emotionally gripping.”
—Chicago Tribune
“Robison’s lack of finesse with language is not only forgivable,
but an asset to his story . . . His rigid sentences are arguably
more telling of his condition than if he had created the most
graceful prose this side of Proust.”
—Chicago Sun-Times
“Look Me in the Eye is a fantastic read that takes readers into the
mind of an Aspergian both through its plot and through the calm,
logical style in which Robison writes. . . Even if you have no
personal connections with Asperger’ s, you’ll find that
Robison—like his brother, Burroughs—has a life worth reading
about.”
—Daily Camera
“Not only does Robison share with his famous brother, Augusten
Burroughs (Running With Scissors), a talent for writing; he also
has that same deadpan, biting humor that's so irresistible.”
—ELLE magazine
“Dramatic and revealing...There's an endearing quality to Robison
and his story that transcends the "Scissors" connection … Look Me
in the Eye is often drolly funny and seldom angry or self-pitying.
Even when describing his fear that he'd grow up to be a sociopathic
killer, Robison brings a light touch to what could be construed as
dark subject matter…Robison is also a natural storyteller and
engaging conversationalist.”
—The Boston Globe
“This is no misery memoir…[Robison] is a gifted storyteller with a
deadpan sense of humour and the book is a rollicking read.”
—Times (UK)
“Look Me in the Eye should be required reading for
teachers and human services professionals, concerned parents and
anyone who likes a well-crafted story of a life zestfully lived to
the beat of wildly different drums.”
—Bookreporter
“Robison's memoir is must reading for its unblinking (as only an
Aspergian can) glimpse into the life of a person who had to wait
decades for the medical community to catch up with him.”
—Booklist
“Well-written and fascinating.” —Library Journal
“Thoughtful and thoroughly memorable…Moving…In the end, Robison
succeeds in his goal of “helping those who are struggling to grow
up or live with Asperger’s” to see how it “is not a disease” but “a
way of being” that needs no cure except understanding and
encouragement from others.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Affecting, on occasion surprisingly comic memoir about growing up
with Asperger’s syndrome….The view from inside this
little-understood disorder offers both cold comfort and real hope,
which makes it an exceptionally useful contribution to the
literature.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Of course this book is brilliant; my big brother wrote it. But
even if it hadn’t been created by my big, lumbering, swearing,
unshaven ‘early man’ sibling, this is as sweet and funny and sad
and true and heartfelt a memoir as one could find, utterly
unspoiled, uninfluenced, and original.”
—from the foreword by Augusten Burroughs, author of Running with
Scissors
“Look Me In The Eye is a wonderful surprise on so many levels: it
is compassionate, funny, and deeply insightful. By the end, I
realized my vision of the world had undergone a slight but
permanent alteration; I had taken for granted that our behavioral
conventions were meaningful, when in fact they are arbitrary. That
he is able to illuminate something so simple (but hidden, and
unalterable) proves that John Elder Robison is at least as good a
writer as he is an engineer, if not better.”
—Haven Kimmel (who was in attendance at the 1978 KISS tour*),
author of A Girl Named Zippy
“I hugely enjoyed reading Look Me in the Eye. This book is a wild
rollercoaster ride through John Robison’s life--from troubled
teenage prankster to successful employment in electronics, music,
and classic cars. A kindly professor introduced him to electrical
engineering, which led to jobs where he found techie soulmates that
were like him. A fascinating glimpse into the mind of an engineer
which should be on the reading list of anyone who is interested in
the human mind.”
—Temple Grandin, author of Thinking in Pictures and Animals in
Translation
“John Robison's book is an immensely affecting account of a life
lived according to his gifts rather than his limitations. His story
provides ample evidence for my belief that individuals on the
autistic spectrum are just as capable of rich and productive lives
as anyone else.”
—Daniel Tammet, author of Born on a Blue Day: Inside the
Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant
Although this memoir deals with some dark topics-including Asperger's syndrome, family alcoholism and mental illness-debut author Robison maintains a keen humor and sense of dramatic irony throughout. The gravelly voiced Robison proves to be a capable storyteller, whether describing the pranks he used to play on his much younger brother (Augusten Burroughs, who reads his foreword) or the relief of finally being diagnosed with Asperger's in middle age after a lifetime of social isolation and relatively odd behaviors. Robison is a vocal and emphatic advocate for Asperger's, which he insists is not a disease but a different-and sometimes better-neurology. Asperger's gave Robison a single-minded ability to focus on his love of electronics, giving him a place in the world as the wizard behind Kiss's smoking and flaming guitars or, later in life, a gift for diagnosing and fixing high-end imported cars. This memoir is highly entertaining and the abridgment is smoothly edited. Simultaneous release with the Crown hardcover (Reviews, July 9). (Oct.) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
"An entertaining, provocative and highly-readable story by a great
storyteller...you will rethink your own definition of normal, and
it may spark a new appreciation of the untapped potential behind
every quirky, awkward person who doesn't quite fit in."
