Nobody Nowhere: the Extraordinary Autobiography of an Autistic

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Nobody Nowhere: the Extraordinary Autobiography of an Autistic

3.86 of 5 stars 3.86 · rating details · 903 ratings · 101 reviews

"This is a story of two battles, a battle to keep out 'the world' and a battle to join it."She inhabits a place of chaos, cacophony, and dancing light--where physical contact is painful and sights and sounds have no meaning. Although labeled, at times, deaf, retarded, or disturbed, Donna Williams is autistic--afflicted by a baffling condition of heightened sensory percepti...more

Paperback, 219 pages

Published February 1st 1994 by Avon (first published October 1st 1992)

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Jun 28, 2007 En Hikmah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: human_being

I read the Indonesia version.
Yang paling menakjubkan saya rasakan secara pribadi adalah kemampuannya bertahan dan mwujudkan cita-cita. Dalam keterbatasan yang luar biasa menyulitkan baik diri sendiri maupun orang lain, tapi Donna Williams bisa terus bergerak dan melakukan hal-hal yang dia inginan. Memperoleh pendidikan seperti orang lain, bekerja seperti orang lain dan hidup seperti orang lain, dnegan kemampuannya sendiri. Dan yang istimewa lagi...dia bisa berkeliling dunia bahkan dengan keadaan...more

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Aug 08, 2011 Iona Tamsin Stewart rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is quite a challenging book for me to review. It is an autobiographical account by an Australian girl called Donna who has "characters",as she terms them, named Carol and Willie.

Donna adopted the identity of these "characters" at times of need, Willie appeared to her when she was about two and "was no more than a pair of piercing green eyes whcih could only be seen in the darkness". Willie became the self Donna directed to the outside world, with his glaring eyes and clenched fists. Willie...more This is quite a challenging book for me to review. It is an autobiographical account by an Australian girl called Donna who has "characters",as she terms them, named Carol and Willie.

Donna adopted the identity of these "characters" at times of need, Willie appeared to her when she was about two and "was no more than a pair of piercing green eyes whcih could only be seen in the darkness". Willie became the self Donna directed to the outside world, with his glaring eyes and clenched fists. Willie had "a look of complete hatred". Carol was a girl Donna met at at early age who brought her home to her house. Donna wanted to live in Carol's world. When Donna became Carol, she smiled and laughed, and could act "relatively normal". Donna disappeared and Carol "took the stage".

It would be interesting to learn how Donna's condition with her role-playing characters compares with that of those suffering from multiple personality disorder or whatever the correct term is nowadays.

Though Donna may have had several symptoms characteristic of autism, such as problems with the understanding of certain concepts, she did succeed in establishing several amazingly close, though perhaps absolutely short-term, relationships both as a child and an adult, the adult relationships being with others suffering from similar difficulties as herself. But what I'm trying to say is, I don't connect autism, which is a condition where you not only have your own inner world, as I suppose Donna did, shut others out and often never even learn to speak, with a person capable of fluent speech and who establishes deep relationships. In fact reading this book makes me ponder over the whole matter of diagnoses - I have to think rather that according to the various ways we were treated/abused as children, we all suffer from various flaws in character, and when several/many individuals are discovered to possess a group of similar such flaws, this is then dubbed to be a particular "disorder". In fact, no matter what, we are all individuals, differing considerably from each other.

Donna had various flaws and difficulties, but worked on all these by herself in order to turn into a more normally functioning human being. She explains to us her various cognitive problems, strange patterns of behaviour, etc, etc and it was a long process for her to make her own diagnosis, working as stated mainly on her own, though she did at one point find a nurturing friend and kindred spirit in the form of a psychiatrist, whom she herself sought out.

She has a keen intellect and among her achievements completed a university education.

Her mother was abusive, her father weak and passive, and the whole family (she had two brothers) was thus dysfunctional. The book was complete with photos of Donna as a child and later, and of her brothers and auntie. It was a bit shocking for me that the cover photo of Donna at the age of 3 or 4 is the spitting image of a photo of myself at the same age.

The book is well-expressed, though still I haven't managed to comprehend the way Donna's mind worked and how she processed her early experiences. In the final pages Donna explains her various symptoms, their causes as she understands them and their symbolic meanings.

