I loved your review. I'd read some about this book and was curious. I can also id with certain traits of Asperger's: e.g. walking away when I'm bored in a conversation
. Perhaps that's my adhd and introversion at play too. When BB and I go out anywhere, I always remind BB to "bring reading" - luckily BB likes reading enough to be ok with my quirky ways. I know it's socially off, though, like I was at a big dance party after a bar mitzvah, and I was engrossed in a book. Someone said disdainfully, "Why are you reading now?" Story of my life!
Year's back I tried reading Augusten Burrough's brother's memoir about living with Asperger's:
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Look-Me-Eye-Life-Aspergers/dp/0307396185/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1352594310&sr=1-1&keywords=Aspergers+john"]Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's: John Elder Robison: 9780307396181: Amazon.com: Books[/ame]
"Look Me in the Eye" by John Elder Robison
It was enjoyable but I guess it didn't completely hold my attention because I only read half of it.
Not a book but on the topic of Asperger's I really enjoyed the movie:
OC87: The Obsessive Compulsive, Major Depression, Bipolar, Asperger's Movie
It's a doc a man made about his own experience living with Asperger's (ETC) and has a wry humor to it. I knew I'd like it the first time I heard the title, and I was right
Quote:
Originally Posted by The JD
i'm reading The Journal of Best Practices: A Memoir of Marriage, Asperger's Syndrome, and One Man's Quest to be a Better Husband by David Finch.
Five years into his crumbling marriage, David Finch learns that he's got Asperger's syndrome... and along with it comes a great big "AHA!" moment. He drops the guilt and anger that comes with the fear of "not being a good enough husband," and instead concentrates on learning specific behaviors to fill in some of the gaps in his blind spots.
In true Asperger's fashion, he throws himself into identifying and categorizing these "normal" behaviors with the zeal of a Trekie at a sci-fi convention, and comes up with a list of social protocols that should, as the "Best Practices" part of the title suggests, be a part of any relationship's quality management system.
But don't let the QC reference throw you off. This book is anything but dry. It's funny and engaging, and, okay, I admit it...it's enlightening. More than a few friends and exes have described me as "Asperger's lite," and this book pretty much confirms it. As Finch spells out the Dos and Don'ts of social interaction, I keep bursting out laughing with self-recognition ("It's not okay to walk away from a conversation just because you're bored", "It's better to fold and put away than to take only what you need from the dryer").
Even for more intricate social situations, his advice goes straight to the core: "Just listen", "When necessary, redefine perfection", "Get inside her girl world and look around." Seems to me that it's not just the Aspies that might benefit from this book.  |