Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
20th out of 41 books
—
112 voters
Me, Who Dove into the Heart of the World: A Novel
by
Sabina Berman (Goodreads Author),
Lisa Dillman
A transporting and brilliant novel narrated by an unforgettable woman: Karen Nieto, an autistic savant whose idiosyncrasies prove her greatest gifts
As intimate as it is profound, and as clear-eyed as it is warmhearted, Me, Who Dove into the Heart of the World marks an extraordinary debut by the award-winning Mexican playwright, journalist, and poet Sabina Berman.
Karen Niet...more
As intimate as it is profound, and as clear-eyed as it is warmhearted, Me, Who Dove into the Heart of the World marks an extraordinary debut by the award-winning Mexican playwright, journalist, and poet Sabina Berman.
Karen Niet...more
Hardcover, 1st Edition, 256 pages
Published
August 7th 2012
by Henry Holt and Co.
(first published 2010)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
1,451)
Mar 09, 2013
Muphyn
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Those who enjoyed "The curious indicident of the Dog in the Night-Time"
Recommended to Muphyn by:
Bookclub read
This was such an easy read, I just breezed through the 370 odd pages. Told from the point of 'Me' (Karen Nieto), a 42 year old highly functioning autistic and who calls herself "Miss Different Abilities" (how cool is that?! :) ), the book tells the story of how Karen, brought up by her aunt, turns her aunt's tuna fishing business into a multi-million dollar venture.
There are a few comical moments in the book that made me laugh out loud, like the incident on the Japanese toilet/bathroom, quite in...more
There are a few comical moments in the book that made me laugh out loud, like the incident on the Japanese toilet/bathroom, quite in...more
http://wineandabook.com/2012/09/27/re...
"Okay.
That's what I said to Pena and my aunt over the radio; they were awaiting news in the tower in the dock.
I like that word very much: okay. It's from the 19th century, the American Civil War. Generals used to write it in their war reports when nobody had died that day.
Zero killed = 0 killed = 0K= Okay.
Okay, over and out, my aunt responded.
Outside the radio cabin on deck, the man from Greenpeace tugged off the hood of his wetsuit. He had brown hair...more
"Okay.
That's what I said to Pena and my aunt over the radio; they were awaiting news in the tower in the dock.
I like that word very much: okay. It's from the 19th century, the American Civil War. Generals used to write it in their war reports when nobody had died that day.
Zero killed = 0 killed = 0K= Okay.
Okay, over and out, my aunt responded.
Outside the radio cabin on deck, the man from Greenpeace tugged off the hood of his wetsuit. He had brown hair...more
A very peculiar book. I found it really hard to get into the rhythm of the writing at first and then I wasn't sure if I was enjoying it or not.
Having said that, I raced through the last half and didn't want to put it down .
Having read a few books with Autistic characters, this wasn't new, however this was the first I'd read from an adult female perspective.
I always enjoy seeing the world from someone else's perspective, a new set of priorities and values. It is always thought provoking.
An enjoya...more
Having said that, I raced through the last half and didn't want to put it down .
Having read a few books with Autistic characters, this wasn't new, however this was the first I'd read from an adult female perspective.
I always enjoy seeing the world from someone else's perspective, a new set of priorities and values. It is always thought provoking.
An enjoya...more
"The trick . . . seems to be not to kill. Not to kill reality nor to let reality kill Me."
This is a strange and gorgeous book. 4.5 stars. I read it in just a few hours, and then I wanted to read it again, the first time I've had that reaction in years.
It's a little bit magical realism, a little bit satire, and a little bit Buddhist meditation guide. Like Forrest Gump the book meets the latest thing by Thich Nhat Hanh.
The plot is this. Karen grows up criminally neglected in the family mansion in...more
This is a strange and gorgeous book. 4.5 stars. I read it in just a few hours, and then I wanted to read it again, the first time I've had that reaction in years.
It's a little bit magical realism, a little bit satire, and a little bit Buddhist meditation guide. Like Forrest Gump the book meets the latest thing by Thich Nhat Hanh.
