Fourteen-year-old Nathaniel Clark lives in two worlds—the outside world of his family and friends and his own, special, inside Aspie world, where he’s not forced to interact with people or worry about wearing his clothes right-side out. The world where he can solve mathematical problems that elude even the brightest graduate students. The world where he feels he can find his own inner truth. People say he’s a genius, but Nathaniel thinks differently. According to a book he once read, a true genius uses his talent to make a contribution to the world. Nathaniel takes the definition literally, and begins his quest for genius status. "I will start, right after I wash the chocolate off my face. If I want to be seen as a genius, I should not look like an idiot." Nathaniel has a sky-high IQ and perfect SAT scores, but Jennifer Roy and her husband, Greg, have a remarkable 8-year-old son, Adam, who not only inspired the character of Nathaniel Clark, but also created the "Amazing Race" charts and the narrative at the back of MindBlind.
Mindblind
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From Booklist
*Starred Review* Formulas are 14-year-old Nathaniel’s friends because they relax him, an important consideration for someone given to panic attacks when he has to interact with people. Nathaniel is a high-functioning “Aspie,” a term that those—like him—with Asperger’s syndrome employ to describe themselves. Fortunately, formulas aren’t Nathaniel’s only friends. His neighbor Cooper is one; pretty, vivacious Jessa, upon whom Nathaniel has a serious but unarticulated crush, is another; and Molly—an Aspie like him—is a third. The multitalented Nathaniel plays keyboards in a band, teaches himself Mandarin Chinese, and is an absolute whiz at mathematics. And why not? He has an IQ of 182. A genius, you say? Well, yes, but don’t tell Nathaniel that, for he has read that to be a bona fide genius, you have to make a contribution to the world, something he is determined to do (just as he is determined to kiss Jessa). Roy (Yellow Star, 2006) has written an extraordinary novel with highly developed, good-hearted, and appealing characters (except for Nathaniel’s father, who is a real stinker); a beautifully realized first-person voice that offers us an often humorous and intimate look into the mind and daily life of an Aspie; and a compelling story filled with surprises and drama. To read it is to want to read it again and again. Grades 6-9. --Michael Cart
Review
Lovable 14-year-old "Aspie" Nathaniel Clark stores his memories in computer-like files in his brain, loves formulas, plays keyboard in a rock band, has some trouble in social situations, likes to spend time in his own mental world and really, really wants to be a genius. Nathaniel's father, now divorced from his mother, does not believe in Asperger's syndrome; he insists that Nathaniel can simply be "normal" if he chooses to. To prove this, he forces Nathaniel to go to a party, where Nathaniel unknowingly ingests quite a bit of alcohol along with his fruit punch. The sickness that ensues, coupled with the fact that Nathaniel thinks he sees the girl he loves with another boy, nearly results in institutionalization. Luckily, he has a great therapist, a loving mother and some incredibly supportive friends/bandmates who get him through the rough patch. The band decides to video-record themselves singing Nathaniel s rocking math songs, and they quickly become famous. There is romance, grad school and a job at the grocery store just on the horizon. Overly optimistic? Maybe--but who cares? Readers will be happy to see Nathaniel succeed. --Kirkus Reviews, October 2010
Fourteen-year-old Nathaniel is taking a gap year between college and graduate school, leaving him free to work on his goal of becoming an official "genius" by accomplishing something significant with his profound gifts. His devoted, firm mother keeps him connecting to the outside world rather than staying in the comfort zone of his Asperger's life, where he is normal. He understands that he is "mindblind" (it's hard for him to guess what others are thinking), but he has friends, including longtime crush Jessa, and he plays keyboard in a rock band. He also has his weekly stressful visit with his egomaniacal father and his new family, which includes his young half-brother, who Nathaniel perceptively sees is the gregarious, sports-loving son his father always wanted. Nathaniel's life mostly works well for him, until his father insists on his going to a teen party where alcohol is in the punch. Already on overload from loud noises, confusing conversations, and a disappointing revelation about Jessa, Nathaniel has a serious breakdown that marks the turning point of the novel. The specificity of the references may date the book quickly, but they seem essential to Nathaniel's concrete point of view. The outcomes feel a little optimistic, but like Beverly Cleary, Roy succeeds in presenting a unique and human perspective that allows the reader to laugh at her character's quirks while engaging with him wholeheartedly. --The Horn Book, October 2010
