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Jun 30, 2011

Amanda rated it:

I finished Be Different almost a month ago, but I’ve been thinking about it all this time, trying to decide what to write. Robison’s latest book is as well-written and entertaining as his first book, Look Me In the Eye. I think I’ve hesitated to write about Be Different because I see so much of myself in the anecdotes. I see more of my son, which makes sense, as he’s been diagnosed with Asperger’s, but there’s a lot of me in there, too. Even having acknowledged several months ago that I have som More...

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Jun 30, 2011

Erin rated it:

To be fair, I read this right after "Look Me in the Eyes" which is one of the best biographies I have ever read. It was so charming and fresh. So when I read this book, which is very good, but more straightforward and less entertaining, I rated it lower than it probably deserves. I liked the advice at the end of the book the most. I am changing my stars to 4.

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Feb 04, 2012

Victoria rated it:

A fascinating story with practical advice for people on the autism spectrum - Aspergers, specifically, but for anyone who has always felt "different." John Robinson shares stories and insights from his growing up years, showing us what it's like to grow up a bit quirky, eccentric, socially-challenged, yet absolutely brilliant. I empathized with his relational struggles, sensory overload, and inability to "read" faces but it amazes me that he wasn't diagnosed until age forty. More...

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Dec 03, 2011

Nicky rated it:

A book written directly for people with Aspergers and their parents and teachers, to explain how neurotypical people use social skills that can be learned to have satisfying productive lives. The author shares many of his life stories with his thoughts and reactions and how others perceived them. Then he describes when he decided to work on each of his skills and how he went about it.
Short chapters move the book along quickly. The stories generally show that the repeated efforts of ot More...

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Aug 17, 2011

Jennifer rated it:

Robison's memoir, Look Me in the Eye, shared the ups and downs of his unusual life. Be Different is more of a guidebook: this is how I, an Asperigian, learned to navigate and succeed in the world, and you can, too. It contains practical advice along with stories of how he learned it.

He begins by dividing people into three groups: Aspergians, Proto-Aspergians (those with "plenty of aspie quirks but not too many disabilities"), and everyone else, the neurotypical, whom he More...

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Aug 07, 2011

Lumpenprole rated it:

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Jun 10, 2011

Laurie rated it:

Robison has written a manual that should help anyone with Asperger’s navigate the world of neurotypicals- those who aren’t on the autism spectrum. Written as a loose autobiography, he uses his own life to illustrate the problems that those with Asperger’s can have, and tells us how he worked around those problems. His inability to read body language or read emotion on faces, his lack of understanding of social expectations, and his over sensitivity to some stimuli are all things he’s educated hi More...

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Apr 22, 2011

Cheryl rated it:

I felt affirmed by this book, and the highlights I made in the Kindle version are going to be handy bookmarks to remind myself of the author's advice about improving my social awareness. All of us in my family are "Aspergians" to different extents, and the more I read makes me realize that my mother also is on the spectrum, which made it difficult for me to get n-typical feedback about how to get by when I was growing up. Books like these from the "autism speaks" community (i More...

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Jun 02, 2011

Amy (SpedBug) rated it:

Although I enjoyed Robison's first autobiographial book, Look Me in the Eye, more than this offering, I found Be Different educational and entertaining. In this book, Robison outlines ways Aspergians - and even those not struggling with Autism spectrum disorders - can cope in a world where they are the minority.

Dealing with 'nypicals' or 'neurological typicals' can be difficult for those who struggle in social situations. Aspergians have difficulty reading social cues, facial expres More...

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Aug 25, 2011

Mary rated it:

This book really is for "Aspergians, Misfits, Families & Teachers", as the cover blurb says, but it's also for you. John Elder Robison's previous book "Look Me In The Eye" introduced us to a unique writer. In "Be Different" he shares what it's like to be in his brain looking out at the world, and he does so with humour, grace and kindness. He has a storytelling style that welcomes every person on the planet - for really, who among us has not had at the very le More...

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Feb 21, 2012

C.M. rated it:

I read this book so that I would perhaps gain a better understanding of my very young son who was diagnosed with ASD. It's really quite interesting to get a peek into how thoughts occurred in his mind. While I was able to take away some of that as helpful in understanding my own child, some of it wasn't relative to him because each person on the spectrum is completely different, really.