The plot is this. Karen grows up criminally neglected in the family mansion in...more
In this unique novel, the narrator, Karen Nieto was raised by a mentally ill mother and left to wander the aimlessly along the beach near her family's failing business, a tuna cannery. It isn't until Karen's mother dies and aunt Isabelle comes to Mexico to take over the family business, that she realizes how this poor girl has been living, allowed to wander the beach naked along Maztatlan.
It isn't long before Karen's life completely changes, and for the first time she is able to see herself as K...more
It isn't long before Karen's life completely changes, and for the first time she is able to see herself as K...more
Karen Neito was, until about age 8, a totally feral child. Oh, she lived in the house along with her mother and the cook; but Mom wasn’t entirely stable so, Karen took care of herself. Until her aunt found her one day after Karen’s mother had driven off a cliff.
The first word she learned was “ME”. Over and over again she said it: ”Me, me, Me mE, ME…..” until she got it right. Then she tried “You” with her aunt but that was confusing to her. How could she be You one second and Me the next? IQ t...more
The first word she learned was “ME”. Over and over again she said it: ”Me, me, Me mE, ME…..” until she got it right. Then she tried “You” with her aunt but that was confusing to her. How could she be You one second and Me the next? IQ t...more
Very reminiscent in ways of THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHTTIME. All in all I loved this book but the ending was so anticlimactic that I had to give it four stars instead of five. There were several times when I laughed out loud and there were plenty of times when I really felt for the characters in the book but the ending was just so not an ending to me that . . . well yeah. But that said, I can't think of any other way that the book could have ended that would have necessarily mad...more
Novels about people with "different abilities," as Karen Nieto puts it in this book, always have the potential to be powerful and moving, a combination of inspirational, engaging, and unique storytelling that makes for a memorable book. Me, Who Dove into the Heart of the World is no different. Karen's story, spanning from her childhood into her forties, is arresting and intriguing. The author does a fantastic job of letting readers into the mind of an autistic savant; one is able to understand a...more
Unfortunately, I found this book to be a bit disappointing. Though the translation felt very smooth and without error, the perspective - that of a 42-year-old autistic woman - felt rather inconsistent, and often bordering on the inauthentic. The book felt like a fictionalization of the life of Temple Grandin, an autistic woman who has made an amazing impact on both industry and the animal-human bond. Here, Karen revolutionized the tuna industry rather than cattle, but the similarities from the u...more
Me, Who Dove into the Heart of the World is an interesting and entertaining story of an autistic woman's viewpoint on "standard humans" and how her non-standard thought process transforms her family's tuna fishing business. Karen (Me) is discovered living as a feral child in the basement of her family mansion when her aunt inherits the house and tuna cannery. Through sheer force of will, Karen's aunt forces a raging and resentful Karen to become "human" and eventually gain an education. The resu...more
This is not exactly a Young Adult title, but I agreed to review it here because it does have crossover appeal. Karen Nieto spent the first several years of her life as a feral child: naked, skittish and mute. With the help of her accepting aunt, Karen, later classified as a "high functioning autistic", is able to live an extraordinary life. In more than half of the areas that makes up one's intelligence, she is at the capability level of a kindergarden or preschool girl, however; in a few areas,...more
El relato de Karen, más lúcida que muchos de los que la rodean, reivindica la intuición y los sentidos frente a la razón, el derecho a ser diferente. Su particular sensibilidad no siempre es comprendida por los otros. Dura pero frágil, incomprendida y genial.
This is a book that attracted my attention by its cover and then after the blurb seemed ok and I opened it, just took over my reading for a while. After that though I had quite a few other books to read but I knew I wanted to get back to it soon and I finally finished it.