Fourteen-year-old Nathaniel is taking a gap year between college and graduate school, leaving him free to work on his goal of becoming an official "genius" by accomplishing something significant with his profound gifts. His devoted, firm mother keeps him connecting to the outside world rather than staying in the comfort zone of his Asperger's life, where he is normal. He understands that he is "mindblind" (it's hard for him to guess what others are thinking), but he has friends, including longtime crush Jessa, and he plays keyboard in a rock band. He also has his weekly stressful visit with his egomaniacal father and his new family, which includes his young half-brother, who Nathaniel perceptively sees is the gregarious, sports-loving son his father always wanted. Nathaniel's life mostly works well for him, until his father insists on his going to a teen party where alcohol is in the punch. Already on overload from loud noises, confusing conversations, and a disappointing revelation about Jessa, Nathaniel has a serious breakdown that marks the turning point of the novel. The specificity of the references may date the book quickly, but they seem essential to Nathaniel's concrete point of view. The outcomes feel a little optimistic, but like Beverly Cleary, Roy succeeds in presenting a unique and human perspective that allows the reader to laugh at her character's quirks while engaging with him wholeheartedly. --The Horn Book, October 2010
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By Melissa
Format:Hardcover
Mindblind's Nathaniel Clark has book smarts, and then some. He is profoundly gifted, storing his life experiences as a series of computer files in his mind.
From the age of three, many of the adults in Nathaniel's life have labeled him a genius while some of his classmates preferred the term "retard." [Nathaniel lacks "common sense" and a grasp of lingual nuances. Roy utilizes this aspect of Aspergers as a tool to develop conflict, twists, and even a bit of comic relief.] At the age of fourteen, Jane-the-college-admissions-head declares that-- according to her definition of genius-- Nathaniel isn't one. The axiom he built his life upon is suddenly proven false. He sets out to fix his self-identity by becoming an official genius. Will he achieve his lofty goal?
Nathaniel makes sense of his world through a series of math equations he builds to fit each situation he faces. ["N=m^1,000,000,000,000,000" is to say Nathaniel is mortified to the power of a quintillion.] While he has learned many skills with incredible ease, other things that come easily for average people, like making friends and carrying on conversations, are strenuous for Nathaniel. Social situations don't follow rigid mathematical ideals.
Nathaniel loosely fits in with children his age. His best friend is Cooper, also 14. He accepts Nathaniel's quirks and acts as an option for Nathaniel to branch out and experience the rest of the world whether that was his intention or not. In Nathaniel's words, "Because of Cooper, [he has] had some semblance of a social life over the past decade. Not that [he'd] ever asked for one." Nathaniel enjoys some of the same activities as other boys his age, such as playing video games and being in a band. Still, he has to work hard at developing typical behaviors, such as "slacking skills." Though he clashes with some of the other characters in the book and manages to find some pretty serious trouble, Nathaniel manages to scrape by overall.
As with many neurotypical teenage boys, a love-interest enters Nathaniel's life and promptly complicates it. Jessa adjusts Nathaniel's focus from strictly academic work to social agenda. Can a brilliantly smart young man step out of his own way to get the girl of his dreams?
There are well-developed family dynamics in this book that cover a range of realistic possibilities likely to be experienced by a child with Aspergers. Nathaniel's mother, divorced, is supportive of Nathaniel's quirks, while his remarried piece-of-work father has no understanding or tolerance regarding Nathaniel's condition. His father has a young, typically-developing, much-favored son. Nathaniel feels that "Joshua Paul Clark is the son [his] father always wanted." It's sad that such a special child could be so rejected by his own parent.