-New York Times blog
"Deeply felt and often darkly funny, Look Me in the
Eye is a delight."
-People magazine (Critics Choice, 4 Stars)
"It's a fantastic life story (highlights include building guitars
for KISS) told with grace, humor, and a bracing lack of
sentimentality."
-Entertainment Weekly
"A highly entertaining, crazy ride...heartbreaking, inspiring and
funny."
-Psychology Today
"Lean, powerful in its descriptive accuracy and engaging in its
understated humor...Emotionally gripping."
-Chicago Tribune
"Robison's lack of finesse with language is not only forgivable,
but an asset to his story . . . His rigid sentences are arguably
more telling of his condition than if he had created the most
graceful prose this side of Proust."
-Chicago Sun-Times
"Look Me in the Eye is a fantastic read that takes readers
into the mind of an Aspergian both through its plot and through the
calm, logical style in which Robison writes. . . Even if you have
no personal connections with Asperger' s, you'll find that
Robison-like his brother, Burroughs-has a life worth reading
about."
-Daily Camera
"Not only does Robison share with his famous brother, Augusten
Burroughs (Running With Scissors), a talent for writing; he
also has that same deadpan, biting humor that's so
irresistible."
-ELLE magazine
"Dramatic and revealing...There's an endearing quality to
Robison and his story that transcends the "Scissors" connection ...
Look Me in the Eye is often drolly funny and seldom angry or
self-pitying. Even when describing his fear that he'd grow up to be
a sociopathic killer, Robison brings a light touch to what could be
construed as dark subject matter...Robison is also a natural
storyteller and engaging conversationalist."
-The Boston Globe
"This is no misery
memoir...[Robison] is a gifted storyteller with a deadpan sense of
humour and the book is a rollicking read."
-Times (UK)
"Look Me in the Eye should be required reading for teachers
and human services professionals, concerned parents and anyone who
likes a well-crafted story of a life zestfully lived to the beat of
wildly different drums."
-Bookreporter
"Robison's memoir is must reading for its unblinking (as only an
Aspergian can) glimpse into the life of a person who had to wait
decades for the medical community to catch up with him."
-Booklist
"Well-written and fascinating." -Library Journal
"Thoughtful and thoroughly memorable...Moving...In the end,
Robison succeeds in his goal of "helping those who are struggling
to grow up or live with Asperger's" to see how it "is not a
disease" but "a way of being" that needs no cure except
understanding and encouragement from others."
-Publishers Weekly
"Affecting, on occasion surprisingly comic memoir about growing up
with Asperger's syndrome....The view from inside this
little-understood disorder offers both cold comfort and real hope,
which makes it an exceptionally useful contribution to the
literature."
-Kirkus Reviews
"Of course this book is brilliant; my big brother wrote it. But
even if it hadn't been created by my big, lumbering, swearing,
unshaven 'early man' sibling, this is as sweet and funny and sad
and true and heartfelt a memoir as one could find, utterly
unspoiled, uninfluenced, and original."
-from the foreword by Augusten Burroughs, author of Running with
Scissors
"Look Me In The Eye is a wonderful surprise on so many
levels: it is compassionate, funny, and deeply insightful. By the
end, I realized my vision of the world had undergone a slight but
permanent alteration; I had taken for granted that our behavioral
conventions were meaningful, when in fact they are arbitrary. That
he is able to illuminate something so simple (but hidden, and
unalterable) proves that John Elder Robison is at least as good a
writer as he is an engineer, if not better."
-Haven Kimmel (who was in attendance at the 1978 KISS tour*),
author of A Girl Named Zippy
"I hugely enjoyed
reading Look Me in the Eye. This book is a wild
rollercoaster ride through John Robison's life--from troubled
teenage prankster to successful employment in electronics, music,
and classic cars. A kindly professor introduced him to electrical
engineering, which led to jobs where he found techie soulmates that
were like him. A fascinating glimpse into the mind of an engineer
which should be on the reading list of anyone who is interested in
the human mind."
-Temple Grandin, author of Thinking in Pictures and
Animals in Translation
"John Robison's book is an immensely affecting account of a life
lived according to his gifts rather than his limitations. His story
provides ample evidence for my belief that individuals on the
autistic spectrum are just as capable of rich and productive lives
as anyone else."
-Daniel Tammet, author of Born on a Blue Day: Inside the
Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant
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