A first person narrative from quite an unusual narrator ("Me" who has problems with "you" and with projecting subjectivity and has big cognitive issues, but has some genius level characteristics, most notably the ability to empa...more
A first person narrative from quite an unusual narrator ("Me" who has problems with "you" and with projecting subjectivity and has big cognitive issues, but has some genius level characteristics, most notably the ability to empa...more
Reminiscent of the story of Temple Grandin, an autistic savant with a unique understanding of animal experience and behavior, Sabina Berman’s Me, Who Dove Into the Heart of the World is told from the first person point of view of a young woman with a similar and fascinating perspective on the world. As heiress to a Mexican tuna factory, Me (Karen) exposes both the horror of conventional slaughter practices and revels in the beauty of the ocean ecosystem she loves so much. Every new experience is...more
Weird and wonderful. The cover art just made me buy this book and I was richly rewarded with a story that was part Life of Pi and part like the lives of Jacque Cousteau meets Temple Grandin. It also reminded me of another fanciful fish story that I read recently, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. Karen is the autistic savant living in Mexico and the heir to a struggling tuna cannery. Thanks to her aunt she is finally treated like a person and she tells her life story of dealing with the world. It's f...more
Lovely read about a woman who grew up in the most tragic of circumstances. Karen was neglected, abused, and uneducated until her Aunt came into her life when she was a young girl. Through patience and a whole lot of love, Karen (AKA "Me") was rescued (literally), went to college to study animal husbandry (with some hiccups) and she was eventually brought on board with the family business: a tuna company. Over the years she transformed the struggling tuna business into a thriving enterprise based...more
More intriguing for me than the story was Karen's quite-wise perspectives on ecosystems and the world. Through the eyes of an autistic girl, we see Being contrasted with Thinking, which heightens our awareness of just how impoverished and myopic most humans are. Some passages in the book are so rhythmic, and sometimes so poetic in their literalness, that the author succeeds in bringing us into Karen's experience. The book ends with the best of Berman's writing in this vein, so I found it to be v...more
This was a quirky read... but very enjoyable. Written in a voice that reminded me somewhat of "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime," but much more graceful. A beautiful quote, that will definitely preach someday: “To exist, which for Me is to unlearn to rush. To relax the muscles of my heart and let it beat in its own time. To be in the heat of the sun without thinking heat. To eat when hunger is hungry and give in to the tiredness that arrives with nightfall and darkness covers thi...more
It's always interesting to see the depths of feeling that can be conveyed via characters who do not feel as others do. Berman takes good advantage of that in this book, a story by a girl (Karen) who was feral until her (presumably) aunt discovers her as part of taking over the family tuna business that the aunt inherited. Though Karen eventually learns to live in the world of people, her feral years stunted portions of her development, including certain amounts of feeling and emotion. However, d...more
If you like original, unusual, interesting books, this has to be on the top of your list. Narrated by Karen Nieto, an autistic savant, this book takes you into the world of someone who makes the most of her “different abilities”. Written by an acclaimed Mexican author, of Jewish background, who often uses part of her heritage in her books, the readers will find that the novel enlightens them with interesting, clear and concise information, not only about autism but also about the tuna industry,...more
This book is about a girl, Karen, who is autistic and raised by her aunt in Mazatlan, Mexico. As she grows up, she becomes better at dealing with people and eventually she goes to college and helps runs the family business, a tuna company. She connects much better with animals and so she becomes inspired to ensure that the tuna are not harmed or stressed in the process of catching them. Along the way she makes enemies with a college professor, animal rights militants, and more. She has a very in...more
"As awareness of the autistic spectrum — and those who fall along it — increases, misconceptions still abound about what is or is not autism.
In the character of Karen Nieto, Berman presents us with both a rounded human being – complete with her flaws and failings, instead of just her genius – and a sympathetic inside look at life with disability." (Excerpt from full review at For Books' Sake.)
In the character of Karen Nieto, Berman presents us with both a rounded human being – complete with her flaws and failings, instead of just her genius – and a sympathetic inside look at life with disability." (Excerpt from full review at For Books' Sake.)
