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Original Essays | December 12, 2009

Alexander McCall Smith: IMG The Courage of Others

0 comments By Alexander McCall Smith

I have recently written a novel about life in England during the Second World War. I felt some concern before I tackled this theme — the War... Continue »
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Not Even Wrong: A Father's Journey Into the Lost History of Autism

by Paul Collins

Not Even Wrong: A Father's Journey Into the Lost History of Autism Cover

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

In Not Even Wrong, Paul Collins melds a memoir of his son's autism with a journey into this realm of permanent outsiders. Examining forgotten geniuses and obscure medical archives, and beginning to see why he himself has spent a lifetime researching talented eccentrics, Collins shows how these stories are relevant and even necessary to shed light on autism.

Review:

"This is a smart, compassionate study of autists — 'the ultimate square pegs' — and how they see the world..." Publishers Weekly

Review:

"Collins elucidates, with great compassion, what it means to be 'normal' and what it means to be human." Los Angeles Times

Review:

"Brilliant." Vanity Fair

Review:

"Striking. Brave man, brave book." Washington Post

Review:

"A genre-bending spellbinder." Newsday

Review:

"Few things are more heartbreaking than learning that your child is destined to be an outsider...Collins conveys this sad truth beautifully. A fascinating portrait of his son. (Grade A)" Entertainment Weekly

Review:

"Not Even Wrong, thankfully, includes us on a sweet, sad voyage into a disorder about which we know very little. Collins' book serves as a meditation on the meaning of 'normal'..." Oregonian

Review:

"Collins steers clear of pat answers....Ultimately, Collins' struggle to gain insight into his son's own autism successfully builds to an emotional pitch..." Seattle Times
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About the Author

Paul Collins is the author of Sixpence House and Banvard's Folly: Thirteen Tales of People Who Didn't Change the World. He edits the Collins Library for McSweeney's Books and lives in Portland with his wife and son.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
Shoshana, February 25, 2007 (view all comments by Shoshana)
+ Informative, emotional, sophisticated, and ultimately optimistic

- No substantive concerns

This is such a lovely book that I wish that you would read it so we can talk about it. Paul Collins and his wife learn that their son is autistic (probably in the Asperger's range, though he doesn't say). Collins evokes a parent's vulnerability and tenderness in relation to his son. The story of their son Morgan and their relationship with him is interwoven with historical material on feral children, savants, artists, scientists, and other probable autists. I am reasonably conversant with the literature on autism spectrum disorders, but I learned several new facts from Collins and enjoyed his restrained excoriaton of Bettelheim.

Collins is a good writer and I hope to read his earlier Banvard's Folly: Thirteen Tales of People Who Didn't Change the World soon. I enjoyed the juxtapositions of family and historical tales, particularly since these conjunctions lend a pattern-seeking layer to the reader's experience. I would have liked to know more about Morgan's mother, Jennifer. She is the most elusive character in Morgan's story.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9781582344782
Subtitle:
A Father's Journey Into the Lost History of Autism
Author:
Collins, Paul
Publisher:
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Subject:
General
Subject:
Children with Special Needs
Subject:
General Psychology & Psychiatry
Publication Date:
April 2005
Binding:
Paperback
Language:
English
Pages:
256
Dimensions:
8.28x5.56x.77 in. .71 lbs.
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