The Reason I Jump is written by a thirteen year old Japanese boy with autism, and includes his frank and thoughtful answers to questions about people along the autism spectrum. It was one of the most interesting accounts of autism I have read. Here are some highlights from Naoki Higashida's responses:
"Every single time I'm talked down to, I end up feeling utterly miserable - as if I'm being given zero chance of a decent future."
"The truth is, we'd love to be with other people. But because things never, ever go right, we end up getting used to being alone, without even noticing this is happening."
""We can put up with our own hardships okay, but the though that our lives are the source of other people's unhappiness, that's plain unbearable."
Naoki conveys the challenges of life with autism, but also conveys a sense for hope that with compassion, we can help people with autism and that those with autism can also help the rest of us understand how they think and move through the world.
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