Jan 18, 2013
Ampersand Canada's Book & Gift Agency Inc
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
debbie-s-reads
I read this book because of Lorna’s recommendation and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Me/Karen is a demanding character. She makes the reader think about things. The whole I think therefore I am thing always threw me a little when I took philosophy class as well. Her whole approach to Descartes and Darwin was very interesting to me. I also agree with Lorna’s tag of this be the Temple Grandin for Tuna idea. I think people that liked animals in translation will love this book and it will be a goo...more
Feb 25, 2013
Susanna
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
environmentalism,
psychology,
animals,
cultural-mexico,
read-2013,
novels-read-in-2013,
adult
Ihana tarina ja ihana päähenkilö, joille antaisin mielelläni neljä tai viisi tähteä! Näin pian tämän rasittavan lukukokemuksen jälkeen en kuitenkaan siihen pysty. Vähintään joka toisella aukeamalla silmilleni hyppi omalaatuinen tapa kirjoittaa lukusanat, ja se pilasi minulta suuren osan lukukokemuksesta: esim. "me 2", "parivuoteen 2 patjaa ja 4 jalkaa", "2 silmää" ja "4 tuhatta vuotta vanha". Yleensä siis kymmentä tai kahtakymmentä pienemmät perusluvut kirjoitetaan suomessa kirjaimin ja suuret l...more
Goodness, I've never had such trouble in picking a shelf for a book. How in the world do I classify this one? Autistic fiction perhaps, but if I create that shelf then I almost feel obligated to seek out more of such an animal and with the exception of "The Curious Incident of the Dog at NIght" I'm not sure what would go on that shelf.
This was a book that was at times difficult to read. Maybe autistics shouldn't read about autistics because it really underscores just how different our thought pa...more
This was a book that was at times difficult to read. Maybe autistics shouldn't read about autistics because it really underscores just how different our thought pa...more
One of those rare novels that leaves you questioning what to feel, if anything, when you close it. Through a highly functioning autistic protagonist, Berman nearly undermines all of Western philosophy with simple, terse yet beautiful prose. Her choice of protagonist is perfect for her endeavor - a child would be the obvious choice (as, admittedly, her character is at the book's onset), an illogical, emotionally driven alpha-male the cliched choice, a beautiful and vulnerable woman the fashionabl...more
I loved this book, it was very different with a completely unexpected point of view. It had me fascinated and enthralled from the first chapter. The language is beautiful and lyrical, and I was not surprised to read at the end that the author is a playwright. Based on the overall description I did not think I would like the story, it was really a review and the cover that drew me in. Although its hard to describe, its well worth reading for the unique first-person perspective of the main charact...more
A very enjoyable quick read with a great message. The story of Karen, a girl with "different abilities". Karen was a feral child until the age of 8 or so when her aunt came into her life and patiently taught her how to communicate and exist in the world. Whether the result of her feral childhood or the result of autism, Karen does not feel things the way the rest of us do. Her story, told in her own voice provides an elightened perspective of the world we live in and the beauty around us. Someti...more
fantastic first novel be celebrated mexican playwright berman. funny and poignant story of tuna fisheries, globalization/bain capitalization, and how being and approaching life and world differently can be creative and powerful. this novel probably will make you cry though. of interest is de botton's book about "work" that also has a very interesting chapter on tuna fisheries and goes very well with this novel The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work
Karen (Me)is an autistic girl who lives with an aunt who runs the family tuna business which has fallen on hard times as a result of a U.S. embargo on Mexican caught and canned tuna. Although thought to be somewhere on the old scale of idiot to imbecile, Karen does have a few exceptional abilities that her Aunt Isabelle is able to recognize and nurture. With echoes of the Temple Grandin story, it is a good story. It will make you ponder the human condition.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Escritora: Dramaturga, Novelista, Ensayista, Periodista y Guionista.
Ha ganado cuatro veces el Premio Nacional de Dramaturgia de México. Dos veces el Premio Nacional de Periodismo. Un Ariel de la Academia de Cinematografía. Dos películas de su autoría han representado a México en los Oscares. Ha dado clases en la NYU, la Universidad de Yale y la Universidad de Claifornia at Berkeley.
More about Sabina Berman...
Ha ganado cuatro veces el Premio Nacional de Dramaturgia de México. Dos veces el Premio Nacional de Periodismo. Un Ariel de la Academia de Cinematografía. Dos películas de su autoría han representado a México en los Oscares. Ha dado clases en la NYU, la Universidad de Yale y la Universidad de Claifornia at Berkeley.
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
