The Secret Life of a Black Aspie: A Memoir

by Anand Prahlad

Anand Prahlad was born on a former plantation in Virginia in 1954. This memoir, vividly internal, powerfully lyric, and brilliantly impressionistic, is his story.
 
For the first four years of his life, Prahlad didn’t speak. But his silence didn’t stop him from communicating—or communing—with the strange, numinous world he found around him. Ordinary household objects came to life; the spirits of long-dead slave children were his best friends. In his magical interior world, sensory experiences blurred, time disappeared, and memory was fluid. Ever so slowly, he emerged, learning to talk and evolving into an artist and educator. His journey takes readers across the United States during one of its most turbulent moments, and Prahlad experiences it all, from the heights of the Civil Rights Movement to West Coast hippie enclaves to a college town that continues to struggle with racism and its border state legacy.
 
Rooted in black folklore and cultural ambience, and offering new perspectives on autism and more, The Secret Life of a Black Aspie will inspire and delight readers and deepen our understanding of the marginal spaces of human existence.

Genres: Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Memoir, Nonfiction, Disability, Psychology, Disability Studies, Race

225 pages, Paperback

Published February 15, 2017

About the author

Anand Prahlad is the author of the Permafrost Prize-winning memoir The Secret Life of a Black Aspie. He has published two books of poems, Hear My Story and Other Poems and As Good As Mango, as well as poems and creative nonfiction in literary journals such as Fifth Wednesday, Water~Stone Review, Copper Nickle, Pleiades, The Chariton Review, and Natural Bridge. He recently completed a new collection of poetry, Hijra, which focuses on black, third gender identity.

Prahlad has also published critical articles and books on black folklore and the proverb, including Reggae Wisdom: Proverbs in Jamaican Music and African American Proverbs in Context, and he has edited the three-volume set The Greenwood Encyclopedia of African American Folklore and the one-volume The Greenwood Student Encyclopedia of African American Folklore.

Prahlad is a songwriter and musician who plays multiple instruments, including the African mbira. He released his original blues CD, Hover Near, in 2008 and is now working on a second CD.

Prahlad holds a MA and a PhD in folklore studies and sociolinguistics from UC Berkeley and UCLA. He is director of creative writing at the University of Missouri, where teaches folklore, film, creative writing, and disability studies and has been the recipient of numerous major teaching awards.

Reviews

[DW Rowlands · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm still trying to decide what to think of this book, and I'm not entirely sure if I should've given it three stars or four. I can't say I liked it, exactly, but I think it was important. The author's very stream-of-consciousness style was certainly a change, and perhaps shouldn't surprise me as much given that he is a literature professor.

A number of things that Prahlad talks about---including the hints that he is genderfluid or otherwise non-binary, and his spirituality and feelings of being close to the land---certainly interested me. And some parts of the book almost infuriated me, when the stream-of-consciousness style seemed to gloss over details: Prahlad would have us believe that he essentially glided into a tenure-track job by accident. But, perhaps that's really the point: I know that a lot of my experiences with life decisions have felt as though things just "happened," even when no outside observer sees it that way, and I can imagine that that is how Prahlad feels about this, too, and that that is the point he is trying to get across.

[Lisa Higgins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read most of Prahlad's memoir with a lump in my throat: lumps of awe, fear, memory, angst, worry, joyousness, and awakening

My mind bent and my heart cracked on every page. His stories are important contexts for the latest chapters in our collective histories.

[Janice (JG) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an invitation to enter into a reality that is unlike anything neurotypical people normally inhabit. Anand Prahlad reveals his inner life as one who lives on the autism spectrum as well as a Black, from the time he was a child in the 1950s until the present day. He is a published poet, a professor of Black Studies, and the author of creative nonfiction as well as journal and scholarly articles. How he has navigated this American culture, aware only that he was somehow very different, is the subject of this memoir. It is lyrical, and shocking, and revelatory. I'm so glad I was able to read his story. Highly recommended - 4 1/2 stars.

[BMR, LCSW · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up from the library because of the cover. It stood out on the table.

This book is loosely a memoir, it's really a series of stories from the author's life. It's got a lot of details missing that I think would make this even better.

The author grew up on a Virginia plantation that his family had lived on for generations, including centuries of his ancestors enslaved on that same plantation. Like his mom and grandma, Prahlad could see and hear spirits. He also could taste colors. Prahlad did not get an Asperger's diagnosis until middle age, but he always knew he was living in a world others did not understand or see. His travels to find the right place for him led him to both coasts, several failed relationships, and eventually settled in Columbia, MO with a PhD, presumably teaching at Mizzou (he doesn't name the university in the book).

This book is the best book I've read that explains the difference between how neuro-typical folks experience the world and how those on the Autism spectrum experience it.

RECOMMENDED!!

[Camille Dungy]

Don’t judge a book by its cover, they say. But I love this cover so much! It features the work of the fiercely fabulous mixed media (multi media) artist Krista Franklin and on the strength of the cover alone, I found myself drawn to this book.

And once I opened The Secret Life of a Black Aspie by Anand Prahlad, I found even more to draw me in. The memoir’s reflections on the life of a Black American on the autism spectrum feels like a necessary intervention and disruption, changing the script on so many narratives about what “normal” should look like and who survives and thrives in this country and how.

[Hana Gabrielle (HG) Bidon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This memoir is utterly mesmerizing and unforgettable because of exquisite writing and beautiful storytelling. Highly recommend reading this, especially if you want to learn about the lived experiences of autistic people, especially Black autistic folks. Thank you, myTBR, for recommending this memoir. It was a pleasure reading this 📖

[Samantha Harding · Rating 5 out of 5]

This felt a lot like jumping into the author’s brain which I love and appreciate. Was very flavorful and colorful and really brought in all of the senses. Interesting and important perspective.

