Discuss The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

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louandel
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Re: Discuss The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Tim

Post by louandel »

This is the one book that everyone talks about that looks great, humorous but poignant, informative about an important illness and excellent writing to put yourself in the mind of the main character and how he sees life. Ive read so many revews of it I wonder sometimes whether I need to read it a t all and if I do I am likely to be disappointed. So I think its going to remain on my to be read shelf for sometime.
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Skydrake
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Post by Skydrake »

I read this book about a year ago. Let me preface my review with I really enjoyed the book and while I would recommend the book, I did have one issue that I kept revisiting while I read it.

I work in the Special Education department of a school district. I applaud authors that bring disabilities to the general public by developing characters that struggle with their own unique feelings as well as the ignorance of society. Education of disabilities is the first step in understanding and acceptance. Because the author does not have autism, narrating as an autistic individual I questioned is this really what someone with autism would think/feel? Part of me, as a non-autistic individual, felt he was spot on. Another part of me kept having that niggling feeling in the back of my mind about authenticity.

Overall it was a good, quick read.

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chrisc0295
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Post by chrisc0295 »

As a person with Autism I really enjoyed reading this book. I could really relate to his thoughts and feelings in a lot of different situations, he was a very kind boy yet sometimes he would go on tangents from time to time.

I would definitely recommend this book, especially for people who didn't understand Autism very much
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DATo
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Post by DATo »

It is my understanding that Mark Haddon, the author of Curious Incident, worked with autistic children for some time before becoming a writer. His past, professional experience provides a level of certification to the truth of the novel's approach to describing this illness as described in the first person narrative of the main character, Christopher Boone. But as I was reading it I was always asking myself how CLOSE he came to actually describing what a victim of autism really experiences in his view of the world. I have found the comments of those who have posted to this board who have personal experience with this illness, and whose comments have expressed their ability to relate to the main character's sometimes skewered perceptions of his world as an unassailable validation of the accuracy of Haddon's depiction. Thanks so much to those who experience to some degree the effects of this illness and have shared their personal thoughts.

With regard to my reading experience of this book I can only say that being placed in Christopher Boone's shoes and allowed to view the world from his perspective was both an illuminating and fascinating experience. By the time I had completed the book I could almost predict how Christopher would react to any situation he might find himself in. I share the thoughts of Skydrake: that books like this are important because they give us a first hand look at something we would normally be unable to comprehend, and through comprehension comes empathy.
“I just got out of the hospital. I was in a speed reading accident. I hit a book mark and flew across the room.”
― Steven Wright
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hojohojothomas
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Post by hojohojothomas »

I just finished this book a week or two ago, and I really enjoyed it. It was a easy, light summer read, which also made it a fast read. I liked how the story was written in the point of view of Christopher. I found the book very interesting and informative because of my interest in teaching children with disabilities. The POV gave the reader some very interesting insight into the mind of a child/teen with autism. At times, the book would get a little slow, because of the excessive detail given by Christopher, but I understand that, that is how he was describing how he saw the world. However, these slower sections did pick up pretty quickly and some points in the story line did surprise me. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.
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Post by fever33 »

I loved this book. I think all teachers need to read this book.
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samanthajnoble
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Post by samanthajnoble »

This book was recommended to me by a teacher, and they were sure I would love it. I have worked with kids in our school district's Special Education department and always applaud authors writing about important subjects people need to be aware of, such as Autism. I wanted to like this book, but I really ended up hating it. It was just one of those books I felt I "had to finish". Not because I wanted to, but because I didn't want it to sit on my desk half-read.
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Becky-boo
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Post by Becky-boo »

I have to admit that while his writing style was very unorthodox (for obvious reasons), I very much enjoyed it.

He captured the mind of an autistic child very well. And in doing so, allowed us a totally different view of a other wise simple story.
There's no wondering about how he felt, he gives everything a blunt and raw edge, as I imagine it would be to a autistic child's perception. And yet he still manages to capture our interest, and in the end I was captivated, and didn't want to say goodbye to Christopher.

A definite read if you want to get out of the ordinary and look at the world with a whole new perception.
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pattilyn
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Post by pattilyn »

I enjoyed this book. It offers an unique insight into functioning from an Asperger's perspective. An interesting quirky tale. I'd recommend it
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simplore
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Post by simplore »

I read this book when I was a child and still remember it very fondly. I've been meaning to re-read it along with a couple other childhood favorites.
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Post by lemming »

This book was awesome, I just read it so long ago that I can't remember enough to give more detail than that. I do remember thinking that if you liked the TV show Monk (or indeed the many Monk novels) you'll like this.
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dwcofer
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Post by dwcofer »

This was a wonderful book, one of the best I have ever read. I first read it a few years ago and have read it again several times.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. The main character, the autistic child was very well portrayed by the author. The reader is drawn in and feels a part of the story as the author was able to get into the head of the child while telling the story.

Great read. It is a short book and a fast read. Highly recommended!
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Post by lbuckman »

This book was assigned to my daughter as a summer reading book for 8th grade. We both enjoyed the book!
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Post by npandit »

When I started reading this book in college, captivating and intriguing from the first few lines of narration til the last--I was blown away by the lens through which we were being told the story. More than remembering the plot, the thing that I think I took away from the book was a perspective of how people with Autism view and interact with the world. I think it made me a better person in some ways, and I wish I had read it when I was younger. It should be assigned to every student in junior high or high school, as well as supplemental reading for psychology courses. Looking back I wonder how many students I knew that I thought were 'odd' were really just on the spectrum. I, along with my peers, may have better been able to reach out to them had we had more insight about Autism.
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AMP76
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Post by AMP76 »

Christopher John Francis Boone can rattle off all the prime numbers up to the thousands but cannot hug his parents. Christopher John Francis Boone would win every trivia game based on world countries and their capitals but cannot understand when a person smiles at him. Christopher John Francis Boone can logically beat the prisoners dilemma puzzle but has a cheat sheet to identify facial expressions. Christopher John Francis Boone is autistic. Christopher John Francis Boone does not process below face value, a statement, to him, is a true statement, even if meant by the speaker in jest. Christopher John Francis Boone calmly explains that he cannot tell a lie and that simile and metaphor make no sense because if one wishes to say that a cloud is like a cotton ball then they should just say so rather than making a simile. Christopher John Francis Boone is unable to feel emotions but relates well to animals. His story is a bitter sweet, minor mystery morphed into self discovery.

Personally, I really enjoyed this book. Mark Haddon excelled at writing from a non-communicative persons perspective. This book made me laugh, although Christopher John Francis Boone did tell the reader that this would not be a funny book because he cannot tell jokes. This book made me sad, at times as well, the hand fan to communicate a relationship with his parents was touching. This book was thought provoking, and had me trying to wrap my own head around being completely unable to understand or feel emotions. Compelling. Ingenius. Hugely enjoyable. A must read.
Adventure...one part stupidty plus two parts perseverence....yeah, that's me!
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