The resources at the end were very well thought out and researched. I appreciate that and honestly d More...

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Jun 27, 2011

Bea rated it:

Robison is a very good writer. He writes clearly and honestly about his struggles with being different, having Aspergers, not being diagnosed until he was an adult and what that meant to him, and the coping techniques that he's used over the years. He has developed a pretty clear understanding of what he can and can not do and freely admits when he doesn't know for sure when a quirk or difficulty si due to his autism and when it's just "normal". He also speculates on what is normal and More...

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Dec 19, 2011

Holly rated it:

Our family has struggled with more problems getting help for my son than will fit in this box. Finally, after he had serious enough issues, he was hospitalized this Spring. There, we received a very helpful diagnosis: Asperger's Syndrome. It made so much sense. At 12 years old, even he, felt a sense of relief. This book adds something else to that relief: hope and inspiration. This is a must read for parents of children on the Spectrum. Robison asserts that life gets easier for Aspergians More...

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Apr 25, 2011

Huda Felimban rated it:

Why do we read biographies? Are all details mentioned “real”?
And what my Russian friend always asks “fabulous Huda, then what?”

Those questions usually pop up whenever I read a biography, but not this one.
In this book, John E. Robinson tells some selected stories from both his childhood and adulthood trying to help us form a better understanding of aspergians’ behavior. Things like : How he managed to control and change some of his attitudes & How he deals with bad news, More...

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Mar 30, 2011

Ann rated it:

This is a very readable. The personal stories are at times very funny which makes what could be an uncomfortable subject to some approachable. The advice and insights into Aspberger Syndrome are extremely helpful. I have given a copy to my Aspberger daughter and very likely Aspberger husband to read. I think this book arrived at the right time for my teenaged daughter who is having a horrific time making friends. The message that life for someone with Aspbergers only gets better and better More...

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Oct 16, 2011

Liz rated it:

So, this was by an aspergian. Let me tell you, reading through it, half the stuff, like how to deal with other people, he could have learned from reading Dale Carnegie. I'm glad to hear that having a diagnosis for his behavioral differences made him feel better about himself, but it seems that he lived his life to the fullest without the diagnosis, and having found out earlier might have changed the way he lived his life, hence he would not have made the strides that he did. I also felt that More...

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May 29, 2011

Dana rated it:

Robison's book is a look at Aspergers from the inside, with the aim of helping out others who share his diagnosis. He frequently reminds his audience that, while things may be tough as a kid or teen, it gets better as an adult. He focuses on how to turn Aspie traits into success ("Kids make fun of your special interests in elementary school, but people will see you as an expert in your field when you're an adult"), as well as how to mitigate some of the condition's weaknesses. I partic More...

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Jan 17, 2012

Jonathan rated it:

I liked Look Me in the Eye better, but I enjoyed reading this too. I agree with the central premise of the book. Understand yourself, understand how your behavior affects others and apply the generally accepted rules of moral, ethical and polite behavior. But then go ahead and be different. Celebrate eccentricity; don't appologize for it. I like and agree with the concept of the "proto-aspergian" - a person with Asperger's traits who nevertheless would probably not be diagnosed with As More...

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Jun 08, 2011

Joanne rated it:

I read about half of this book before giving up, since it's sort of a how-to guide for people with Aspergers or their family and friends. It's written at about an eighth grade level with big margins, and I have to wonder if, after the success of his last book (Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's), Robison's publisher was rushing to get something out the door as a follow-up. The lessons are somewhat fleshed out by anecdotes, but it's still very simplistic (e.g., Manners are important ev More...

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Jun 20, 2011

Anna rated it:

John Elder Robison didn’t learn why he was different until he was 40 years old when he was diagnosed with Asperger’s. By then, he was already a successful businessman with a family and a history of mechanical wizardry including designing exploding guitars for the band, KISS. I really enjoyed Look Me In The Eye - his memoir about growing up with Asperger's but not knowing that he had it. Be Different is a bit more practical. Robison gives advice for anyone who is different, e.g. dealing with More...

