Customer Reviews

The Exact Mind: An Artist with Apserger Syndrome

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This beautiful book is definitely one for the coffee table... large and glossy and full of delicious pictures. It combines the usual characteristics of an art book with the insight of autistic biography and the usual introduction to Asperger syndrome information. In addition to this though it has a very accessible guide to the psychological theories of autism. I identified with the art in it, having produced a similar style of pictures myself in the past (though not as good or as clever). This is an honest and thoughtful celebration of the autistic mind.

This book makes me think of Jimi Hendrix' 1967 classic, "Are You Experienced?" If not, this stellar work will certainly help you understand the autism/Aspeger's (a/A) experience.

First of all, it is past time to debunk that tired myth about how people with autism don't plan ahead and aren't organized. Not true. Let's just retire that one permanently. If you believe that, I have a nice bridge in San Francisco to sell you along with some oceanfront property in Iowa.

On the contrary, people on the a/A spectrum tend to be organized in thought and behavior to the point of rigidity. I know someone with Asperger's whose photographs are in the exact order in which they appear on the negatives; they are all chronologically organized; books, albums and CDs are alphabetized by artist and further alphabetized by title. How's THAT for organized thinking?

Many people on the a/A spectrum are quite adept at locating discrete objects and polygons in complex drawings; many people on the a/A spectrum excel at completing complex mazes; Tangrams and in "word finding," that is finding smaller words within a longer one.

The photographs do this one justice; the a/A experience is celebrated fully. Instead of reinforcing these foolish myths about autism which help no one and hurt all, this book opens the door to the a/A experience!

As John Lennon said in "Imagine," his 1971 classic, "I hope someday you'll join us and the world will live as one."