Nathaniel has recurring bowling meetups with an aspergerian girl. Molly is another well-developed character. Though they spend time together around a central activity and have similar diagnoses, they are clearly two very different people. Molly also serves to illustrate a casual relationship with Nathaniel compared to the one Jenna develops. Nathaniel and Molly never break through the associative layer to become true friends.
As Nathaniel's relationship progresses with Jenna, he relies less on his math and more on what he's feeling. True to the age-old head vs. heart conflict, Nathaniel goes from one who greatly favors his head to one who gives his heart a chance.
The protagonist of this book is a teenager, but I would recommend the book for middle-school-aged children to adults. [There are scenes of "partying" which are critical to the book's development, but may be too mature for younger children.]
As an adult, I found this book to have a refreshing outlook for a character with aspergers. Lately, I have read several hopeless depictions of characters on the spectrum who are nothing more than a diagnostic shell with a few autistic clichés thrown on top. Thankfully, Roy has written a character who is humanized beyond the obvious issues people like Nathaniel face. Despite having numerous obstacles to overcome, Nathaniel's tone remains positive throughout the book and by the last page, it's easy to be happy with the way things turn out.
If you are looking for a well-written tale about an incredible young man, read Mindblind.
From the age of three, many of the adults in Nathaniel's life have labeled him a genius while some of his classmates preferred the term "retard." [Nathaniel lacks "common sense" and a grasp of lingual nuances. Roy utilizes this aspect of Aspergers as a tool to develop conflict, twists, and even a bit of comic relief.] At the age of fourteen, Jane-the-college-admissions-head declares that-- according to her definition of genius-- Nathaniel isn't one. The axiom he built his life upon is suddenly proven false. He sets out to fix his self-identity by becoming an official genius. Will he achieve his lofty goal?
Nathaniel makes sense of his world through a series of math equations he builds to fit each situation he faces. ["N=m^1,000,000,000,000,000" is to say Nathaniel is mortified to the power of a quintillion.] While he has learned many skills with incredible ease, other things that come easily for average people, like making friends and carrying on conversations, are strenuous for Nathaniel. Social situations don't follow rigid mathematical ideals.
Nathaniel loosely fits in with children his age. His best friend is Cooper, also 14. He accepts Nathaniel's quirks and acts as an option for Nathaniel to branch out and experience the rest of the world whether that was his intention or not. In Nathaniel's words, "Because of Cooper, [he has] had some semblance of a social life over the past decade. Not that [he'd] ever asked for one." Nathaniel enjoys some of the same activities as other boys his age, such as playing video games and being in a band. Still, he has to work hard at developing typical behaviors, such as "slacking skills." Though he clashes with some of the other characters in the book and manages to find some pretty serious trouble, Nathaniel manages to scrape by overall.
As with many neurotypical teenage boys, a love-interest enters Nathaniel's life and promptly complicates it. Jessa adjusts Nathaniel's focus from strictly academic work to social agenda. Can a brilliantly smart young man step out of his own way to get the girl of his dreams?
There are well-developed family dynamics in this book that cover a range of realistic possibilities likely to be experienced by a child with Aspergers. Nathaniel's mother, divorced, is supportive of Nathaniel's quirks, while his remarried piece-of-work father has no understanding or tolerance regarding Nathaniel's condition. His father has a young, typically-developing, much-favored son. Nathaniel feels that "Joshua Paul Clark is the son [his] father always wanted." It's sad that such a special child could be so rejected by his own parent.
Nathaniel has recurring bowling meetups with an aspergerian girl. Molly is another well-developed character. Though they spend time together around a central activity and have similar diagnoses, they are clearly two very different people. Molly also serves to illustrate a casual relationship with Nathaniel compared to the one Jenna develops. Nathaniel and Molly never break through the associative layer to become true friends.
As Nathaniel's relationship progresses with Jenna, he relies less on his math and more on what he's feeling. True to the age-old head vs. heart conflict, Nathaniel goes from one who greatly favors his head to one who gives his heart a chance.
