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Nov 17, 2010

Tressa rated it:

“Look me in the eyes, young man!”
“Nobody trusts a man who won’t look them in the eye.”
“You look like a criminal.”
“I’ve read about people like you. They have no expression because they have no feeling. Some of the worst murderers in history were sociopaths.”

These are just some of the things John Elder Robison heard as a young boy, decades before a friend handed him a book about Asperger’s Syndrome and told him, "This book describes you exactly." Hearing the More...

9 comments like (24 people liked it)

Apr 29, 2008

Lucy rated it:

In a day when a cure is expected for nearly every ailment, flaw or disorder, I was struck by John Elder Robinson's assertion that those with Asperger's Syndrome, a neurobiological disorder on the autism spectrum that the author lived with undiagnosed until he was forty, needs no cure - only understanding.

John Elder Robinson starts his story with his earliest memories -a failed attempt to make friends in a sandbox and meanders through his shame at being called a deviant and a psychopa More...

6 comments like (23 people liked it)

Jul 07, 2008

Celeste rated it:

I bought this book on a whim (so that my order would get free shipping from Amazon.com). I was quickly horrified to learn that the author is the real-life brother of Augusten Burroughs, author of Running with Scissors. I did not enjoy that memoir at all. Go read my review of it so see what exactly I hated, if you're so curious. But I decided that I would try not to hold Robison's family against him and read his book.

I have to admit, given my son's placement on the autism spectrum More...

0 comments like (11 people liked it)

Nov 08, 2007

Kimberly rated it:

very funny book! describes bits and pieces of Asperger's, but it is not a book about Asperger's. It is a very funny life story of someone who understands that there are social mores, but has to eventually learn to do them and even as an adult remind himself to follow them. I say that it is funny because he is very light hearted about his trials and tribulations.
One thing he mentions about asperger's is the autistic spectrum, and that with his strong memories of himself as a child, he stron More...

1 comment like (9 people liked it)

Mar 13, 2011

Matthew rated it:

I became interested in this book after watching an episode of “America’s Next Top Model.” The new season features a woman with Asperger’s disease. Her name is Heather. She’s really hot and…whatever.

This book was written by a guy who has grown up with the disease. His brother is a well-known author. And this guy like fixes car motors or something. He’s like a mechanic now…I think, but not that there is anything wrong with that. He just can’t handle people. He’s more comforta More...

0 comments like (6 people liked it)

Dec 10, 2008

Anastacia rated it:

I am interested in the Asperger's continuum, so when I heard about this memoir - written by Augusten Burroughs's brother - I added it to my Amazon wish list. The title leads one to believe that the book is about the author's life with Asperger's, but that's a little misleading. The book is about his life in general and very little is devoted to how Asperger's influenced his life at all ages. I wanted to read a memoir about growing up within a dysfunctional family and also having a condition t More...

9 comments like (14 people liked it)

Sep 12, 2007

Emily rated it:

This is one of the best books I've read all year - and the cover is fantastic too. I've been reading the author's blog (jerobison.blogspot.com) and find myself wanting to read the book again. It's really one guy's story about trying to get through life - but he happens to be Augusten Burrough's brother, he worked for KISS for several years and he has Asperger's - well-written, clever and funny in so many ways.

1 comment like (5 people liked it)

May 07, 2008

Maya rated it:

I was just saying the other day that it's interesting to read the family connection between John Elder Robison and his more well-known writing sibling; you can see a literary resemblance between John and his brother. Reading this book is like reading Augusten, if Augusten had Asperger's, if that makes any sense.

Aside from being highly entertaining in its own right as a memoir, I found this highly educational as an inside glimpse into the mind of someone with Asperger's. The most st More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Apr 20, 2011

Osho rated it:

It's fascinating to read this memoir by Augusten Burroughs's older brother. Both this book and Burroughs's A Wolf at the Table have an emotional focus on their father, and it's engrossing to compare their perspectives by reading these synchronic narratives. Robison's father is sometimes frightening but also pathetic, whereas Burroughs, the younger, experienced him more consistently as terrifying.

