Book Summary and Reviews of Look Me in the Eye by John Elder Robison

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Cloggie Downunder

interesting, insightful, funny
Look Me In The Eye: My Life With Asperger’s is the first book by John Elder Robison. Not diagnosed with Asperger’s until he was forty, Robison describes himself as a misfit. In this book he tells of growing up in an extremely dysfunctional family. Some of the story has been told by his younger brother Chris, better known as Augusten Burroughs, in Running With Scissors. He goes on to tell of his life after dropping out of high school, his fascination with all things electronic, his life with the band, making smoking guitars for KISS, engineering at Milton-Bradley, and eventually becoming his own boss repairing European cars. All this is told in a matter-of-fact and totally unsentimental way (as you would expect from an Aspergian), and with the benefit of hindsight, Robison explains his actions and reactions. This book is interesting and insightful; it is also very funny: Robison’s chapters on post-hole diggers, plastic cocaine and many other pranks, having a baby, and choosing a wife produce giggles, snickers and laugh-out-loud moments. An interesting comment on Asperger’s and on life in general.