The protagonist of this book is a teenager, but I would recommend the book for middle-school-aged children to adults. [There are scenes of "partying" which are critical to the book's development, but may be too mature for younger children.]
As an adult, I found this book to have a refreshing outlook for a character with aspergers. Lately, I have read several hopeless depictions of characters on the spectrum who are nothing more than a diagnostic shell with a few autistic clichés thrown on top. Thankfully, Roy has written a character who is humanized beyond the obvious issues people like Nathaniel face. Despite having numerous obstacles to overcome, Nathaniel's tone remains positive throughout the book and by the last page, it's easy to be happy with the way things turn out.
If you are looking for a well-written tale about an incredible young man, read Mindblind.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Nathaniel Clark is fourteen and a college graduate taking a year off before graduate school. He has an off the charts IQ, taught himself Mandarin Chinese when he was four, and is on the `autistic end of Asperger's'. He spends a lot of time happily alone - he was home schooled - but has in the flesh friends. He's in a band. And he's trying to become a genius, because, despite his high IQ, he can't be a genius until he contributes something to society.
This book takes him through some regular teenage things- first crush, a party he really shouldn't (and didn't want to be) be at, misunderstandings. There is no great plot, but he grows emotionally.
I enjoyed the novel, but it has its flaws. The characters, except for his lout of a father (who doesn't believe in the existence of Asperger's syndrome) - who he thankfully only sees on weekends- are pretty perfect. They are totally supportive and accepting of Nathaniel's quirks. They seem to have no real lives or problems of their own, no development, but just exist as props in Nathaniel's life. His mother, who seems to have no emotions except for love for her son, is always there, never frustrated, never upset (except with her ex), and seems to exist for her son. She, like the friends, is perfect. I'm a little suspicious that the mother is a Mary Sue, the author having a son with Asperger's. I'm sure she hopes to be the good mother than Nathaniel's mother is; I'm also sure she hopes that her son's life is navigated as smoothly (for the most part) that Nathaniel's is; I hope so, too. Or perhaps this isn't a flaw; perhaps these people are so flat because Nathaniel, mindblind to others thoughts and emotions, sees them that way.
There are some brilliant bits. Showing Nathaniel organizing his mind in the form of computer files is great, both in the idea and in the delivery. The part where he has an episode of mania is so well done that you feel manic yourself reading it; you don't really catch your breath until it winds down into hypomania and then finally normalcy. This is a book, I think, that would work well for tweens, but doesn't really hold up for adults (not that it's meant to).
This book takes him through some regular teenage things- first crush, a party he really shouldn't (and didn't want to be) be at, misunderstandings. There is no great plot, but he grows emotionally.
I enjoyed the novel, but it has its flaws. The characters, except for his lout of a father (who doesn't believe in the existence of Asperger's syndrome) - who he thankfully only sees on weekends- are pretty perfect. They are totally supportive and accepting of Nathaniel's quirks. They seem to have no real lives or problems of their own, no development, but just exist as props in Nathaniel's life. His mother, who seems to have no emotions except for love for her son, is always there, never frustrated, never upset (except with her ex), and seems to exist for her son. She, like the friends, is perfect. I'm a little suspicious that the mother is a Mary Sue, the author having a son with Asperger's. I'm sure she hopes to be the good mother than Nathaniel's mother is; I'm also sure she hopes that her son's life is navigated as smoothly (for the most part) that Nathaniel's is; I hope so, too. Or perhaps this isn't a flaw; perhaps these people are so flat because Nathaniel, mindblind to others thoughts and emotions, sees them that way.
There are some brilliant bits. Showing Nathaniel organizing his mind in the form of computer files is great, both in the idea and in the delivery. The part where he has an episode of mania is so well done that you feel manic yourself reading it; you don't really catch your breath until it winds down into hypomania and then finally normalcy. This is a book, I think, that would work well for tweens, but doesn't really hold up for adults (not that it's meant to).
