Not Just Anything is a mosaic of logic, passion and philosophical musings by Donna Williams, sometimes jolting, sometimes moving, often illuminating. In it Donna takes you on a poetic adventure into places past, present and beyond. Often intertwined with the world of autistic experience, her writings divulge with immediacy, a person in the grip of overload and shutdowns, of extreme sensory and emotional highs and passions, of alienation from self, from body and fear of the intensity of emotion, of the struggle to know self, to communicate, to comprehend. At other times, her writing somehow transcends the often assumed limitations of autism, and she dissects so many of the concepts we take for granted, bringing us face to face with our own social constructions of 'reality' and so called 'normality' in a way only Donna can.
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About the Author
Donna Williams was not diagnosed with autism until adulthood.Now based in Melbourne, Australia, she has made TV and radio appearances around the world and speaks at conferences, and her autobiographical worldwide bestseller Nobody Nowhere is now to be made into a film.
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More About the Author
Hi,
Welcome, I'm Donna Williams.
Many people know me through the autism world but my books are read way beyond that field; people with all kinds of mental and emotional health issues, people from abusive backgrounds and in abusive relationships, students who have Nobody Nowhere as their high school text, people who stumbled on one of my biographical works and wrote that they suddenly changed their lives, even saved their lives, because of what they read, those who like wierdos and those who are fascinated by them and people who thought they were 'normal' and are left questioning whether such a beast really exists.
I know myself best as a compulsive creator. Whether its writing books or films, painting, sculpting, composing, gardening, a lot of my life revolves around creating. When I'm not creating I like being. When I'm not creating or being I'm usually giving. I don't have a lot of time for brooding or worrying because I enjoy crating, being and giving more so brooding and worrying only get to first base. If they want to get to second then I head them off one way or another.
I'm a sociologist and teacher, basically good fields for people who work with systems. My take on the world comes from being those things and an artist.
I'm totally into being equal. Heirachy isn't my thing. I'm one of those eccentrics for whom all people and animals and nature and objects are all equal and I live in a perceptual world in which all things are deemed possible. I struggle a lot with meaning-deafness and meaning-blindness but they are also blessings. There's nothing like relying on pattern, theme, feel for reminding us we are basically well trained ferals (and that training isn't always reliable or identified with).
I'm a Taoist. No, that's not a religion, its a philosophy. But it has a bearing on my feelings about religion and essentially everything. I believe that peace is the balanced acceptance of chaos and that we spend a lot of energy chasing myths that exist only in our internal worlds and getting upset when they don't exist larger than life forever and ever just for us out there in the external world. I believe in mini world in very simple things and that we have many selves not one, however much we might ignore all but the most shiny and convenient ones.
I'm silly, I'm complex, I'm a systematician and a human animal. I am committed not to ever take myself so seriously that I can't change. Freedom to change, adapt, improvise is like breathing and without it we stagnate and wonder why our 'perfection' got us into such a corner.
I've had plenty of labels; deaf, stupid, moron, spastic, psychotic, disturbed, autistic, but we are all far more than labels on a jam jar. Who cares about the packaging. I believe there is a 'me' even if I am always my self in the becoming of it.
I hope my books become friends to travel with, mirrors with which to better see yourself, adventures that broaden understanding of our species and bridges of equality between foreign realities.
Thanks for listening.
Warmly,
Donna Williams
www.donnawilliams.net
Welcome, I'm Donna Williams.
Many people know me through the autism world but my books are read way beyond that field; people with all kinds of mental and emotional health issues, people from abusive backgrounds and in abusive relationships, students who have Nobody Nowhere as their high school text, people who stumbled on one of my biographical works and wrote that they suddenly changed their lives, even saved their lives, because of what they read, those who like wierdos and those who are fascinated by them and people who thought they were 'normal' and are left questioning whether such a beast really exists.
I know myself best as a compulsive creator. Whether its writing books or films, painting, sculpting, composing, gardening, a lot of my life revolves around creating. When I'm not creating I like being. When I'm not creating or being I'm usually giving. I don't have a lot of time for brooding or worrying because I enjoy crating, being and giving more so brooding and worrying only get to first base. If they want to get to second then I head them off one way or another.
I'm a sociologist and teacher, basically good fields for people who work with systems. My take on the world comes from being those things and an artist.
I'm totally into being equal. Heirachy isn't my thing. I'm one of those eccentrics for whom all people and animals and nature and objects are all equal and I live in a perceptual world in which all things are deemed possible. I struggle a lot with meaning-deafness and meaning-blindness but they are also blessings. There's nothing like relying on pattern, theme, feel for reminding us we are basically well trained ferals (and that training isn't always reliable or identified with).
I'm a Taoist. No, that's not a religion, its a philosophy. But it has a bearing on my feelings about religion and essentially everything. I believe that peace is the balanced acceptance of chaos and that we spend a lot of energy chasing myths that exist only in our internal worlds and getting upset when they don't exist larger than life forever and ever just for us out there in the external world. I believe in mini world in very simple things and that we have many selves not one, however much we might ignore all but the most shiny and convenient ones.
I'm silly, I'm complex, I'm a systematician and a human animal. I am committed not to ever take myself so seriously that I can't change. Freedom to change, adapt, improvise is like breathing and without it we stagnate and wonder why our 'perfection' got us into such a corner.
I've had plenty of labels; deaf, stupid, moron, spastic, psychotic, disturbed, autistic, but we are all far more than labels on a jam jar. Who cares about the packaging. I believe there is a 'me' even if I am always my self in the becoming of it.
I hope my books become friends to travel with, mirrors with which to better see yourself, adventures that broaden understanding of our species and bridges of equality between foreign realities.
Thanks for listening.
Warmly,
Donna Williams
www.donnawilliams.net
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A different kind of autobiography,
This review is from: Not Just Anything: A Collection of Thoughts on Paper (Paperback)
These poems affected me, touched me, sometimes made me chuckle. They are full of the creativity and inspiration for life that is Donna Williams. In other words, they are another installment in the Donna Williams autobiography series though told episodically, and more sensingly. The book is a journey of feeling, quite an experience.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
If you like the depths... here is the dipping pool.,
This review is from: Not Just Anything: A Collection of Thoughts on Paper (Paperback)
From surreal to hilarious, the collection in Not Just Anything is as diverse and disclosing as all of Donna Williams' autobiographical collection put together. From farting to terrorism, from merging with objects to mania, from explorations of psychopathy to celebrations of eccentrics, Donna Williams holds back from nothing here. For anyone who likes to dip into another world, here is the dipping pool.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Extra! Extra! Read All About It!,
By
This review is from: Not Just Anything: A Collection of Thoughts on Paper (Paperback)
This delightful book covers the full gamut of emotions. A myriad of topics ranging from flatulence to world events are covered in this book. This is Donna Williams, uncensored and ready to disclose her brilliant insights and gems of wisdom and humor. Gems like this should put to rest the misperception that people with autism are incapable of seeing beyond the literal and are incapable of using metaphoric language. If you want to climb the mountain into the world beyond the neurotypical, then join us in reading this treasure.
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suicide merchant, behavioural mutations Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Low Maintenance Cat, Nobody Nowhere New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
suicide merchant, behavioural mutations Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Low Maintenance Cat, Nobody Nowhere New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 4
books:
- Not Just Anything by Donna Williams in Front Matter (1), and Front Matter (2)
- Somebody Somewhere:: Breaking Free from the World of Autism by Donna Williams in Front Matter
- Nobody Nowhere by Donna Williams in Front Matter
- Breaking Free by Charisma Life Publishers in Front Matter
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