An Asperger Marriage [Paperback]

Chris Slater-Walker (Author), Gisela Slater-Walker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 15, 2002

Four years ago, Chris Slater-Walker was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome. For him this was an explanation of why he has always regarded himself as 'socially handicapped,' but for his wife Gisela it meant coming to terms with a marriage in which there would never be any intuitive understanding, despite Chris's good intentions. This book is an open and honest account of a long and still unfinished process of learning to live with a disability that some regard as incompatible with marriage. It is a story whose wider implications will be of compelling interest to anyone who has encountered autism spectrum conditions.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Gisela and Chris Slater-Walker have been partners for eleven years. Both gained BA (Hons) in Russian Studies from Manchester University. Gisela is an English teacher at Aylesbury High School, and Chris works in the computer industry.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Pub; 1 edition (February 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1843100177
• ISBN-13: 978-1843100171
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #723,802 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Explanation without assistance, January 14, 2003

By 

William McNeill "WooDMaN" (In a prison of my own making) - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Asperger Marriage (Paperback)

First comment: Flog the editor. Perhaps the cumbersome and confusing writing-style was intentional; however, I fear that it was merely sloppy.
Second comment: Having AS myself, I was hoping for insights into coping and avoiding pitfalls. Instead, what I got was a chronicle of another couple's fumbles, stumbles and misunderstandings. I suppose the book lived up to its title; it never promised that it contained solutions or recommendations, merely that it was about An Asperger Marriage. I am still surprised by Tony Attwood's endorsement of this book.
Summary: If you want a peak into the lives of one "Asperger Marriage", this book may be for you. If, on the other hand, you're looking for advice and guidance, keep looking. (and let me know when you find it!)

35 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Helpful in a limited way, January 3, 2003

By 

pianodwarf (Silver Spring, MD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Asperger Marriage (Paperback)

My partner and I are both on the autistic spectrum, and we've been buying a number of books to help us be aware of the potential pitfalls we may face in our relationship. While "Asperger Marriage" is an interesting account of a couple in which one partner is autistic and the other is not, it should not be thought of as the type of "self-help" book that my girlfriend and I thought it was. Rather, those in such relationships would do better to regard it as an example of possible difficulties they themselves may be facing in their relationships, not as a source of guidance on how to address and overcome those difficulties. Provided the reader enters into the reading with that in mind, "Asperger Marriage" is a worthwhile book for those in similar relationships.

57 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Having only just been diagnosed with Aseperger's Syndrome, I can safely tell you this book sucks, June 24, 2005

By 

BD Obsessor (South of the equator) - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Asperger Marriage (Paperback)

I must concur with my fellow Aspies on this title. It should be called How To Have An Abusive Relationship With An Aspie, pure and simple. Gisela Slater-Walker ought to get on her knees every night and thank the stars she is not married to someone like me, because not all Aspies can be cruelly dominated over as she does with her husband. Living for over twenty years with abuse from family, schoolteachers, and doctors that can all be in some way linked to undiagnosed AS does not make for the kind of man who responds to having dishes thrown at walls near him with just a change in expression. That's an in-joke, by the way.

The implication is also made that Asperger's Syndrome prevents one from having an understanding relationship with another human being. This, as my past two girlfriends whom I have just spoken with on this subject can testify, is one half bull, and the other half... well, you get the idea. Sure, it takes a bit more work than it does for those who take their understanding of social cues for granted, but that does not make it impossible. [...]

This book is such a joke that you can tell the difference between a normie and an Aspie with one simple test. Aspies would not give this book more than two stars.