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By kbg1966
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I found that MindBlind was a very interesting insight into the mind of a gifted person with Asperger's. Whether it's trying to solve a vastly complex math formula, or doing a report in Mandarin Chinese, Nathaniel is one very smart person. Granted the Asperger's makes him struggle in some situations, but Nathaniel has learned to adapt himself to whatever situation faced him.
It seemed like that Nathaniel was put into even more of a tough situation with the parents being divorced. To me, the dad didn't seem to care that much about Nathaniel's condition and cared more about himself. I was very afraid for Nathaniel when he got put into that party situation with pot and alcohol. Thankfully, Nathaniel's friends managed to get him out of the bad situation, and tell his dad about it. Thankfully, Nathaniel had a mom who cared about him and understood the challenge in dealing with such a condition. She definitely wanted him to succeed in whatever he did.
To have the bad situation turn into something good was remarkable when his release from the anger of the party made Nathaniel think about math and science songs, and to have the songs tie into the Bat Mitzvah with his band friends sort of put a wrap into the book, including him getting accepted into MIT.
I'm glad that Jennifer has become a successful writer along with her twin Julia DeVillers. They seem to have a great passon for writing children's books and are able to share their musings to thousands of young people. I was glad that Jennifer used her own personal insight into Asperger's into writing a book that can help people young and old how not only one deals with Asperger's, but others around them.
It seemed like that Nathaniel was put into even more of a tough situation with the parents being divorced. To me, the dad didn't seem to care that much about Nathaniel's condition and cared more about himself. I was very afraid for Nathaniel when he got put into that party situation with pot and alcohol. Thankfully, Nathaniel's friends managed to get him out of the bad situation, and tell his dad about it. Thankfully, Nathaniel had a mom who cared about him and understood the challenge in dealing with such a condition. She definitely wanted him to succeed in whatever he did.
To have the bad situation turn into something good was remarkable when his release from the anger of the party made Nathaniel think about math and science songs, and to have the songs tie into the Bat Mitzvah with his band friends sort of put a wrap into the book, including him getting accepted into MIT.
I'm glad that Jennifer has become a successful writer along with her twin Julia DeVillers. They seem to have a great passon for writing children's books and are able to share their musings to thousands of young people. I was glad that Jennifer used her own personal insight into Asperger's into writing a book that can help people young and old how not only one deals with Asperger's, but others around them.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent book!
This book is by far the best about adolescent Asperger kids. It shows a variety of social skills that the Aspie has to deal with, how one parent can be unwilling to recognize a... Read more
Published 18 hours ago by A. Lee
5.0 out of 5 stars
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Jennifer Roy touches our hearts and our minds in this wonderful story. The characterizations are amazing. Read more
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Published 2 months ago by D. Melissa Wood
5.0 out of 5 stars
My favorite book of 2012
It is only March of 2013 and I have already read this book three times. The characters have become my friends and I am their best cheering sections. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Karen Leonard
4.0 out of 5 stars
Mindblind
I enjoyed this book and found it very easy to read. Also, it was very informative. It was easy to identify with the characters.
Published 2 months ago by Susan Ayres
5.0 out of 5 stars
Read it!
If you know someone with Aspergers or are just interested, read this. Most people have a little taste of Aspergers or autism I'm convinced. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Katherine M. Orlopp
5.0 out of 5 stars
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Very good! Written from a teens point of view, did a great job of explaining this illness, I live with someone that sufferes fomr Ausbergers, so could relate
Published 3 months ago by Bobbi Blackburn
2.0 out of 5 stars
Unrealistic & cheerleader-ish
I don't want to be harsh, because the characters are actually all compelling and I read the book straight through (it's short). Read more
Published 3 months ago by BananaKit
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best Book Ever
My sister read this and said it was awesome. I read it in a couple of days tops. It was a little difficult to understand at first, but after you read a chapter it gets easier. Read more
Published 3 months ago by bluemonkey
5.0 out of 5 stars
loved it
I gave this a high rating because it was such a fresh perspective on the viewpoint of social interactions by a person with ASD. I think we need more of these type of books. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Shannon
