really! i did an interview at a motorcycle rally a few days ago, and he wrote a story about me and my book! it's at DarynKragen.com which is some kind of news website. here's the story!
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Through Quinn's Eyes
submitted by Cliff Yankovich, Ada, Michigan
13-year-old Quinn Koeneman couldn't find a book that described what it's like to have Asperger's Syndrome (AS,) So, he has written one himself.
Asperger's is a highly functional form of autism. When Quinn was first diagnosed, he was "all about pretending to be normal", but these days he has come to embrace Aspergers.
People with Asperger's, or "Aspies", generally have normal or higher than normal IQs and they tend to have difficulty understanding how to interact socially.
When the family doctor referred Quinn to a psychiatrist who recognized the symptoms of Aspergers, Quinn overcame his initial reaction of being overwhelmed and wanted to know more. His search for knowledge made him realize not much had been written about AS from an insider's perspective – especially a teenage Aspie. In typical Quinn fashion, he tackled the problem head on by writing his own book!
He finished his book last November. It's called, "Through My Eyes--A Life With Aspergers." The first thing on his Christmas list for parents, Scott and Nancy, was "to get my book published".
He e-mailed three companies who published books about autism to see if they would be interested. None replied. Then his mom found Lulu.com and they published the book themselves in time for it to be under the tree. A few copies were given to family and friends.
Fast forward a few months and "Through My Eyes" has undergone a revision, and is being sold around the US and other countries. It's now listed on book sites like Amazon, Barnes & Noble in addition to Lulu.com.
Quinn's book packs a lot of punch in 50 pages. It is loaded with anecdotes which provide terrific insight into what life is like for an Aspie. It is a glimpse into a mind very different from most. Quinn deals with a variety of subjects including being called names by his peers and how music helps him avoid a meltdown "sometimes". He explains how his brain works and why his drawings are done on "normal white printer paper" with a "normal pencil".
Talking with Quinn will find the average person working to keep up with his quick mind. While he has some difficulty understanding jokes, he is very comfortable discussing music, mathematics, science, and his love of rocks and minerals.
Quinn has been playing guitar and harmonica for years. He is active in the Boy Scouts and has a dirt bike for blasting around a couple of wooded acres behind the house. Quinn is progressing toward his black belt in karate, but he is so much more than his activities.
One of the best passages from Quinn's book can be found on page 47, "I don't need for this book to be a big hit or anything; I just want to affect strangers lives in a positive way." While there is no way of knowing whether or not his book will be a big hit, there is no doubt it will have a positive impact on many people's lives.
© 2007 DARYNKAGAN.COM
25 Apr 2007, 4:40 pm
