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One of my favorite parts of working at a bookstore is connecting customers to books they may not find otherwise. Autism and neurodiverse research and literature has come a long way in recent years, and I'm so happy to be able to make these connections. These 5 picks are some of my favorites to recommend due to the intersections they represent and familiarity they can provide.

Sincerely, Your Autistic Child is a book I recommend to Autistic people and those who love them. Oftentimes, society forgets that Autistic children grow up to be Autistic adults, and this book is a reminder that we are here.

Unseelie is the story of Isolde and Iselia who are on the run from the fae when a heist goes awry. Iselia (Seelie) is an Autistic changeling trying to figure out how to control and utilize her magic in order to save herself and her sister. This is the Autistic representation in young adult sci-fi/fantasy we've been waiting for.

Sensory: Life on the Spectrum is an anthology by Autistic artists about their life experiences. There's a variety of ways to be Autistic and/or neurodivergent, and this collection displays that. If you've met one Autistic person, you've only met one Autistic person. I definitely recommend this to readers who want to see themselves or someone they love represented.

This is a collection of experiences and essays from transgender Autistic people. The Autistic and LGBTQ communities often intersect, and this anthology is a wonderful window into that intersection.

An Unkindness of Ghosts is a beautiful and visceral story about Aster, a neurodivergent queer person aboard the low decks of the HSS Matilda. She and the other residents of the ship fly towards the supposed Promised Land. While this novel is hard sci-fi among the stars, it is also an analysis of racism, classism, and ableism. Aster is definitely one of my favorite neurodivergent characters.

For more from author Rivers Solomon, read their original essay, "Writing in Ghosts."