2 out of 4 stars
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That Place of Knowledge, written by Philip Alan Shalka, offers a glimpse into the heart of an autistic young man and his service dog, Sabre. Though Philip writes himself into the story, it’s his enthusiastic and friendly service dog that narrates their adventures found on the other side of a trap door at the bottom of a swimming pool. Once through the unlikely portal, the two friends find themselves in an underground city full of peace, knowledge, and happiness.
Within the underground city, Sabre and Philip find themselves face to face with the great Aristotle himself. Sabre listens as Philip chats with the philosopher about the human ability to learn. Philip expresses his desire to be understood by those who surround his daily life in the world above. Philip and Aristotle conclude the key to happiness is essentially knowing and embracing who he is, over what others think of him.
At one point, Philip expresses gratitude for Aristotle’s genuine spirit. Aristotle responds, “You are welcome, Philip. I can only be honest with you and I’m glad you understand.” This is the most bold and direct show of the themes running throughout the entire piece. One theme is the desire to be around like-minded people and to engage with those who communicate out of the deep places in the heart.
Though Philip lays out his viewpoints in simple language, he wrestles with the meaning of life and what it means to learn. This seems to be part of Philip’s main argument: that although he is autistic, he is capable of mental complexity and desires to gain knowledge. He and Aristotle compare and contrast the value placed on thinking deeply by themselves and others.
The creative setting for this narrative captured my imagination, so it’s unfortunate that so much of the setting and imagery is sacrificed to the overwhelming amount of dialogue. Many of Philip’s conversations with Aristotle are repetitive and trail from one abstract or philosophical idea to the next. Philip asks many interesting questions and stirs up a lot of the “big questions”, but the conversation rarely sticks to one idea or thought for more than two exchanges. Because of the rapid shifts between topics, the viewpoints are rarely supported by contextual evidence.
Sabre narrates the story, though he has little to contribute to the plot. His character adds endearment and companionship for Philip. In choosing him for the eyes and ears of the story, Philip adds his own creative flair.
I would recommend this short story to anyone interested in the autistic community. Through That Place of Knowledge, Philip offers the world a glimpse into his heart in a unique way. This work could also inspire others with autism looking for their own way to impact the world. It’s written in a style that appeals to all ages.
Those looking for an in-depth philosophical discussion may be disappointed, as the topics mentioned are left unpacked, and are lacking practical application.
While I’m excited for this work to be published, it has not been edited properly and reads more like a draft than a finished story. Paragraphs, end quotation marks, and punctuation are frequently misused. This causes confusion in the middle of long winded speeches. Although this piece offers something important to say, I continually found myself wanting to like it rather than being drawn in naturally. For me this short story scores only two out of four stars. It deserves to be reformatted and revised.
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That Place of Knowledge
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As a story, I'd have to agree that its not the most enthralling thing I've ever read & there are some definite grammatical issues to be ironed out. However, there is so much of value & interest when it comes to the message of the book and certainly not just for those with autism.
