The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida (trl by KA Yoshida and David Mitchell)

Wow.  There are books that we read that leave a lasting impact on us.  This would be one of those books.  It is "written" by a non-verbal, then 13-year-old autistic boy living in Japan.  It was written in 2007, but only recently translated into English.  (Naoki is 21 years old now.)  It is in a Q&A format (with an introduction and afterword that is not).  To say it is eye-opening would be an understatement.  Naoki does not speak, but is very bright.  He uses a letter chart his mother created for him to write the book.  It was a tedious task, but creates a book that lets you glimpse into the autistic mind.  I'm sure some things got lost in the translation, but even so it was profound.  Now, I'm sure that Temple Grandin's books are also insightful, but hers were written as an adult.  Naoki's are written as (what I would consider) a child in a way that is matter-of-fact. 

The last "parable" of the book is regarding a boy, Shun, who dies.  It is a poignant tale, meant to convey how he doesn't like to use the term that a child is "stolen" by autism.  I can see that aspect of it, but it spoke to me in another way being a parent who has buried a child.  When he is "returned" to his mother as a different child, the only trace of him is as a light snowfall.  Because I often feel that snow is a hug to me from Aurora, that particular part of the story was particularly meaningful to me.

There really isn't a good way for me to further describe this book, other than if you care about someone who is affected with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, this is a book you should read.  Is it a book on therapy or to or provide someone with complete understanding of Autism?  Absolutely not.  Is it how everyone diagnosed as autistic feels?  I highly doubt it.  To generalize that any autistic person feels exactly like Naoki would be like saying that you and I must feel the same about a particular flavor of ice cream, emotion, or event.  But, in Naoki's words (from a blog he had written):

"Being understood with empathy by others greatly relieves our distressed hearts." - Naoki Higashida

How can further understanding and perspective be a bad thing?

176 pages