Robison's writing is generally clear and coherent. Though there are occasional Aspy foray More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Sep 19, 2011

Patricia rated it:

I loved this book. It's the true story of a boy named John Robison's struggle to connect with people. He wonders why he isn't like other kids and why they don't hang around with him. When he's a teenager, he is always dismantling things like radios and burying his little brother in holes in the ground. All this has him looked upon as weirdo. His mother speaks to light fixtures and his farther is always drunk in the evenings, so John's only friends seem to be the machines he tinkers with - least More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Oct 07, 2007

Lara rated it:

This was an excellent book. Although there were a few slow chapters, most of the time I was either laughing out loud or fascinated by his unique thought process. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone, but especially those who have read "running with scissors" by the author's brother Augusten Burroughs.

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Sep 23, 2010

Reese rated it:

Before I read John Elder Robison's LOOK ME IN THE EYE: MY LIFE WITH ASPERGER'S, I knew enough about the syndrome and about my brother to mentally peel off the Asperger's label that my mother stuck on my late brother. Nevertheless, I wanted access to the interior of someone with Asperger's. Yes, I was well aware of the fact that it's not a "one-size-fits-all" syndrome and that looking at people and experiences through Robison's eyes wouldn't enable me to prove the unprovable. Having no More...

11 comments like (8 people liked it)

Mar 03, 2009

Bells rated it:

I really enjoyed this book. Several times I laughed out loud, and then was stumped how to answer my son's question, "What's so funny, Momma?"

"Well, son, he sent a blow up doll to his crappy teacher."
Or:
"You see, Sam, he shot a snake that was slithering around outside his hotel room."

No, none of those would do.

While I loved reading the many misadventures of Robison, I also felt a great deal of sorrow; for his troubled c More...

2 comments like (3 people liked it)

Nov 07, 2007

Helena rated it:

Haven't read Augusten Burroughs' books so didn't feel a connection on that level.

Sorry the author had a crappy childhood (like a lot of kids w/alcoholic parents) and that he had a tough time socially (like a lot of kids) but this guy has had a way more successful life than almost anyone I know ...

Not 1 but 3 amazingly successful lucrative careers, not 1 but 2 deep and meaningful long-term relationships, a great kid, a beautiful house ...

Am I supposed to fee More...

5 comments like (5 people liked it)

Dec 08, 2008

Lynda rated it:

This book was fascinating! All through reading it, I kept comparing the author's experiences with how my brother was in childhood and is now in adulthood. I saw so many similarities I had to tell my parents to read it. They promptly bought the book it sounded so intriguing. After reading it, they passed it on to the brother I referred to previously. He started it, didn't care to finish-refered to Robison as "kind of an a--hole, didn't you think?" You know that phrase about when one fin More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

May 25, 2011

Jeremy rated it:

I should not have read the foreword to this book, which was written by Augusten Burroughs. I hated the movie Running with Scissors, though I have to confess I haven’t read the book. Maybe I should give him the benefit of the doubt, but I have an automatic negative reaction to Augusten Burroughs based on that movie (and a quick look at the book reviews on Goodreads indicates I’m probably not the only one). So, this book is by Burrough’s older brother (their last names are different because August More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Oct 21, 2008

Homeschoolmama rated it:

I finished this book last week. At first I wasn't sure I'd like the book, b/c I wasn't sure I liked the author! He described a lot of what I considered to be mean spirited pranks he'd play on people, including on his little brother- who was going through his own trials and tribulations. . .Then as I read on I got to truly appreciate and admire this remarkable man. He tells a great story, honestly sharing his struggles and joys. I was relieved in many parts of the book, to learn that he was able More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Jul 31, 2008

Paula rated it:

A friend recommended this to me as I was considering whether someone close to me may be Aspergian (the term JE Robison used throughout the book). I may not have arrived at an answer ("diagnosis") but it was a well written memoir of an unusual man raised in an extraordinary family.

His brother wrote an autobiography which hit the big time: Augusten Burrough's "Running With Scissors". (Burroughs is a pen name for Chris Robison.) But John Elder's life was decided More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 09, 2008

Nolatari rated it:

Asperger’s Syndrome is virtually unknown to most people, and up until three years ago, it was to me, as well. But then my nephew began exhibiting signs of Asperger’s, and with his challenges I was compelled to begin reading all I could to understand how he thinks and how I can develop the best relationship with him. For the most part, books about Asperger’s are clinical in nature, which is helpful to a point but doesn’t really tell me how it feels. I ran across a couple of titles written by chil More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 15, 2008

Rachel rated it:

