Read it....love Jodi, she is an amazing author.

It might be an interesting read though I am very critical of books, TV shows or movies regarding this subject matter. After living with a son that has Aspergers or high-functioning Autism for 31 1/2 years, I feel that they never get it right. I will check it out from the library and read it before I pass judgement.

caflowerluver: I will be interested in your opinion as I realize those 31-1/2 years must have been extremely difficult for you, to say the least. I wonder - do you think those with high functioning Asperger's may all have different symptoms, not necessarily the same for every person? I had never heard of some of the actions in the book.

I liked the book. It may not be perfectly accurate, but it's a means of 'telling the story' for greater public understanding.

Everyone who has Aspergers or high-functioning Autism is different from others who have the same developmental and behavioral disorder. They may have some similar traits but not everyone has the same ones. I found this out when I was a special ed classroom helper for my son from 4th grade through 2 years of community college. That is why it is so hard to have a education and behavior program that works for all. There has to be a unique program designed for each individual. It is more than most school districts and teachers are willing to do.

I will let you know what I think about the book after I read it.

I have a nephew on the spectrum. At the very least though, it brings awareness and hopefully compassion to those with Aspergers.

I agree with caflowerluver. When I checked what the book was about, even the 'When your son can't look you in the eye...' subtitle is not a universal distinction. And characteristics that are strong early on, may change, or disappear, as the child gets older.

For example, one Duplo block lover would quickly assemble a 100+ string of colored blocks (starting from one end, not assembling as sub-groups). I could see some interesting color patterns in them, so once I wrote down the color sequences of the entire row. The patterns were so intricate that they were not easily detected without study. Not only were there alternating colors, but mirrored sequences that included those sections of alternating colors, and width variations of two blocks instead of singles. And those grouped patterns taken together, were also mirrored with other sections of the larger block row. It was mind-blowing upon examination! His ability to quickly make those types of rows of blocks had increased slowly over a period of several years, then it faded over the next 6-12 months. It wasn't as if he lost interest, because he continued to play with the blocks and make shorter patterns; it was more that he lost that particular talent on the grand scale.

I just requested the book from the library. I remember reading "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time". It is a 2003 mystery novel by British writer Mark Haddon. It was recommended by one of my son's teacher assistants. I kept thinking while reading the book, this character is nothing like my son. If that was a person's only exposure to Autism they might think all of them are like that. There are a lot of good books out there. One of the best is "The Autistic Brain" by Richard Panek and Temple Grandin. It is written by someone who has Aspergers or high-functioning Autism. They made a movie of her life, "Temple Grandi".

A fictional story about someone with Asperger's Syndrome is fiction.

The book is a work of fiction using a fictional person and characters in a setting that depicts what the author, after doing her research, imagines THE STORY. Why would one expect it to be a definitive story about the subject. ONE size does not define any subject matter....even in actual fact, let alone fiction. Jodi's book tells a fictional story. One that tries to bring some "idea" of what it might look and be like to live a life with this disability. There are millions of different stories that could be "reported" in a real documentary...or book....that is not what Jodi intended....and books by Temple Grandi and others are not FICTION.

I did not expect Haddon's work to be definitive but I did want it to be realistic. I will say that it was one of the first to depict Autism and so it was sorta groundbreaking. It got a lot of attention when it first came out. Marcelo in the Real World by Stork is much, much better.

My late husband's two nephews (siblings born 14 months apart) were both diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome at an early age. They are now otherwise healthy young men, who have completely opposite personalities, and do not care for each others' company. The elder is gregarious, has a quick wit, is intelligent and empathetic, but has ADD. He and my daughter, who is a few months younger, have always been close. The younger nephew is an introspective math genius, who has difficulty communicating with others and seems detached from the world. I realized that, after an extensive conversation (on his part--I mostly listened) about Fermat's Enigma. I had mentioned the subject briefly when he was about 10, and when he was 20 he made a point of bringing it up again, I think because he couldn't think of anything else to talk to me about during a family dinner.

When they were diagnosed, I read a book on the subject, but it's been so long ago, I don't recall the title or the author. The younger boy's characteristics fit the description I remember.

Logically, Jodi Picoult, a well-known and highly respected author, would not compose her story before completing deep and thorough research on the subject. Some of the various symptoms were new to me, but surely every included symptom can be substantiated and is applicable somewhere.