House Rules
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A glitch in the plot?
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I don't think that Jacob's carrying Jess' body had as much to do with his lack of empathy as it did his fascination with crime scenes. I also don't think that the story is telling us that people with Asperger's are a danger to society in the least because Jacob didn't actually do anything wrong (besides tampering with the 'crime' scene, which wasn't technically that much of a wrongdoing since she wasn't murdered, etc. etc.), therefore it didn't send the message that people with Asperger's are dangerous.As for the empathy part, empathy is 'the ability to understand and share the feelings of another' which made Jacob kind of detached from the situation with Jess; he didn't think about how people would feel etc. etc. because of the Asperger's. The very fact that he had a crush on Jess, as you say, means he has EMOTION, just not empathy.
People with Aspergers also take things very literally, so when his mother told him that the number one rule is to look after his brother, Jacob took that verbatim and it overrode his sense of wrong about tampering with the scene. To him, tampering with a crime scene was a lesser breach of the rules than letting his brother get arrested.
Thanks Daisy and Ashleigh; that helped.
Ashleigh wrote: "People with Aspergers also take things very literally, so when his mother told him that the number one rule is to look after his brother, Jacob took that verbatim and it overrode his sense of wrong..."That's a good point! I forgot about that one!
I actually disagree, I think Jacob showed some empathy for Jess by moving her and caring so much about where she was and what would happen to her while she was there.
I think he showed empathy because he even covered Jess in the quilt, as if she was cold. And trying to make her more comfortable. I'm pretty sure they both got to go to jail or juvie.
all people on the spectrum do NOT exhibit all characteristics.. they are people first, and while have many identifiable traits that allow for diagnosis, they are still unique individuals... I really enjoyed this book, entertaining and Jacob was believable.
This was a great story, I loved it! My nephew has Aspergers & his is not as bad as some, but like MaryAnne above just wrote "all people on the spectrum do NOT exhibit all characteristics". This is so true on every level of Aspergers! As for Jodi Picoult I just love her as an author :)
I think Jodi Picoult wasn't so much trying to convey that Jacob was emotionless or lacked empathy. I think it had more to do with the fact that Jacob didn't see Jess as a person anymore because she was dead. That's my opinion at least.
1. afraid to ask.. didn't want to know2. never thought to ask, because didn't think he was involved
3. dk
just
t trying to make book better for you
She sort of asked, in a beat around the bush way, Jacob just left some things out of his answer, which made her think "Maybe he did have something to do with it?" Remember when she found Jesse's backpack and confronted him about it?
I was really irritated, too about how neither the mother nor the lawyer were willing to find out the full truth of Jacob's actions. I was under the impression that the lawyer, at least, should have known as much of the truth as possible. The mother, it seems thought he was probably guilty to some degree, so didn't want to know.Here's the thing, to get the truth out of a person with Asperger's you generally have to ask extremely pointed and detailed questions with many follow up questions. My son has been in trouble so many times because his teachers wouldn't do this:
I got a call that my son had knocked over a girl's desk. When asked if he did it, he said yes. When I took him home and did all my follow up direct questioning it ends up he was leaning back on his chair legs with his feet resting on her desk legs, and because it was at a side-ways angle, the desk fell forward, dumping out her stuff. The girl wasn't at her desk at the time, he had no animosity towards the girl for any reason. But to the teacher who saw nothing but the desk overturned and the girl rushing towards it, upset, all she did was say "Did you knock over her desk?!" and my son said "yes." and now he looks like a monster. same thing has happened with pinched fingers, pushing, etc.
I really thought the book was fascinating.
I enjoyed the book. Never having any knowledge of Asperger's I can't comment on that aspect. Reading the other messages has been very interesting and am so glad you all have done that.
Patty wrote: "Why didn't Jacob's mother just ASK him what happened before it all become such a mess? Did she just assume he did it? For me that was a big glitch in the plot. But then, if she just asked him an..."She did try to ask sometimes but she never asked the right questions. He didn't know exactly what happened so if she asked directly "What happened?" he would have said, "I don't know." And left it. Like Susan said she would have had to ask extremely detailed questions and no one asked these questions so no one knew.
My son has Asperger's Syndrome. He does not lack emotion; he just shows it in different ways. Jacob showed his love for his brother by protecting him, and his affection for the girl by ensuring that she was kept modest and comfortable.
Jacob's mother assumed that he had not hurt the girl, but she was not completely certain. If she found out for sure, she would have to face that fact.
People with Asperger's live by the rules most of the time. That doesn't mean they can't make mistakes or even tell what others would consider a lie. If something is really stressed with them, something that they must NEVER do, they will usually not go against that rule.
People always expect others to act and react as they would. When we can open our hearts and minds to other ways of doing and feeling then our existence expands. I have often envied those who can always look at the world thru the eyes of a child.