It bothered me somewhat that the book had no chapters, ans this somehow made it seem a bit chaotic, as though her various experiences, chaotic in themselves, were piled up on top of one another and thrown towards us with no interludes.

An interesting book from the psychological point of view, and well worth reading.

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Aug 21, 2009 Lelly rated it 5 of 5 stars

Batinku sakit melihat kedua staf membombardir gadis kecil itu dengan tubuh mereka, napas mereka, bau mereka, tawa mereka, gerakan dan kebisingan mereka. Seperti orang gila, menggoyang-goyangkan mainan ular dan berbagai objek lain ke muka si gadis; seperti sepasang penyihir yang terlalu bersemangat dan berharap mampu menghancurkan pengaruh jahat autisme, seperti ahli bedah yang mengoperasi dengan alat-alat berkebun tanpa menggunakan obat bius. Dan gadis kecil itu berteriak: tubuhnya bergoyang-goy...more

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Jul 27, 2011 Readyourselfhealthy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: autism, understanding-autism, sensory-processing

This book--along with Someone Somewhere--is difficult to get through. It chronicles the life of the author, starting with an abusive and horrible childhood that is at times, very difficult to get through. It is certainly not a typical account of autism, with the author being at least very high functioning. I was not sure at all reading the book if the author was autistic, but she definitely has her difficulties. What is insightful in the book is the explanation and description of sensory process...more

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Mar 25, 2013 Liz rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I thought this book was very insightful. It was a good read and I read it in no time. Bite size chapters I find helps with this.
I would however warn people that may be reading it, as I was, for an insight into the mind of an autistic/aspergers individual. In the case of Donna Williams, she suffered a very traumatic childhood and also had numerous food allergies thus exacerbating her condition. Not to mention taking place a long time ago when it was relatively unknown. It is helpful to learn the...more

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Feb 25, 2011 Toni rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011

An amazing accomplishment, for sure. Detailed depiction from inside the head of a badly abused autistic child and adolescent. Her memory is amazing, too, I think. There are so many sad, painful, truly horrific stories here -- pretty depressing, actually -- though sometimes relieved by comic moments. (The buttonholer machine story did make me chuckle.) The photos looked -- to me -- like those of a normal child, though the author interprets them as "evidence" of her condition (which, I understand,...more

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Dec 04, 2010 Ilie Ruby rated it 5 of 5 stars

Brava. Brava. Brava. A rare and believable look into the world of an autistic woman that found her way out of this daunting condition. Williams writes with unmistakable clarity and eloquence as she illuminates a rarely seen journey.

This is not to be surpassed by her next book [Somebody Somewhere:]. A must-read for anyone who is interested in the dynamic associations of perception and sensory processing conditions.

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Feb 04, 2010 Lynn rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: psychology

I read this while I was researching my thesis, as a break - it stared out at me through the bookshelves - I tend to always sit at the same corner (the psychology corner). So I picked up this memoir and read the front page. It got me hooked, so I read on. It gave me a peek into the life of a terribly adorable autistic child. I somehow can identify with her - I know how to access the space between reality and non-reality.

I especially loved the pictures that used to illustrate the story. Although I...more

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Dec 14, 2010 Nanny rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: novel

Kisah perjuangan seorang gadis autis yang terlahir dari keluarga miskin dan hidup teraniaya. Menambah pengetahuan tentang anak autis., layak untuk dibaca oleh orang tua atau pendidik yang menangani autis.

"aku tidak tahu bagaimana menuntut untuk dipahami. Aku tersesat, terjebak dan aku sedang membuat pernyataan..Waktu itu usiaku 9 tahun dan aku hampir-hampir dikirim ke rumah sakit jiwa .."

