A father/novelist affirms autistic son,autistic people

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It was a heartwarming experience today to hear a live interview on Radio New Zealand with novelist David Mitchell interviewed by Kim Hill (who is also a wonderful interviewer):


David Mitchell is the author of six novels, two of which have been shortlisted for the Booker Prize. He lived and taught in Japan for many years, and now lives in Ireland. His most recent novel is The Bone Clocks (2014, Sceptre), and with his wife Keiko Yoshida he translated The Reason I Jump (2013, Hachette), written at the age of 13 by autistic child Naoki Higishida.

Mitchell has an autistic son and the second half of the interview was consistently themed by the father's deep and real admiration of his son: "The message I want to get across to people is that he lives with and copes with symptoms every single day of his life that neurotypical people could not cope with even for one day of their lives". The second half was an appeal not just for acceptance and awareness but for admiration of what autistic people contend with, ignorance from others being right up there.

I haven't read The Reason I Jump, which he translated from the Japanese, though will be doing so in the very near future. If you have read it, perhaps you would like to comment.

Here is a link to some quotes from the book:
https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/2 ... son-i-jump

I own and love the book.

I am getting this book. Thanks for mentioning it

Just added it to the "must read" list. Thanks

'The Reason I jump' is deceptively simple, but there are penetrating insights in every phrase. This book should be on school curricula everywhere - it would lead to a greater understanding of autism.

I'm going to get that book.