What people are saying about Look Me in the Eye, by John Robison.

[what people are saying]

Chicago Sun-Times, Oct. 14, 2007	“Robison’s lack of finesse with language is not only forgivable, but an asset to his story… His rigid sentences are arguably more telling of his condition than if he had created the most graceful prose this side of Proust.”
dailycamera, Colorado, Oct. 12, 2007	“Look Me in the Eye is a fantastic read that takes readers into the mind of an Aspergian both through its plot and through the calm, logical style in which Robison writes… Even if you have no personal connections with Asperger’s, you’ll find that Robison—like his brother, Burroughs—has a life worth reading about.”
David Royko, Chicago Tribune, Oct. 13, 2007	Autism and success are not mutually exclusive… Robison seems likable, honest and completely free of guile, qualities well served by writing that is lean, powerful in its descriptive accuracy and engaging in its understated humor… It is also emotionally gripping… Robison is a great guide.
Joe Kahn, The Boston Globe, Sept. 25, 2007	There’s an endearing quality to Robison and his story… even Robison’s feel-good message about overcoming a troubled childhood en route to success and self-awareness… “Look Me in the Eye” is often drolly funny and seldom angry or self-pitying… there’s much to praise in its "humor, hope, and inspiration.
Entertainment Weekly Sept. 21, 2007	Growing up was a mystifying experience for John Elder Robison, a bright kid unable to grasp even the most basic social skills - a condition he later learned was a form of autism called Asperger's. Also: His father drank, his mom spent time in an institution, and his brother - whom he named “Varmint” - was shipped off to live with a crackpot shrink. Dysfunction seems to run in the family. (So does talent: Varmint renamed himself Augusten Burroughs.) Look Me in the Eye is a fantastic life story (highlights include building guitars for Kiss) told with grace, humor, and a bracing lack of sentimentality. A-
People, Special Double Issue, Sept. 24, 2007	“…Deeply felt and often darkly funny. Look Me in the Eye is a delight.”
Times Online, Sept. 15, 2007	“…This is no misery memoir, however. He is a gifted storyteller with a deadpan sense of humour and the book is a rollicking read. For when John dropped out of high school, he did not drop out of life. Instead he took his almost savant-like ability in electronics and applied it to — wait for it — guitars. This is the man who invented the smoking guitar that billowed round the world on KISS tours. He was a geek rock and roller (he only loved the electronics, not the coke or groupies). Later he would decide to go back to repairing cars, specialising in British ones. His success at this business has made him — and this is painfully important to him — acceptable to the normal world.…”
ELLE, Oct. 2007	“Not only does Robison share with his famous brother, Augusten Burroughs (Running With Scissors), a talent for writing; he also has that same deadpan, biting humor that's so irresistable.…”
Daniel Tammet, author of Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant	“John Robison’s book is an immensely affecting account of a life lived according to his gifts rather than his limitations. His story provides ample evidence for my belief that individuals on the autistic spectrum are just as capable of rich and productive lives as anyone else.”
Haven Kimmel (who was in attendance at the 1978 KISS tour), author of A Girl Named Zippy	“Look Me in the Eye is a wonderful surprise on so many levels: it is compassionate, funny, and deeply insightful. By the end, I realized my vision of the world had undergone a slight but permanent alteration; I had taken for granted that our behavioral conventions were meaningful, when in fact they are arbitrary. That he is able to illuminate something so simple (but hidden, and unalterable) proves that John Elder Robison is at least as good a writer as he is an engineer, if not better.”
Temple Grandin, author of Thinking in Pictures and Animals in Translation	“I hugely enjoyed reading Look Me in the Eye. This book is a wild rollercoaster ride through John Robison’s life—from troubled teenage prankster to successful employment in electronics, music, and classic cars. A kindly professor introduced him to electrical engineering, which led to jobs where he found techie soulmates that were like him. A fascinating glimpse into the mind of an engineer.”
Booklist Sept. 1, 2007	If one looked at only Robison's impish sense of humor (he once ordered a blow-up sex doll to be delivered to his junior-high-school teacher - at school), or his success as a classic-car restorer, it might be impossible to believe he has the high-functioning form of autism spectrum disorder called Asperger's syndrome. Clues abound, however, in his account of a youth encompassing serious inability to make and keep friends; early genius at pyrotechnics, electronics, and math; and pet names such as Poodle for his dog and Snort and Varmint for his baby brother. Much later, he calls his wife Unit Two. It is easy to recognize these telltale traits today, but Robison went undiagnosed until he was 40. In the 1960s, he was variously labeled lazy, weird, and, worse, sociopathic. Consequently, his childhood memories too often read like a kid's worst nightmares. Not only did his parents fail to understand the root of his socialization problems; they were also virtually as dysfunctional as the pair Augusten Burroughs portrays in Running with Scissors (2002). 'Nough said? Not nearly. Robison's memoir is must reading for its unblinking (as only an Aspergian can) glimpse into the life of a person who had to wait decades for the medical community to catch up with him.