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Jan 26, 2009 Karin rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: abusive-relationships, autobiography-memoir, nonfiction, relationships, families, australia, autism, borrowed-from-the-library

Donna Williams wasn’t diagnosed with autism until she was in her mid-late twenties – and she self-diagnosed at that point and had already written her autobiography, which she then shared with a physician who told her that it should be published. She had a very rocky childhood with a mother and older brother who were at least verbally abusive (her mother was also occasionally physically abusive). Donna’s relationship with her father was better, but he remained aloof or distant. She spent some tim...more Donna Williams wasn’t diagnosed with autism until she was in her mid-late twenties – and she self-diagnosed at that point and had already written her autobiography, which she then shared with a physician who told her that it should be published. She had a very rocky childhood with a mother and older brother who were at least verbally abusive (her mother was also occasionally physically abusive). Donna’s relationship with her father was better, but he remained aloof or distant. She spent some time being homeless or moving obsessively from place to place and job to job, never keeping friends for long. She found it difficult to connect with people and with the world as herself, and invented several personas to deal with different situations (Carol and Willie, for instance). She often found herself in other abusive relationships, with boyfriends taking advantage of her, still she managed to (finally) extract herself from these, get a college education, and learn to understand herself and her relationships with others. Particularly interesting is how much of her difficulties were alleviated by altering her diet – she had many food allergies that contributed to her problems.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. I found it really difficult to get inside of Donna Williams’ mind (and her writing), which felt read kind of choppy and all over the place. Maybe this is supposed to lend it a more immediate feel? Or, it’s just how she processes her own experience of living with autism and it’s not ever going to be something that I can fully grasp. I’d like to read more about autism and how it manifests in people – Donna is described as a “highly functioning” autistic, but there are people who function less well. It’s clear from her story that Donna has had to fight to be a part of and stay “in the world” – the one we all share as opposed to the one that she created for herself for safety and reprieve – and this seems to be something that autistics share with schizophrenics and other people who get inventive or disconnect when they can’t deal with what’s going on around them.

I was most taken by the last chapters and Donna’s after word in which she describes how she was able to relate to other autistic people/children. She was even able to help them by demonstrating to them the ways in which she’d learned to cope when outside influences became too much for her to deal with. The way that they communicated was really different from how most non-autistic people communicate – it was like they had their very own language that was immediately understandable to its native speakers. I’d like to read more about this. I’m curious about whether earlier understanding and communication might help more autistic children become as highly functioning as Donna is.

There’s a new(er) book out called, Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger’s, by John Elder Robison, that’s on my to-read list, which has received some good reviews. I might try that and see how these compare.(less)

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Oct 18, 2010 adllto rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ologies, literature

I last read this book in 1994 when I returned home from Canada and just reread it over the last 3 days. It remains as starling as the day I first read it. The autobiography, dare I say it, the impossible autobiography of someone with autism is something special. I've learned that for those with autism the ability to communicate is almost a miracle in itself and yet they produce gifted and savants.

I must confess the vivid and slightly random style drew me into another way of thinking which I find...more

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Jan 02, 2009 Dave rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

Donna Williams' autobiographical novel is at once frightening and uplifting, heartwarming and bewildering. With rare clarity and prose that ranges from painfully stumbling to painfully elegant, she recounts her childhood and her journey from being a disembodied entity simultaneously cut off from the rest of the world and remorselessly battered by by her rebellious senses; to a functioning person, able to... well, write really captivating autobiographical novels- an uncommon triumph for someone s...more

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Mar 26, 2012 Andrea Fife rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book is incredibly unique in that it is actually written by a woman who was able to learn to operate outside her autistic tendencies. Apparently, the ability even to recognize one's own autism is far from the norm, and to be able to write a novel about it is that much more remarkable. But in addition to autism, Donna Williams' childhood was filled with abuse and food allergies which make some of her experiences difficult to attribute to any particular factor. The book was very interesting,...more

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Feb 27, 2009 Lindsay rated it 3 of 5 stars

Donna Williams definitely has a lot going on, but she tells her story beautifully and really does give you some insight into 'her world' and how someone on the autistic spectrum may experience reality. Her artful and touching story is an insightful account of a girl struggling to negotiate between two worlds and to develop an understanding of herself. While there are debates about how truly 'autistic' she is (as there are many other issues evident in her life, such as sever emotional and physica...more

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Jan 12, 2009 Merilee rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book is interesting for me, because I work with students with autism. It was difficult to read at times, because the author has suffered a great deal of abuse throughout her life, and so it was heavy. But there were gems in there - answers to why she did the things I see my students doing, which were well worth the read.

