What follows makes for a novel that is deeply funny, poignant, and fascinating in its portrayal of a person whose curse and blessing are a mind that perceives the world entirely literally.
Mark Haddon, author
This Whitebread Award winner has been in the literary realm for about 6 years, but I never had the chance to pick it up until a Page One book sale this month. For introducing readers a peek into the life of an autistic child through his eyes, I applaud the author.
Autism comes from ‘Autos’, the Greek word for ‘self’ – a person with autism is often referred to as someone who lives in a world of their own. Wendy Lawson described her disorder as “Living life behind glass…”. Often mistake to be a mental condition, autism is more accurately a life-long developmental disorder which does not have a cure. A myriad of behaviour patterns are observed in different autistic people, so the umbrella term Autism Spectral Disorder (ASD) is also used to refer to autism. The Autism Resource Centre (Singapore) estimates a prevalence rate of 24,000 individuals with autism in Singapore’s population of 4 million (and growing). 216 new cases of children with autism are believed to be diagnosed annually.
What about kids who have this disorder but aren’t appropriately diagnosed because the parents assume it to be a personality trait or dare not face up to the possibility of autism?
That’s a fantastic book! One of my favorite short stories. It really gives you something to think about despite its simplicity.