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Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 362.1968588320092
EAN: 9780307395986
Edition: 1
ISBN: 0307395987
Label: Crown
Manufacturer: Crown
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 304
Publication Date: September 25, 2007
Publisher: Crown
Release Date: September 25, 2007
Studio: Crown
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Editorial Review:
Ever since he was small, John Robison had longed to connect with other people, but by the time he was a teenager, his odd habits—an inclination to blurt out non sequiturs, avoid eye contact, dismantle radios, and dig five-foot holes (and stick his younger brother in them)—had earned him the label “social deviant.” No guidance came from his mother, who conversed with light fixtures, or his father, who spent evenings pickling himself in sherry. It was no wonder he gravitated to machines, which could, at least, be counted on.After fleeing his parents and dropping out of high school, his savant-like ability to visualize electronic circuits landed him a gig with KISS, for whom he created their legendary fire-breathing guitars. Later, he drifted into a “real” job, as an engineer for a major toy company. But the higher Robison rose in the company, the more he had to pretend to be “normal” and do what he simply couldn’t: communicate. It wasn’t worth the paycheck.
It was not until he was forty that an insightful therapist told him he had the form of autism called Asperger’s syndrome. That understanding transformed the way Robison saw himself—and the world.Look Me in the Eye is the moving, darkly funny story of growing up with Asperger’s at a time when the diagnosis simply didn’t exist. A born storyteller, Robison takes you inside the head of a boy whom teachers and other adults regarded as “defective,” who could not avail himself of KISS’s endless supply of groupies, and who still has a peculiar aversion to using people’s given names (he calls his wife “Unit Two”). He also provides a fascinating reverse angle on the younger brother he left at the mercy of their nutty parents—the boy who would later change his name to Augusten Burroughs and write the bestselling memoir Running with Scissors.Ultimately, this is the story of Robison’s journey from his world into ours, and his new life as a husband, father, and successful small business owner—repairing his beloved high-end automobiles. It’s a strange, sly, indelible account—sometimes alien, yet always deeply human.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Growing up with Asperger's
Ever since I learned about Asperger's syndrome, I have been wanting to know more. When I read the first review of the book in People magazine I knew I had to read it. I sensed that someone I loved very much just might have Aspergian traits and I hoped this book would answer some questions I had. I expected more of a textbook nonfiction book and was quite surprised to find that it was a tale of growing up, outside the definition of "normal." I sat down with a highlighter expecting to mark the ... Read More
Rating:  - A great book for anyone with an Aspergian in their lives
We have an amazing and gifted son with Aspergers.
I first heard about this book listening to NPR on my way to work one day. When I arrived at work, two of my colleagues had heard John as well and made sure to tell me about John and his book. That weekend, my in-laws visited from New York and my mother-in-law already was halfway through the book. That Sunday evening I got my own copy before a business trip and read it on a flight from Boston to San Jose. I could not put it down.
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Rating: - Audio 5cd Compulsive listening
John Elder Robison has Asperger's Syndrome, but it wasn't diagnosed until he was in this thirties. Asperger's Syndrome wasn't even understood until the early 1980's. Aspergers is a form of autism. Most with Aspergers are usually highly intelligent BUT have a difficult time communicating with other people and tend to be loners. When they do express themselves it normally all comes out wrong which offends other people.
John Elders mother was mental problems and the father was an alcoholic. ... Read More
Rating: - Look Me In The Eye
Look Me In The Eye: My Life With Aspergers by John Robison ***1/2
Look Me In The Eye can at times be hard to swallow. While it is interesting to see how the disease effected Robison's life that is as far as the book goes with merit. Being the brother of well known and highly regarded author Augusten Burroughs he had big shoes to fill, and for his first outing he does fine. Also being his brother it is very interesting to see how the two both came out of their childhoods some what normal.
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Rating:  - Humorous Hijinks From an Asperger's Life
"Look Me in the Eye" by John Elder Robison is a compelling look at Asperger's Syndrome through the life of one who never let his condition slow him down. Robison, the brother of memoirist Augusten Burroughs, is a compelling storyteller and perhaps more interesting than his struggles and discoveries as a person living with Asperger's are his insights into his messed-up childhood, his hjinks as a young man living on his own, his sound engineering work with KISS, and his years in the corporate world. An enjoyable ... Read More
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