Review of Musings of an Autistic Mind
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Oluwatosin Balogun
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- Latest Review: Musings of an Autistic Mind by Darryl Jefferson
Review of Musings of an Autistic Mind
[Following is a volunteer review of "Musings of an Autistic Mind" by Darryl Jefferson.]
When people hear the term autism, they immediately think, ‘special people.’ The picture of mentally disabled personalities comes to mind. Others aren’t so nice with their observations and would refer to autistic people as retards. I am not innocent of this. I have my prejudice and I believe autistic people have no emotional intelligence. That’s why they are so blunt or insensitive with their words. I was going to remain with this stance until I came across Darryl Jefferson’s book Musings of an Autistic Mind. The fantastic book altered my orientation on the topic of autism. Using relatable details, the author portrayed the disparate views of autism. He showed that it does not take a genius to understand or communicate with people on the spectrum. They have minds like every other person out there, and the problem isn’t them. It’s how we perceive them. Are you curious to know the complexities of an autistic mind? Or would you like to understand what this medical condition is? Would you like to know how to approach people with this condition without being unnecessarily stereotypical? Are you dealing with this condition and wondering how to manage it? Pick up a copy of this wonderful book to educate yourself.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. In the moments I sat down to devour the words on each page, I got transported into a world of realism, poignancy, and never-before-experienced insights. One impressive quality of this book was the author’s bluntness. He filtered nothing and called everything as it was. In no way did I find the author’s view subjective. He was as objective as a third party. Unlike most non-fiction authors who appear to be all-knowing, flawless, and never wrong, Darryl admitted he was still learning and his views could be countered. Another fascinating thing I admired about the book is that it did not only speak about autism. It highlighted the prominent personality traits we encounter in society today and how to identify them. The author gave cool terms for these traits. Although he stated that it was his way of classifying people, I would be using these labels in my day-to-day life now. My favorite lesson from this book is to not blatantly tell people to change their behavior. Instead, understand why they act the way they do and assist them in adjusting. It may surprise you how many people with problematic attitudes are misunderstood.
While I enjoyed reading this book, there were some aspects I disliked. The author employed the use of long sentence structures and it stalled me in parsing some messages at once. I constantly had to read several sentences, slowly and repeatedly, to understand the author’s point. The occasional exclamation marks sprouting in between sentences also displeased me. It was random and meaningless. I understand that the author wanted to create this air of fascination for the readers. However, the same effect can be achieved without the incessant use of exclamation marks. Despite all these, I had the best experience while reading this book.
I would rate this book as a 4 out of 5 stars. I took away one rating because I expected more from the book. The book had nine sections which were well written, but some sections disappointed me. The section on escorts, for example. It contained too much information on the author’s sexual escapades. I assume the author wrote this section to show readers that anyone can have a sexual experience regardless of disability or not. He also meant to educate men on how to treat ladies right, show the pros and cons of booking an escort, and many more. This section had so much potential, but the author dwelling on details of his sexual experiences watered down the valuable points. Also, I found a few errors while reading. They were minor errors, but the author should visit them. Regardless, this was a lovely read.
I would recommend this book to readers who are on the spectrum. It is an immersive book that would make them feel understood. Readers who have friends or relatives dealing with autism would find educational content in this book as well. I wouldn’t recommend this book to readers who are sensitive to the use of profanity or vivid descriptions of sexual themes, as this book contains a bank of them. Better still, this book isn’t a suitable read for young readers under the age of 16.
******
Musings of an Autistic Mind
View: on Bookshelves
When people hear the term autism, they immediately think, ‘special people.’ The picture of mentally disabled personalities comes to mind. Others aren’t so nice with their observations and would refer to autistic people as retards. I am not innocent of this. I have my prejudice and I believe autistic people have no emotional intelligence. That’s why they are so blunt or insensitive with their words. I was going to remain with this stance until I came across Darryl Jefferson’s book Musings of an Autistic Mind. The fantastic book altered my orientation on the topic of autism. Using relatable details, the author portrayed the disparate views of autism. He showed that it does not take a genius to understand or communicate with people on the spectrum. They have minds like every other person out there, and the problem isn’t them. It’s how we perceive them. Are you curious to know the complexities of an autistic mind? Or would you like to understand what this medical condition is? Would you like to know how to approach people with this condition without being unnecessarily stereotypical? Are you dealing with this condition and wondering how to manage it? Pick up a copy of this wonderful book to educate yourself.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. In the moments I sat down to devour the words on each page, I got transported into a world of realism, poignancy, and never-before-experienced insights. One impressive quality of this book was the author’s bluntness. He filtered nothing and called everything as it was. In no way did I find the author’s view subjective. He was as objective as a third party. Unlike most non-fiction authors who appear to be all-knowing, flawless, and never wrong, Darryl admitted he was still learning and his views could be countered. Another fascinating thing I admired about the book is that it did not only speak about autism. It highlighted the prominent personality traits we encounter in society today and how to identify them. The author gave cool terms for these traits. Although he stated that it was his way of classifying people, I would be using these labels in my day-to-day life now. My favorite lesson from this book is to not blatantly tell people to change their behavior. Instead, understand why they act the way they do and assist them in adjusting. It may surprise you how many people with problematic attitudes are misunderstood.
While I enjoyed reading this book, there were some aspects I disliked. The author employed the use of long sentence structures and it stalled me in parsing some messages at once. I constantly had to read several sentences, slowly and repeatedly, to understand the author’s point. The occasional exclamation marks sprouting in between sentences also displeased me. It was random and meaningless. I understand that the author wanted to create this air of fascination for the readers. However, the same effect can be achieved without the incessant use of exclamation marks. Despite all these, I had the best experience while reading this book.
I would rate this book as a 4 out of 5 stars. I took away one rating because I expected more from the book. The book had nine sections which were well written, but some sections disappointed me. The section on escorts, for example. It contained too much information on the author’s sexual escapades. I assume the author wrote this section to show readers that anyone can have a sexual experience regardless of disability or not. He also meant to educate men on how to treat ladies right, show the pros and cons of booking an escort, and many more. This section had so much potential, but the author dwelling on details of his sexual experiences watered down the valuable points. Also, I found a few errors while reading. They were minor errors, but the author should visit them. Regardless, this was a lovely read.
I would recommend this book to readers who are on the spectrum. It is an immersive book that would make them feel understood. Readers who have friends or relatives dealing with autism would find educational content in this book as well. I wouldn’t recommend this book to readers who are sensitive to the use of profanity or vivid descriptions of sexual themes, as this book contains a bank of them. Better still, this book isn’t a suitable read for young readers under the age of 16.
******
Musings of an Autistic Mind
View: on Bookshelves
Latest Review: Musings of an Autistic Mind by Darryl Jefferson
