American Normal: The Hidden World of Asperger Syndrome - Hardcover

Osborne, Lawrence

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0387953078 ISBN 13: 9780387953076

Publisher: Copernicus Books, 2002

Synopsis

Asperger's Syndrome, often characterized as a form of "high-functioning autism," is a poorly defined and little-understood neurological disorder. The people who suffer from the condition are usually highly intelligent, and as often as not capable of extraordinary feats of memory, calculation, and musicianship. In this wide-ranging report on Asperger's, Lawrence Osborne introduces us to those who suffer from the syndrome and to those who care for them as patients and as family. And, more importantly, he speculates on how, with our need to medicate and categorize every conceivable mental state, we are perhaps adding to their isolation, their sense of alienation from the "normal." -This is a book about the condition, and the culture surrounding Asperger's Syndrome as opposed to a guide about how to care for your child with Aspergers. -Examines American culture and the positive and negative perspectives on the condition. Some parents hope their child will be the next Glenn Gould or Bill Gates, others worry that their child is abnormal and overreact.

About this title

About the Author

Lawrence Osborne is the author of three previous books, ANIA MALINA, a novel, the travel book PARIS DREAMBOOK, and THE POISONED EMBRACE, an essay on sexual attitudes in Catholicism. A widely published journalist, he is a frequent contributor to THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE and SALON. He lives in New York.

From Library Journal

This collection of portraits has that admirable goal of seeking to illuminate what it's like to live with Asperger Syndrome (AS), one of the Autistic Spectrum Disorders, but it falters on many counts. First, Osborne, a medical writer for the New York Times Magazine, devotes too much space to historical figures who were never diagnosed with AS and probably did not know about the condition (e.g., Thomas Jefferson, pianist Glenn Gould). Second, he wrongly identifies inventor and educator Temple Grandin as someone with AS. Since she lacked speech until she was seven years old, she is always counted among those with moderate to severe autism despite her current success. Third, his interest in famous people who may have AS lacks clear value besides creating an Asperger "hall of fame." By sometimes trivializing the experience of the people featured, this book will not help those looking to assist someone with AS. Though little is written in this field, a better title would be Liane Holliday Willey's Pretending To Be Normal: Living with Asperger's Syndrome. Not recommended owing to its inaccuracies and muddled definition of AS.
Corey Seeman, Univ. of Toledo Libs., OH
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Copernicus Books
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0387953078
• ISBN 13: 9780387953076
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 240