Patricia Wood, author of Lottery	“John Elder Robison has written a compelling memoir that you won’t be able to put down. You will be right beside him in his struggles and his triumphs and you will gain an amazing understanding of what it means to be different. What it means to be “Aspergian.” He made me laugh and then he would bring a tear to my eye. When I finished his book I felt I had just met someone who I wanted to get to know better. Look Me In the Eye got me right in the heart.”
Library Journal Aug. 15, 2007	First-time writer Robison diagnosed himself with Asperger's syndrome after receiving Tony Attwood’s groundbreaking work on the subject from a therapist friend ten years ago. In his well-written and fascinating memoir, the fifty-something brother of Augusten Burroughs (Running with Scissors) addresses the difficultly of growing up in a household with an abusive and alcoholic father, the social problems he encountered at school, and his great affinity for mechanics. It made no difference that he lacked a high school diploma—Robison’s natural skills landed him work as an automobile restorer, Milton Bradley engineer, and stagehand responsible for the pyrotechnic guitars used by rock band KISS in the late 1970s. Despite these successes, the author suffered social difficulties while developing his ability to connect with and understand machines, a thread that is explored in great detail. Read Library Journal’s entertaining interview with John.
Publisher’s Weekly July 15, 2007	Robison’s thoughtful and thoroughly memorable account of living with Asperger’s syndrome is assured of media attention (and sales) due in part to his brother Augusten Burroughs’s brief but fascinating description of Robison in Running with Scissors. But Robison’s story is much more fully detailed in this moving memoir, beginning with his painful childhood, his abusive alcoholic father and his mentally disturbed mother. Robison describes how from nursery school on he could not communicate effectively with others, something his brain “is not wired to do,” since kids with Asperger’s don’t recognize “common social cues” and “body language or facial expressions.” Failing in junior high, Robison was encouraged by some audiovisual teachers to fix their broken equipment, and he discovered a more comfortable world of machines and circuits, “of muted colors, soft light, and mechanical perfection.” This led to jobs (and many hilarious events) in worlds where strange behavior is seen as normal: developing intricate rocket-shooting guitars for the rock band Kiss and computerized toys for the Milton Bradley company. Finally, at age 40, while Robison was running a successful business repairing high-end cars, a therapist correctly diagnosed him as having Asperger’s. In the end, Robison succeeds in his goal of “helping those who are struggling to grow up or live with Asperger’s” to see how it “is not a disease” but “a way of being” that needs no cure except understanding and encouragement from others.
Kirkus Reviews July 15, 2007	Affecting, on occasion surprisingly comic memoir about growing up with Asperger’s syndrome. Those who have this autism spectrum disorder are often seen as weird, because of their odd mannerisms and expressions and their difficulties in talking to other people. But Asperger’s may also confer rare talents, such as the ability to focus intently and to think rapidly and creatively, notes the author, who wrote this text at the urging of younger brother Augusten Burroughs (Running with Scissors, 2002, etc.). A social misfit helped not at all by a battery of therapists, Robison admits that his behavior was decidedly disturbing, sometimes foolish and often dangerous. Asperger’s can lead to a life of isolation, but the author credits interested adults with drawing him out as a child and keeping him engaged with human beings. He dropped out of high school at age 15 and left home at 16, impelled by a troubled family situation (alcoholic father, mentally disturbed mother) into the working world. While people were a mystery to him, machines were not. He became a self-taught sound engineer for rock bands and later a designer of electronic toys. The discovery at age 40 that his strangeness had a name altered Robison’s view of himself, giving him a new confidence and enabling him to find more acceptable ways of coping with other people. He has learned to look them in the eye and even make small talk. His essays on choosing a wife and on naming people (he calls his spouse Unit Two, because she’s a middle sister) suggest that the prankster in him still lives, but they also demonstrate the oddness of the Asperger’s mind. Chapters on his son and on his late discovery of friendship are truly moving. The view from inside this little-understood disorder offers both cold comfort and real hope, which makes it an exceptionally useful contribution to the literature.