Amazon.com: Customer reviews: NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity

Top positive review

Hope it's widely read, wish it went even further

Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2015

As an autistic adult, I pre-ordered NeuroTribes with great excitement and read it eagerly when it arrived. I think this is an important book that sheds much needed light on the history of autism research, and on the pitfalls of autism parenting culture, and gives some indication of the direction of autistic culture. However, I'm holding back on a fifth star because I felt that he could have gone much further in clarifying that autistic people do come in a great variety of personalities, abilities and disabilities; that the Kanner's vs Asperger's distinction is in fact meaningless; and most importantly that autistic people do not need to achieve great things to be valuable as human beings.

322 people found this helpful

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CounterCultureWarrior

Still a mystery

Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2018

I learned about Henry Cavendish and the real story behind Rain Man. Those were the most interesting chapters.
I was not too surprised by how experts' theories and careerism did little to help autistic children and adults and their parents.
But this book did little to help me understand what autism is.

4 people found this helpful

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Sheryl Battles

One of the best books I have ever read!

Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2021

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This book tells the unvarnished history of autism and spectrum differences. At times, it is hard to read because of the horrible treatment of children and others with any "difference." It is absolutely eye opening to the history of this Neuro tribe community, of which I am one. I reached my sixties without knowing there were so many others who had struggled and suffered as I had. I love my mother and appreciate her more than can be imagined for how much she did for me as a child. She taught me to read before I was school age, and provided me with all the books I could devour. I was reading at adult level by age ten. I loved Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christi, still do. She also provided me with crayons and pencils and stacks of Big Chief tablets to write and draw on to my hearts content. We were poor and had to survive with my extremely abusive dad. My mom was so brave and got us out of that situation finally when I was twelve. I was threatened with everything imaginable including being put into an institution if my mom did not go back to him. There were so many hard times with no money, no child support, but no matter how hard she worked to keep food on the table, there were always hours at the library and art supplies. My dad and others had convinced me that I was stupid and would never do anything worthwhile. School was torturous, so I quit and went to work to help my mom at fifteen. I continued my reading and artwork, and then married young to an older man that truly saw my potential. We were very much alike in a lot of ways, and I believe he was probably also on the spectrum. To sum it up, with all that he and my mom did for me, I succeeded in getting four college degrees, including a double master's. I am a bio-physical medical anthropologist, an ethnobotanist, an artist, and a writer. This book and the books by Temple Grandin have had a profound affect on me. I had a hard life, but I am haunted by those who suffered even more. I think this book should be in every library, and should be read by more than those involved with or part of the spectrum community. Much of the horror that happened to autistic persons also happened and still happens to other persons with differences or disabilities. We should all know the truth of how some view and treat those that are the tiniest bit different from the accepted norm.

23 people found this helpful

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E. Human

Hope it's widely read, wish it went even further

Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2015

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322 people found this helpful

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Lynn McNair

The story of my people

Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2021

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As an autistic person myself this book is a gift.
It is the story of the history and evolution of my people.
Reading this book has altered my relationship with myself, my autism, and the world, forever.
Who would I recommend it to?
Everyone I know.
It should be given to every newly diagnosed adult right along with their diagnosis.
Nothing I have ever read, and I read a lot. Has ever had this profound of an effect on me.

8 people found this helpful

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Blue Orchid

I am an Autistic Adult and I Have an Autistic Child - We Both Thank Silberman Immensely for Shedding This Light

Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2016

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I pre-ordered this book, and I'm so glad I did! I don't often talk to others about the autism books I read, mostly because NT's don't seek the same answers those of us on the spectrum seek. But this one masterpiece that Silberman has put together is the biggest of exceptions. He basically said what I've been theorizing all along, and seeing all the work and research put into finding some answers put into this one book gave me a more hopeful outlook on my life and the future of my son's life. He is also on the autism spectrum. We've come so far in our understanding of neurodiversity, but there is still much work to be done. Silberman has opened a door to a different and better approach to embracing and accommodating those who think differently.

110 people found this helpful

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Ann Fox

and I found this book amazing on several levels

Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2015

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I teach courses in disability studies at Davidson College, and I found this book amazing on several levels. First, it's just beautifully written, opening with the story of an eighteenth-century scientist and framing his story as an autism narrative. What that does, however, is suggest from the beginning the visionary and different quality of this book: it is about claiming a history for autism, and for autistic people as a community. It situates the history of autism within medical history, but also--and critically--within social history. And there is some critical history to be foregrounded, such as the idea that Hans Asperger's ideas laid an important basis for accepting autism as a kind of neurodiversity--itself an even more important notion when we remember, as Silberman reminds us, that Asperger was doing this against the tide of eugenicist thinking perpetrated by Nazism and used to justify genocide. Silberman's book interweaves stories of autistic people and their familiies throughout history, and empathetically but clearly shows why the emphasis on cure has had such damaging effects. Instead, his work encourages us to understand disability as difference, and autism as a source of creativity and neurodiversity that our modern world would be a different--and lesser--place without. It's important to note that he does not romanticize how difficult things can be for autistic people and caregivers. But as he points out, that has so much more to do with lack of social supports and resources than it does with the actual embodiments of autistic people. The emphasis on cure has cost us so much--what could an emphasis on embracing neurodiversity bring us as a society, instead? This is what we disability studies scholars call "disability gain," and this book invites us to imagine it beautifully. I found it moving, smart, engaging, sensitive, forthright, and a critical work of disability history and justice. It's refreshing to see a work that reminds us that disability is about human variation--not personal "tragedy"--and that cure is not always the ideal, despite our society's emphasis on normalcy.