If nothing else, the two sections after the conclusion of her story at the back, where she describes the meaning of her "language" and tips for interacting with and influen...more

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Jul 29, 2011 Tracy rated it 5 of 5 stars

I read this book when I was in college and loved it, so decided to give it a try again. It's basically the autobiography of a woman deemed "mad" when she was growing up and ends in her twenties when she finally comes to discover that she's actually autistic. The insight readers gain into autism is amazing. The back actually features a section that clarifies why Donna does specific

"behaviours" typical to autism. The story line itself isn't exactly riveting but it isn't at all text book, so acts...more

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Feb 11, 2013 Rachel rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I found this book in my university library whilst researching a project; the title and picture got me hooked so I read it as a break from my studies.
To me, this book was incredibly moving, not least due to personal experiences with autistic children. I found it gave me an ability to relate to these children better. This book also lends credence to the theory that autistic children do not lack an ability to feel emotion but rather that they are overcome by it. An utterly captivating, sometimes e...more

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Feb 07, 2012 Rachel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2012

This was interesting, but it started to feel kind of repetitive by the end. It's certainly a valuable resource, in that it gives a view of autism from the inside out. However, it also brings home the point that autistic people are still unique individuals, since her experiences are not typical. Unfortunately for me, I don't think I gained a ton of perspective for the boy I work with at the school, since he doesn't have the problems with physical touch and human contact that Donna did. Still wort...more

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Oct 04, 2010 Cheryl in CC NV rated it 4 of 5 stars

Wow. Definitely recommended reading for therapists and teachers. Maybe not recommended so much for loving parents, because Donna Williams credits her mother's bad parenting for giving her (Donna) the strength to develop her own identity in the world. In that way it reminds me of Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's, written by John Elder Robison and influenced by his brother, Augusten Burroughs. Heartwrenching, heartwarming, and educational.

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Aug 28, 2011 Sweetdhee rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: pinjem, bahasa-indonesia-terjemahan

kisah luar biasa yang diceritakan dengan cara yang membosankan

Donna Williams merasa 'mati' saat ia berumur tiga tahun
Donna menjadi Willie saat dunia menyentuhnya, menyiksanya, meledeknya
Donna menjadi Carol saat ia ingin dunia menerimanya
Donna menjadi Donna saat ia sendiri

Ketidakadilan yang dialami Donna akan perlakuan ibunya, kakak dan adik lakilakinya
Ketidakberdayaan ayahnya untuk melindunginya dari kekejaman dunia

Donna berjuang
Agar Willie dan Carol tidak hilang dari diirnya
Agar Donna yang kata...more

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Nov 11, 2012 Karen Yarrington rated it 5 of 5 stars

Amazing book for anyone who loves an autistic person! If you ever want to delve into an autistic's mysterious world--read this book. It's the story of Donna, who was very abused and misunderstood while growing up in "her world" and yet was able to figure out for herself that everyone else lived in a different world--"the world". Many severely autistic people have a hard time understanding, let alone explaining, this difference to us--most don't even want to try. She is a gift!

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Mar 20, 2012 Kressel Housman rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: memoir, non-fiction

The person who recommended this book to me absolutely raved about it, but I found it unfocused and confusing, which may have been precisely the point. It is, after all, the memoir of an autistic. Still, I am giving it a 3 instead of a 2 because I read it over a decade ago and yet many parts of it are still clear in my mind. That's powerful writing. But be warned: not only is the author autistic, she was also abused and at times, she gets pretty graphic.

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Jan 26, 2013 Forever rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is an AMAZING book! I could not put it down at all. I found the experiences the author went through to be very haunting. At times, I could even relate to the author's experiences to the point in which I would break down and cry. I was feeling very lonely when I read this book and I could sympathize and relate to Donna. There has never ever been a book which had as much emotional impact on me as this one. This book is definitely a must read.

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Feb 25, 2012 Donkey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Reminds us that we live on borrowed time. . . In a borrowed world. If it takes a person called crazy, insane, or psychotic to show you what the real meaning of sanity is in this world maybe it is us who need a mental institution. One either leaves this book tame( to the insanity of the world) or wild (because they realise there sanity is not sane at all). I was humbled!!!

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Jan 27, 2009 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars

Another of many books I have read, because I have a child with autism. Ms. Williams' account is enlightening and heart breaking and a must read for any person working with or living with someone afflicted with autism. Her insights will enlighten and educate others about the complicated, mysterious affliction growing too rapidly in our country to ignore any longer.

