Using an alphabet grid and pointing to different letters, 13-year-old Naoki Higashida was able to communicate his thoughts, which were then put into a book in Japan in 2007. The book is arranged in short sections, with Naoki answering questions about what it’s like to live with autism and common actions of autistic people. It also includes a short story written by him which aims to show people what autism feels like, as well as a few short metaphorical stories which also help to clarify his feelings. It dismisses many of the misunderstandings about autism, such as the idea that autistic people don’t feel or understand emotions and don’t have a sense of humor or imagination. Simple questions were asked: "Why are you always running off somewhere?" and "Why do you move your arms and legs about in that awkward way?" and Naoki responds with emotion and beautiful phrases and comparisons that make the reader stop and think for a minute. According to Naoki, people with autism never feel comfortable or safe, wherever they may be. So they are constantly moving, trying to get to some place where they might feel comfort. But they never get there. The book isn't self-pitying at all. Naoki writes about the pleasure he takes in nature, and in the autistic way of seeing the world: "When a color is vivid or a shape is eye-catching, then that's the detail that claims our attention, and then our hearts kind of drown in it, and we can't concentrate on anything else." He pleads for patience, love, and understanding for people “like him”. It’s really remarkable to read and to begin to understand what Naoki and millions of others go through daily with this disorder.
Early in the book, he answers the question "Do you prefer to be on your own?" and answers: "I can't believe that anyone born as a human being wants to be left on their own ... The truth is, we'd love to be with people. But because things never, ever go right, we end up getting used to being alone." (Higashida, 13). What...