91 people found this helpful

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easyrv

Excellent book on history of autism and development of successful treatment

Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2018

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This book was highly recommended by another parent of an autistic child. It is NOT a "how to deal with it" manual! Rather it is a well-researched history of the behaviors that led to classifications on the spectrum. And it is a history of how these behaviors and the people involved were treated and classified -- some very positively and some extremely awful. Reading this history helps one understand how we got to now in the handling of spectrum issues. One will find out where some of the negative views of autism come from. But a reader will also learn of the development of some amazingly gifted individuals given the appropriate support. If someone has just received the news that a loved one is on the spectrum this may not be the most helpful first book to reach for. But reading this will soon help to put everything into the proper perspective.

One person found this helpful

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SCM

A Complete Understanding of Autism Today

Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2016

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The author, Steve Silberman, is a reporter who has written a meticulous history of autism, from earliest clinical observations in the 1930's to the present. His writing style, even though he presents a vast collection of material, keeps a reader engaged and entertained. He has documented efforts to search for possible causes or cures, personal case histories of families and autistic children, the groups founded to advance the study of autism, and the present state of accomodations availabe to help autistic individuals adjust to a "normal" lifestyle. To a person with autism, "normal" people are the abnormal ones, because they often act in a manner that they find unpredictable or unreasonable. Silberman shows that autism is not a modern phenomenon, and is not a disease or even a deficit, but a result of differences in the "wiring," or neurodiversity, of human brains that has appeared in human cultures throughout history. Fascinating examples show individuals who were accepted as "eccentrics" or managed to work in isolation, and resulted in discoveries that dynamically advanced the progress of civilization. Hans Asberger was the first to conduct scientific studies of autistic individuals, in the Germany of the 1930's. If his conclusions had been universally adopted then, they could have saved half a century of wasted efforts (documented here) to combat autism. At the time Asberger stated, "Our therapeutic goal must be to teach the person how to bear their difficulties. Not to eliminate them for him, but to train the person to cope with special challenges with special strategies; to make the person aware not that they are ill, but that they are responsible for their lives." Asberger's theories, based on logic and experience, were tragically ignored and forgotten, casualties of presumed association with Hitler, Naziism and policies of eugenics. Only within the recent past has the validity of Asberger's conclusions been recognized and applied. Powerful groups persist in searching for causes of, or cures for, autism, but in this book neurodiversity is shown to be a valuable element that has advanced civilization. There is much fascinating material here, including applications of what has been learned, but it is interesting to note that the special gifts of many autistic individuals give them an advantage in the web-connected world of today. This is finally a civilization in which they can excel: they can communicate, share knowledge, and enjoy learning with their peers through machines, avoiding the discomforts of personal contact. Anyone who wants to better understand autism will find the most current and complete understanding of all its aspects in this book.

3 people found this helpful

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Renee

Neurotribes: a credible view of autism

Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2018

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Neurotribes is an excellent history of the progressive recognition and naming of autism. It dispels myths about the condition, both old and current.

This book would be useful for anyone in the autism community (nonautistic parents/family, teachers of autistics, etc.)

It is also encouraging for autistics themselves (the "autistic community" which includes nonautistics who understand the needs of autistics), to see that someone understands perfectly!

I was disappointed that the book ended where my kindle reader marked 85% finished. But when I saw that the remainder of the pages were filled with references, it lent more credence to the book.

I was a little surprised that Silberman didn't mention John Elder Robison, who is a current ambassador for the autistic community, on his own and in the US government. Robison, as an autistic himself, is a great voice for the autistic community, advocating for unity among its great and diverse members.

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Tara Maginnis

A rollercoaster history of Autism Spectrum knowledge in interwoven stories of doctors, parents and patients.

Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2016

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This book is a page turning, edge of your seat history of the gradual "ah-ha!" moments (and gut wrenching setbacks) of the last 90 years struggle to recognize that not all brains work the same way. As a person with a decidedly "different" brain (I'm a 57 year old college professor who has wondered for years if some of my very odd learning deficits/abilities might somehow be related to Autism) I've been wanting to learn more on this topic for a while, and been rather put off by a lot of the online information and books I've previewed. Too often the other sources of information either assume a lot of familiarity with the topic, are "cure" fantasizing, or simply dull. In contrast this book weaves together stories of hundreds of interesting people from the inspiring, to comic to deplorable. Some of these "characters" from recent history manage, like real humans, to be a bit of all these things, in ways that show not only the author's humanistic understanding of the struggles of the autistic persons profiled, but of the various doctors and parents, who even when doing things now known to be "wrong" for their patients, are usually clearly, in their time, trying to do what they imagine to be right for their patients or children.

Silberman gathers all these hundreds of stories together in a gripping style that pulls you into each individual story, while blending the experiences of each together in both the way it happens in life (a researcher you read about in one section, shows up years later, in another person's story) or in making connections of experience from a patient in 1930s Austria, to a patient in 1960s America. He takes all the threads of these sometimes harrowing stories and pulls them together, while meanwhile luring you onward towards the present understanding of these issues, and a hopeful hint of future improvements in embracing and understanding neurodiversity.

I'm only half way through this book, and I'm already finding it useful in grasping things about many of my students, and most certainly about my self. I'm so hooked by this book, I didn't even wait to finish before writing this. I want to encourage anyone and everyone to read this book.

5 people found this helpful

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FLmom67

This book was fantastic! It reads like a thriller--I was up till ...

Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2018

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This book was fantastic! It reads like a thriller--I was up till 7 am reading it! I would add a trigger warning that some part of this book are very hard to read. But Silberman makes the case for neurodiversity. He includes many many resources that I used immediately to find out more about this community and to learn how I can be a part of it. My daughter is scheduled to be tested for ASD, and just like Silberman points out in this book, I, my husband, my son, and my father all show traits of ASD, just like the families of the ASD kids studied by Asperger and his group in Vienna.

2 people found this helpful

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