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Jan 21, 2012

Sue rated it:

John Elder Robison writes about his experience of living as an Aspergian, filled with anecdotes and stories from his childhood, adolescence and adult life, as well as hard won advice on how to survive and even thrive in a world that finds it hard to understand and accept difference. He comes from a fascinating family. His brother is Augusten Burroughs, who wrote "Running with Scissors" about their unconventional (mad, really) childhood. This was later made into a film. "Be Dif More...

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Aug 09, 2011

Alison rated it:

This book is fantastic! Its readable, practical and entertaining. Anyone who has any interaction with Aspergers should read this book - whether they have it, have family members who have it, teach people with it or are just plain curious about how an Aspergian (as the author calls himself) thinks. Written by an Aspergian for Aspergians, the book gives a personal narrative of how different aspects of Aspergers were a difficulty and how he dealt with them - and other aspects were actually benefi More...

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Jul 08, 2011

Meredith rated it:

I picked up this book on the suggestion of my son's classmate's mother. Part memoir, part self-help book for those on the autism spectrum and the people in their lives, Be different : adventures of a free-range Aspergian with practical advice for Aspergians, misfits, families & teachers by John Elder Robison offers a peek into how an Aspergian mind works, as well as some advice on how to function in a society largely made up of "nypicals" (Robison's word for neurotypicals).

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Nov 18, 2011

Terry rated it:

This book is much more:
1. interesting
2. specific
3. useful

and is better written than Robison's previous book about living as an Aspie "Look Me in the Eye." "Be Different" gets down and dirty with the real challenges and rewards of being with or supporting an Aspie. The book not only tells the stories of growing up as an Aspie (at a time when no one really knew was Asperger's was), but also connects those stories of his childhood to learning how to nav More...

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Dec 16, 2011

Ellie rated it:

Be Different: Adventures of a Free-Range Aspergian by John Elder Robison is a treasure-for people on the autism spectrum, their friends, families, teachers, and, maybe, for everyone interested in the different ways people are wired in this world and how that feels from the inside. It is also, I suspect, a useful self-help book, a sharing from one person on the spectrum to others who might want to figure out how better to live in a neurotypical world with some degree of comfort and happiness.
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Jun 16, 2011

Laura rated it:

My library only had this available on audiobook, but I am counting it as a book I read anyhow because listening to and reading a book are close enough. This book by John Elder Robison, author of Look Me in the Eye, is a practical guide for those who are living with aspergers either in themselves or in someone they love. It would also be good for teachers. He gives tips on how to compensate for some of the troubles we have with things, and how to make your strengths really count. He gives advice More...

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Nov 06, 2011

Claudia rated it:

Three pages of notes copied, a pack of stickies to mark longer quotes...did I like this book?? OH YEAH! I already have the first line of my fan letter composed: "Mr Robison, we didn't know it at the time, but we were both at Lloyd Noble Arena in 1979 for the KISS Dynasty tour."

Robison did NOT rehash his memoir in this book...it truly is new information...he tells us how his Aspergers is a gift, how it's given him singular opportunities at the same time it challenged him. More...

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Apr 05, 2011

Amy rated it:

A very easy and entertaining read, and you don't realize you are being educated in the course of reading.

This book made me ponder the fuzzy line between "weirdness" and "normalcy", both in terms of others I interact with as well as myself in some cases. His suggestions for interacting with other people are spot on and hilarious and kind of make me question my own location on the Aspergian<-->neurotypical spectrum. This was a lot of fun to read.

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Apr 17, 2011

Jane rated it:

Great book! I just finished it, despite not having read his first one, Look Me in the Eye. I plan on reading that one soon.
I'm a fifteen-year-old with AS, and I really took a lot from this book. Several things he described pertained to my symptoms of AS perfectly, such as the dislike of certain sounds when other people made them, but being fine when he made them. This is me exactly. I found it very insightful, and it gave me immense hope for my future and my occupation after having problems More...

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Feb 20, 2012

Caroline rated it:

Enjoyed this very much. Not as compelling as Look Me in the Eye, just because that one had more of a narrative structure and this one comprises short anecdotes intended to illustrate particular aspects of his condition. I was hoping to come away with some improved perspective on parenting a "different" (but not, I think, Aspergian) child. I guess I don't have much of a take-away, except that things that seem weird and frustrating in childhood can become assets in the adult world. " More...

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