Disability Awareness: Autism Spectrum Disorder

Who gets to decide what is good representation and what isn’t? This Disability Awareness Month, I was thinking about this question as I started to compile a list of books about Autism Spectrum Disorder. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a condition characterized by difficulty with communication, repetitive behaviors, restricted interests, sensory challenges, and a variety of other symptoms. People with ASD may have a vast range of support needs – some might not need any assistance with day-to-day activities, and some may require constant support.

While I don’t have ASD, a few of my close friends have it, which has made me curious about the experience. As with any other disability identity, autistic people are not a monolith; therefore, “good” representation can look like many different things in literature. When I asked one of my friends if she had any book recommendations for this list, she said, “You can just borrow my diary.” I laughed, but that also told me that once again, each experience is unique and cannot necessarily be reflected perfectly in the media.

To compile this list, I cross-checked all my selections with The Autism Books by Autistic Authors Project as well as community reviews on Goodreads to ensure that there was consensus about the representation within these books. The Autism Books by Autistic Authors Project is run by an autistic person with crowdsourcing help. The group conducts research to ensure that all the materials included on the website have an autistic person involved in either the writing or the editing of the book. It is essential to allow marginalized communities to tell their own stories, and projects like these ensure that autistic people can control the narrative.

Fiction

Act Your Age, Eve Brown, by Talia Hibbert
Romance. Eve Brown is a 26-year-old underachiever who gets cut off by her parents until she can hold down a job and prove that she can handle responsibility. She tries to get a job at a B&B run by Jacob, who she proceeds to (accidentally) run over in the parking lot. Eve and Jacob are both on the spectrum, and their ensuing relationship is extremely hilarious and sweet.

An Unkindness of Ghosts, by Rivers SolomonScience
Fiction. Main character Aster Gray is a healer on the lower decks of a spaceship which is stratified by race. The characters endure violence and injustice from the upper decks. Aster gradually challenges the unfairness of the ship and teams up with other characters to do so.

The Kiss Quotient, by Helen Huang
Romance. 30-year-old Stella Lane has Asperger’s and decides that she wants to practice dating, hiring an escort, Michael Phan, to do so. Gradually she realizes that she is starting to have feelings for Michael, and that they may indeed be reciprocated.

The Spirit Bears its Teeth, by Andrew Joseph White
Young Adult Historical Fantasy. Autistic transgender boy Silas is a 16-year-old purple-eyed medium who can commune with spirits in 1883 England. He is sent to Braxton’s Sanatorium and Finishing School due to running away from an arranged marriage with a man, and there begins to rebel against the injustices occurring at the School.

Interesting Facts about Space, by Emily Austin
Contemporary Fiction. Enid is a lesbian in her twenties who is deaf in one ear. She works at the Canadian Space Station and is obsessed with space. She becomes increasingly paranoid throughout the book and eventually discovers the truth regarding a traumatic event in her past.

Nonfiction

Nine Minds: Inner Lives on the Spectrum, by Daniel Tammet
Biography. Autistic savant and author Daniel Tammet interviews nine different autistic people and writes a 20-30 page narrative from each of their perspectives, showing what it is like to be in each of their heads.

Send in the Idiots: Stories from the Other Side of Autism, by Kamran Nazeer
Memoir/Biography. Kamran Nazeer interviews his former classmates from a small class of autistic youth in New York City. The book examines the variety of autistic experiences and also discusses treatments and continued struggles.

The Secret Life of a Black Aspie: A Memoir, by Anand Prahlad
Memoir. Poet Anand Prahlad describes a series of stories from his early life growing up Black in the 60s and 70s during the Civil Rights Movement and beyond.

Autistics in Academia: narratives of work, adversity, and achievement from around the world, by Sandra Thom-Jones
Nonfiction. First-hand narratives from autistic individuals working in research and academia. Includes suggestions for how academia can be more accommodating and contribute to the success of autistic folks in institutions.

Thinking in Pictures: and Other Reports from My Life with Autism, by Temple Grandin
Nonfiction/Memoir. Animal scientist Temple Grandlin describes how her autism affects her and enhances her experience as an animal researcher.

Fiction

Nonfiction

Related post from 2024