Adding to the Group Bookshelf

["Nico"]

Please feel free to add books/request books be added to the group bookshelf, regardless of if it is a recommendation or anti-recommendation.

You may add if it's been recommended or anti-recommended in the shelving notes. But please keep details as to *why* to the threads, either in the appropriate recommendation thread or by creating a thread for that book in the "Threads for Specific Books" folder.

If known, please note if it was written by someone with the condition or disability it is the subject of or not.

Please add so that we can build up the group!

["Nico"]

Also: If a book is by an autistic Author (or IDs as Neurodiverse themselves) then they are allowed even if their work isn't about ND explicitly. Just make sure you note that in the "Why" section, as well as in the tags

(So, "autistic-author" or "ND-AUthor" as a shelf, along with genre like "nonfiction" "fiction" or what have you, and also noted in the why box.)

[Julie]

thank you Savannah for everything, excellent group idea!

["Nico"]

:)

I'd like to encourage everyone to add books to the book shelves. If you are having a hard time articulating why, you can just add it and I can come in and edit it, or I can always message you questions.

but yep! Books!

[Beatriz]

Chris Will... The Story of a Boy and Autism Unawareness

Would anyone be interested in reading/reviewing my book, "Chris Will - The Story of a Boy and Autism Unawareness?)

["Nico"]

Beatriz, could you make a thread for it in the book threads?

I read and review books, but I can't guarantee you'll *like* what I and others have to say.

[Beatriz]

Savannah,

That would be great. I want an honest opinion, and if you don't care for it, I respect your honest opinion... And, I will look for how to add to book threads, thank you!

[Beatriz]

My book is free on the Kindle reader tomorrow or you can send me info on where to email or mail you one.

[Michael]

I'll read it for review, too.

[Michael]

Also, not seeing the free giveaway, but I'm on Prime. Get ready to get an extra $2 for being my "borrowed" book for July.

[Beatriz]

Thanks, Michael. Let me know if you're going to get it on Kindle or if you want me to send a copy.

[Beatriz]

Thanks for letting me know... I'll look into why they don't have it free.

[Michael]

Let me know if you ever want to talk marketing stuff. I'm currently self-pubbing, but I'm working on launching a small house where I'll be able to distribute work from others and publish anthologies.

[Beatriz]

Sounds great! I'll let you know. And, if you haven't already purchased my book, it should be up tomorrow through 7/10.

[Michael]

Just nabbed it through the Lending Library program for Prime members. I'm looking forward to the read--just waiting for the device to charge after being neglected for a few weeks while I read paper books.

[Alyssa]

I grabbed it when it was free. I've got 4 academic things in progress, 3 of which I know where they are getting published with one having a draft due this week so it might be a month or so, but I will review. (No guarantee you'll like what I have to say, but I'll do it.)

[Beatriz]

Alyssa,

Thanks. So long as it's constructive criticism, and not a personal attack on me, I'm appreciate. I received recent reviews from Michael and Beth which insulted me as a person and a writer. I feel you can dislike my work without trashing my views of my life even if they are contrary to your personal beliefs with autism and vaccinations.

["Nico"]

THen perhaps you should have read the group rules better, Beatriz. We are an expressly anti-cure, not ok with anti-vax rhetoric. I assumed you had read the rules both when you posted and when I said that you might not like the responses you get.

Additionally, keep in mind that many of the people in this group are either autistic or people with other disabilities. Some of us can be extraordinarily blunt at the best of times, and when some have read things they've disliked, they will tell you. Some of them will not buy in to social conventions telling people to just be nice, to give white lies to sooth your ego, or to cut you a break because of your circumstances. Some will, but others will not.

Not that you are a bad person, but if your content is misinforming the public than it's a moral responsibility to many here to make sure people know that. You can be anti-vax for political reasons, sure- I've met a few- but if you are backing it up with bad science, than this is a group that *will* call you on it.

Critiquing your writing is not a personal attack. I talked to Michael, who teaches creative writing classes among others. Even aside from the content, he was unimpressed by your writing skills. That isn't insulting you as a writer, it's telling you his honest opinion. When he and I chatted, this was apart from his opinion of your content. So no, the critique of your writing is not a personal attack.

I have yet to read it- Right now, I'm on a romance novel in my queue- but I will be, and I will be honest about what I think. I plan on having the review in different sections to be clear what is about your writing, and what is about your content. I hope I have a better opinion of your writing than those who read it already, because I do want to have something nice to say and I know that I won't like your opinions.

[Beth]

Your content and writing were reviewed. So happens that your content opened the door to commentary on your character. Don't want your character critiqued? Don't write a book of a personal nature--especially one filled with dangerous misinformation. And then SEEK out reviews from people who are obviously going to take exception. Complaining about it is childish and annoying.

[Michael]

If you're the kind of writer that honestly thinks your offering is up to a professional level, then you deserve to be insulted, because you have a grossly unrealistic view of professional writing.

That being said, if you're feeling personally attacked, then maybe you should think about the way you present yourself in that book. I don't know you as a person, but the narrator of that book is obviously looking for pity and/or sympathy, and is exploiting her son's condition to get it by using elevated emotional language, vague cliches, and a "just-so" tone about what she thinks her son might be feeling that just leaves me feeling disgusting inside. I've had people like that try to use me to make themselves feel better. It's not something I want other people to feel.

If that's not you, then you misrepresented yourself in your book, and you did yourself a disservice. Workshopping it and especially working on the language you use to discuss your son's disability would have helped. Taking the emphasis off how difficult your life has become would have helped more.

If that book is honestly who you are, though, then I really don't care how much I insult you, because the narrator of your book made herself look like a false ally and a terrible parent.

I made no personal attacks. All of what I said was justified by the content of the book. If you can't face that, then maybe you shouldn't be publishing your personal life for public consumption.

["Nico"]

Further discussion of this book should go to the thread for it:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...

I will be copying the relevant info from this thread other there momentarily.

["Nico"]

A reminder to please post further comments about this book to the thread for it, which is linked above. I'll copy over what remains, but I will delete any further comments that are about this book from this thread.

Reminder: this thread is for the discussion of how to add books to our bookshelves and why, as well as to trouble shoot. Thank you.

[Laura]

I just added a bunch of memoirs to the nonfiction shelf. They are all books I'd recommend, hence the "recommended" comment. I can add more that I'm neutral about or that I don't recommend if you'd like; just let me know. Otherwise, I'll stick to adding books that I recommend.

["Nico"]

We encourage people to add both, so that if another reader is looking they can know that such and such a title got a less than wonderful (or good if it is) comment from another person. Feel free to comment on an anti-rec thread, though, if it's especially not great.

[Laura]

Just to clarify, we are interested in books about autism by both autistic and NT authors, right? Or are we just interested in books by autistic authors, regardless of subject?

["Nico"]

We are interested in both! :) However, additions with autistic authors should be tagged as such, and if there's a genre it's a good idea to tag with that as well to help people find the sort of thing that they wish to read.