David Mitchell

Naoki Higashida

A rare and important insight into the mind of an autistic child, in his own words. Translated by and with a moving introduction from the award-winning author of CLOUD ATLAS, David Mitchell.

One Boy's Voice from the Silence of Autism

The Reason I Jump

Flavia Louise

I'm sorry but this fell SO flat for me. It reads like a FAQ about autism and in my opinion that is not a good thing. The question is always: Who is the intended audience and in this case it feels like it is the parents of autistic children which is valid BUT the book is being sold as something else. Also my opinion is not the important one here and I am not eloquent enough to explain why this wasn't it for me.

However this article does talk about some stuff that bothered me as well:
https://www.spiked-online.com/2013/08/23/no-autistic-children-are-not-the-spiritual-saviours-of-mankind/#.UlIcQySxOVg
Especially the following quote:
It is undoubtedly reassuring for parents of children with autism in Britain to discover in Higashida’s account a boy who not only sympathises with their difficulties, but also shares many of the familiar views of middle-aged, middle-class readers in Western society. Thus he expresses a particular ‘fondness for nature’ and indicates that ‘people with autism love the greenness of nature’. He trembles before a ‘great statue of Buddha’. He even disapproves of competitive sport: ‘I don’t really get any pleasure out of beating other people.’

Jack Baty

Reading "The Reason I Jump" is the best way I've found to improve one's understanding of how a person with Autism thinks and feels. It's an amazing perspective, described well, by 13-year-old Naoki.

The Reason I Jump One Boy's Voice from the Silence of Autism

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