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Jul 30, 2008 megh rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people detached from autism

Shelves: autism, disliked-greatly

Sad book about how a child with autism should not be raised. Way too depressing for me. And usually I find a certain comfort in depression, but this was to upsetting for me. Didn't finish it because I thought I wouldn't be able to handle another "Slap" written into the story. Made me want to break something.... maybe it wasn't the depressing-ness that bothered me....maybe I got too angry. Anyways, I wouldn't recommend this book to other parents of children with autism.
Maybe I will pick it up aga...more

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Apr 21, 2009 Mhill1228 rated it 3 of 5 stars

While interesting, it was hard to tell what part of the book was written due to the autism and what part was as a result of the child abuse she suffered. Still, some of the sensory things she described helped me to understand how people with autism experience the world in a dramatically different way from the rest of us.

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Oct 14, 2011 Sandra Hoyos rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a very insightful book; however, right after receiving an autism diagnosis on one of your children is not the best time to read it. I read this book about 12 years ago and some of her passages still come to mind when I wonder why my son acts like he does.

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Jan 22, 2008 Kym Ryan -tomlinson rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: every adult

This is a must read. Just to get a little look into the world of a person who is autistic is amazing. it certainly opened my eyes up a little more. i think every adult should read this, and teachers, special care teachers etc. certainly should ASAP.. this woman is amazing and has something to teach us all. who are we to say what is normal, maybe our normal is all wrong. I love books about the woring of the mind, as i find it so interesting, but this book went beyond the things i would normally r...more

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May 12, 2011 Katie Lynn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Didn't love this book until the Afterword; that made the book for me. Keeping this one on my shelf and would recommend I re-read the Afterword on occasion.
Does EVERYONE read themselves in these types of books? Is that what the autism spectrum really is... everyone?

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About Donna Williams

Donna Williams is the author of Nobody Nowhere: The Extraordinary Autobiography of an Autistic, in which she tells of her lifelong battle with autism -- a developmental disorder originating in infancy and characterized by self-absorption, repetitive and rigidly structured behavior, language dysfunction, and an inability to interact socially. Williams depicts in her book a world of disembodied colo...more Donna Williams is the author of Nobody Nowhere: The Extraordinary Autobiography of an Autistic, in which she tells of her lifelong battle with autism -- a developmental disorder originating in infancy and characterized by self-absorption, repetitive and rigidly structured behavior, language dysfunction, and an inability to interact socially. Williams depicts in her book a world of disembodied color, pattern, and sound. At times she would madly rub her eyes and withdraw into "bright spots of fluffy color," attempting to escape what she called the "intrusive gabble" of other people. Torn between a dread of physical contact and a desire for emotional connection, Williams would often beat herself then assume a fetal position. "Hurting herself," as New York Times Book Review contributor Daniel Goleman relates, "or doing shocking things ... were ways to reassure herself that she did indeed exist."

Goleman explains that books such as Williams's provide a valuable insight into an unfamiliar world, "revealing to outsiders that what may seem bizarre and unpredictable follows its own internal logic, however strange." Writing for the Los Angeles Times Book Review, Chris Goodrich found that Williams "proves herself to be rigorously analytical and remarkably free of self-pity, despite a life fraught with fear, pain, and misunderstanding." Nobody Nowhere was written by Williams in her efforts to better understand her world. Only upon the advice of two therapists familiar with autism did Williams decide to publish her writings. Goleman noted that the work provides "a fascinating testimony to an intelligence undimmed by mental turmoil," while Goodrich proclaimed that "Nobody Nowhere is as brave a book as you'll ever read."

Williams told CA: "Autism is not a 'mental disorder' anymore than it is a communication, social, perceptual, or neurological disorder. It is a pervasive development disorder (PDD) affecting many areas of development. It is not a mental illness, nor is it synonymous with mental retardation."

Source: Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2003.
Source Database: Contemporary Authors
PEN (Permanent Entry Number): 0000115308
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Books by Donna Williams

Somebody Somewhere: Breaking Free from the World of Autism

Like Colour to the Blind: Soul Searching and Soul Finding

Autism: An Inside-Out Approach: An Innovative Look at the Mechanics ' of Autism ' and Its Developmental Cousins '

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