"Jim the Boy" - Tony Early

Published in 2000 by Bay Back Books

I ran out of books and my mom left this at our apartment on her last visit. So I read it in a day, which was a good plan because it wasn't really entrancing enough to last longer than that.

The story of a little boy turning ten and learning some hard life lessons about friends, family, absence and regret.

Early writes about living in a small town and learning that the world is a big scary place.

Rating: **

"Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Aspergers" - John Elder Robison

Published in 2008 (paperback) by Random House, Inc

The memoir of John Elder Robison proved much more interesting than I had originally anticipated.  I picked up this book as part of one of Barnes & Nobles buy two, get one free promotions and figured it looked like a nice distraction from my usual reading.  His is the story of growing up with undiagnosed asperger's and how he managed to make it through the rough patches thrown his way by society and his family.

John Elder Robison is the brother of well known author Augusten Burroughs, entertainingly, both of them use similar writing devices and seem to prefer a compilation of short stories instead of one long autobiography.  Through Robison's writing it is possible to see inside the workings of the mind of a person who has aspergers, and it is truly a revelation.

The stories he tells help to show his point that however "robotic we Aspergians might seem, we do have deep emotions."  He tells the reader about growing up in a home where his parents were in the process of breaking down both physically and emotionally, his quirky younger brother, trouble with names, working with KISS and other bands, and basically the process of growing up and realizing he didn't fit in even when he tried his hardest.

His writing is at times a little jarring, but for the most part it is beautifully written with both funny and moving stories.  Robison writes that both he and his brother got their storytelling abilities from their mother, and it is all too sad that she had a mental collapse before she could write her own memoirs.

Overall, a great read.  Both insightful and intriguing while maintaining a hint of excitement with every page turn.

Rating:
***