[Calciferocious · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am Black and trans and got my ASD diagnosis this winter, just before my 40th birthday.

I am trying to understand what it means to have a brain that works this way, what things I might share with other people who meet these same diagnostic criteria. The books I am reading have mostly left me unsatisfied. There are moments of, "Hm, I guess that's right," and "I can kind of relate to that," but they don't feel like they're written for me.

Reading Prahlad, I nodded and nodded. "Yes, it's like that. Yes, it's like that. Yes, it's exactly like that."

I experienced the writing like an impressionist painting. Up close you see every patch of color as its own vibrant entity. Pulling back, you see how the colors melt together into a picture that tells a full story. But each mote also stands alone.

Beautiful, poetic, a lot of overlap with my family (down to the satsangis), some parts that reminded me of my father and made me feel sad. It may be that I gift him a copy for Father's Day. I think he could use it.

Glad to have found this book.

[Lauren Ellzey · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an autistic person of color, I resonated so strongly with Prahlad's memoir. As the author requests, this book is to be taken literally, and I literally felt seen in his thoughts and words. Each chapter is a new story, sometimes told out of time, and each story draws the reader into a unique experience--one that every autistic can see some glimmer of a mirror within.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This depiction of what it's like to be autistic is the most like my own experience of autism I've ever read.

I really appreciate getting to read works by Black autistics, because there aren't enough available. I worry about Black autistic people a lot...I can't think of a more dangerous intersection to inhabit in our society. I want more people to understand this.

For those interested in learning more about the cult Prahlad joins, the Rajneeshis, the Netflix docuseries Wild, Wild Country is pretty good. And yes, I do consider them a cult. That doesn't mean I don't respect the reasons Prahlad had for joining or think that his ideals aren't genuine or what he gets out of his membership isn't real. But I think when an organization is responsible for the largest bio-terror attack ever perpetrated on US soil post-colonization, you have to consider the organization's dark side.

I'm very interested in the susceptibility of autistics to joining cults. I think it's fascinating how we're simultaneously so skeptical of generally accepted social narratives but especially vulnerable to the allure of cults. My own father joined one (look up Triratna Buddhist Community...). It's clearly partly because cults prey on those yearning to belong, but it's also not that simple.

Anyway, I've digressed from what's truly important about this book, which is Prahlad's experience of autism. That this book's portrayal of that experience is very beautiful, and resonated with me deeply. This is the first time I've felt tempted to try to reach out to the author of an autism memoir. I wouldn't be able to do it justice if I tried to describe why...I hope you'll read it for yourself.

In a review for a different memoir I wondered if other people enjoy autism memoirs. This is one of the first ones I've read that I think allistic people who simply enjoy good writing should read.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating read and so very unlike many of the other books on autism or by autistic authors that I have read - which makes sense, considering it's written by a poet. It was definitely very lyrical in nature, but in addition to that, this book had more information about spirituality in it than most of the other books on autism I've read, which I thought was interesting.
The main reason I picked this book up was to read an account of autism from a person of color, and Anand gives an interesting account of his childhood up to the current day, sharing how he tastes people and experiences periods of time or locations in colors. He talks about wearing masks in certain situations, and how some masks are more difficult to wear for extended periods of time than others. He also talks about gender fluidity in this book, which isn't a surprise when understanding some of the additional context around autistic people.
This was another excellent read about autism and one I'm glad to have added to my collection to get a fuller picture of what it means to be autistic in our world.

[Scgmom4yahoo.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

I took this book out on a whim and was amazed at how moved I was, especially by the first half. It created a world that was so evocative I will long remember this book.

I've never read about a child growing up with grandparents and ancestors who were slaves, similar to holocaust survivors. That part of US history is not taught in school.

I never learned how some former slaves stayed nearby the plantations, and within two generations created their own very self sufficient and skilled communities. And much more.

Not just interesting as an Aspie memoir!

[Sheu Quen · Rating 3 out of 5]

While it was quite an eye opener, I found the book rather difficult to read. A lot of what was written was from his point of view and he felt to me like a low functioning autistic person. Much of what was written made me read between the lines and as an autistic person myself, I found it difficult to read between the lines.

[Vanessa Ooms · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book immediately pulled me in and took me on a grand and rich adventure. I’ve never read a book that gives you such a feeling of being inside the writer’s mind, body and spirit before. I just wish it were longer. But overall, an engrossing and important read that clearly shows the lived experience of a person who is on the spectrum.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heavy but enjoyed the writing

My heart was heavy the whole wag through. The writing is poetry. Will be good for a group discussion. This man has Bern through a lot and I know has so much more to say.

[Sarah Askew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the sixth autistic memoir I’ve read and by far the most beautiful. Heart, soul, spirit, wonder, loss, making, breaking, rebuilding

Most are A to B chronology or that mixed with how-to survive this world. This is baring one’s spirit in sounds and tastes and history. Highly recommend

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful. This book is beautiful.

[EF · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully reflective, lyrical memoir. One of those books you'll never stop thinking about as a reader.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to reread the first half to pay more attention to the language rather than the story; it was haunting and beautiful and important.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This did not go where I was expecting at all. In a good way

[Matt Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Fucking wow. Amazing book.

[Serena Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a unique experience to look in on the beautiful secret life of Anand Prahlad, and it was a book for school

[Stephanie]

Cal magazine