My book club read this book, and there were varying opinions about its authenticity. Many in the club are retired teachers, and many of them thought the entire premise and behaviors were ridiculous. I am the only special educator, and I actually found the book to be believable, entertaining and enlightening. I agree with Cathy that some people readily dismiss what they don't understand. Too bad, because as I look back on a career that spanned 35+ years, some of favorite students were the most differently abled. I was lucky!
MaryAnne, as a mother of a child with Asperger's Syndrome, I felt that she did her research well. If I remember correctly, she actually spent time with at least one person with this condition. When my son was diagnosed in December of 2009, a lot of people were confused about what the Syndrome was. That was one of the reasons I wrote my second book, which will soon be coming out. I wanted to shed some light on Asperger's Syndrome, and to show people what a wonderful person someone with Asperger's can be.
I have heard recently that diagnosing Autism is to be changed. All of the markers have to be there instead of 3(?) I think. And that Asperger's Syndrome is to be dropped. Have you heard the same? And how will it effect? Am hoping I am wrong. Or had a better memory. Will see if I can get your first book as it loo9king interesting. Thanks for your post.
I work with people with disabilities, including Asperger's, and I thought she did an exceptional job with Jacob's character. He is very typical of what I encounter with those I work with who are on the spectrum, especially when it comes to the way questions are answered - you will always get a VERY literal answer, so if you want the entire story, you better ask specific questions in order to get it.
Cathy, you're right. I saw the report that said that the guidelines for diagnosing Autism are likely to change. I was very frustrated. Asperger's was explained to me as being like having Autism and ADHD in one person. My son has a lot of Autistic traits, but is considered to be high-functioning, so this may get him pushed out. mmstanley75, my son's teachers and aids have made a big difference in his life. Before he started his Autism Support classroom, he had an advanced vocabulary, but spoke only in the words from his shows. He also had difficulty holding a pencil to write his name (still does, but not as bad), and his sensory issues made it extremely difficult for him to be around groups of people.
If he gets pushed out, it will be a real shame. I don't know what we'll do.
I thought the author made sure we knew what an important role Jacob's aid played in his life. She treated him as an important person and taught him the skills he would need to survive in the world.
Sorry to hear that you may not have the support that your son needs to be his best. Wishing you all the best.
It is ironic how life leads you to important things. I had just finished and published my first book back in April of 2009. I was wondering, "What should I write next?" He was diagnosed in December of that same year. I then knew what I was going to write next.
I am a mother and a wife to two individuals with Asperger's and have found that some things can be challenging. Picoult has done a wonderful job portraying Jacob and the rest of the characters reactions to him. I find that society has become limited in what it wants to understand about Autism and its spectrum. The fact that they want to change the "qualifiers" for the diagnosis is absolutely ridiculous. It took two different tries to get the diagnosis for my son. The first one they said that he has autistic like qualities but because he smiled he wasn't autistic. The final diagnosis came from his elementary school who found that he definitely had a few indications that confirmed Asperger's Syndrome. Of course doing my own research, I had determined that my husband was on the spectrum as well, which was finally confirmed this past August when they officially diagnosed him. I found myself relating to some of feelings that Jacob's mother was having but felt grateful that by educating myself I have made an impact in my son's life. He is still lacking a lot of friends but he is comfortable to have at least one or two, who are in special education classes as well, but a friend is a friend no matter what, right? Through both my husband and my support my son is able to attend all regular classes with on special ed. class to help him cope with his day. Remember to make a change in the world, we must educate those ignorant of it, there is nothing wrong with advocating for change and if more writers can illustrate these social issues in their writing than I say lets all stand up and applaud them. Well done Jodi Picoult, Well done.
And applause to you also, Georgi. You sound proactive for your family. Am hoping the diagnoses won't be changed.
This is an amazing book, I am a bit young to fully understand this disease but she really does portray great emotion into all of the characters. Picoult is now one of my favorite authors. Since I am a teenager I understand the social crisis that Jacob is experiencing, well not really because it doesn't bother him, from what I understood? It's really indesribably horrible how Jacob was treated througout school. I haven't finnished the book to know enough yet but it's really a great read and I want to suggest the book to everyone around me (I really have already). I just wanted to give some credit to Picoult because I normally am a picky reader, way to go! I'll be waiting for more books!
When Jacob spent time in jail, I cried my eyes out. It was so difficult to read, because I could imagine it being my little Aspie going through the same thing. It broke my heart.
i think this book was really good because of its characters. i think i felt perhaps more sad for Emma than i did for jacob even though i felt extremely bad for him too. the book was well written i just didnt like the ending which i think was a bit of a let down. the book is built and written in a great way and then ending just lets it all down i would have preferd if she finised in a different way
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Is it a glitch in the story? If not, are we left with the conclusion that people with Asperger's are a danger to community and hence should be locked away?