This was such a fascinating book - the author has Aspergers, and this autobiography offers great insight into the way his mind(and those of other Aspergians)works and processes things. For example, he attemps to explain why he might react with a smile when told that someone has died. He also goes into detail about his expertise on niche subjects, his startling intelligence, and he gives us an idea of why his brain might work that way, and how it has both evolved and devolved over the years. More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 07, 2008

Terry rated it:

Hmm, it's hard to write this review because I don't want to sound mean-spirited at any point. I did enjoy this book quite a lot, although sometimes I wasn't sure if he was being funny/sarcastic or completely serious. (I tend to think the latter.) I worked exclusivly with an adolescent with Asperger's for about six months and it was an exhausting experience. While Robinson insists he has feelings (and they can be hurt) (which is a good thing to remind people without experience with autism spectru More...

3 comments like (2 people liked it)

May 18, 2008

Natalie rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

3 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 23, 2008

Steven rated it:

I've been looking for a book like this since summer when my 10-year-old was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. I was confused about what his future prospects were. What could I expect? Would he be living with me the rest of his life? Could he be productive in society? Since that time I have heard of other Aspergians who have been successful to varying degrees but have never talked to one about their experiences. "Look me in the eye" gives that viewpoint in rich detail from a man who n More...

4 comments like (2 people liked it)

May 04, 2010

Julia rated it:

This was a really good book. I almost wrote great, but it's not quite in the same league as The Bell Jar. His writing style was very likeable, and it was insightful to get a better understanding of what Asperger's is like from an insider. He wrote it in such a relatable way that I half-wondered if I had Asperger's or a touch of it.

His ongoing, in-depth explanation about being baffled by social interactions, sarcasm, and other social nuances and subtleties fascinated me. I was ama More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 10, 2007

RJ rated it:

An intimate and detailed emotional journey, 'look me in the eye', is a well written, compassionate, deeply moving story that will have the reader laughing out loud on one page and on the verge of tears the next. Robison reveals what life was like growing up with an abusive, alcoholic father and his mentally ill mother. As a result of his inability to communicate appropriately, blurting out non sequiturs, and several other socially unacceptable behaviors, he was labeled a deviant. He found comfor More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 04, 2008

Alex rated it:

So far, so good. He doesn't have the brilliant flare that his brother has, but he definitely has a great story to tell and tells it pretty well.

While I know I don't have Asperger's, alot of the things he said struck home with me--I dislike looking people in the eyes, especially strangers, though I know I need to so I force myself. I definitely don't have the intense concentration that Aspergians have.

I think has a stand alone book this might be interesting for people wh More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 26, 2007

Arthur rated it:

I really enjoyed reading this book, and I can certainly appreciate it even moreso as a person who is very close with someone who has Asperger's Syndrome, which has only come to light in the past 10 years. Robinson's book invokes both fear and happiness from the reader, and reminds us that people who have Asperger's, while facing a tremendous amount of difficulty to "fit in" like the rest of us, are not powerless. The book paints a very good picture of what goes through an Aspergian min More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 06, 2009

Maren rated it:

First, let me state what I liked about this book: I appreciated the authors direct approach, his sense of humor, and his excellent writing. However, I have to say that as a person who is on the other end of from autism (dumb, but empathetic), I recoiled at times at some of the tricks he played as a child, ones that seemed hurtful to me. Not a matter of blame mind you, just a flinch. Perhaps that says a lot about who I am, but there it is... :)

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 31, 2008

Mia Lucia rated it:

A good book to read if one wants to develop an understanding of how Aspergers can complicate a life ,and how a person can learn to overcome the difficulties it brings to life and take advantage of aspects of the condition that enable a person to focus on somethings very well. The story is complicated by the fact that the author did not just grow up with the challenge of Aspbergers but in a highly dysfunctional family. It also reaffirms the idea that high IQ individuals do not have to pursue a More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 28, 2009

Sarah Jane rated it:

I was expecting this memoir to be an astonishing insight into Asperger's syndrome, a glimpse into the mind of the author. Instead, what I got was a bunch of semi-interesting stories about this dude's life, with the Asperger's aspect as almost an afterthought. Other reviews I've read have called Robison a "born storyteller" but I personally didn't find this to be all that engrossing. You'd think that one would be able to make touring with Kiss into a enjoyable story...but the writing wa More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)