Look Me in the Eye; My Life with Asperger's by John Robison

Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's

In every group of people, there are many who personally know autistic and Aspergers children, and many books have been written about them, and so the topic frequently comes up in book clubs. What is unusual about this book is that is is written by the Asperger's person, so we get an insight into how his mind works. For instance, there is a large section in the book where he describes his misunderstanding when someone makes a casual comment. Also, the fact that he smiled when he was told his aunt had died is discussed in great detail.

John Robison describes his difficult childhood and his struggles with adolescence. As a result of his struggles with people, he developed an interest in electronics and eventually worked with the rock group, Kiss. 

I found the book (dare I say it?) eye opening about how an Aspergian person thinks, and I know it was a revelation to others in the book club. 

Here's a video of the author, John Elder Robison

Here's a fiction book I reviewed that has an Asperger's character. House Rules

Loving Frank by Nancy Horan

Loving Frank: A Novel

This book is the true story of Mamah Borthwick Cheney, who left her husband to be the mistress of Frank Lloyd Wright, in a time when people didn't leave their spouses and live with whoever they chose. Chicago society didn't accept their relationship so they had to go to Europe. 

The novel is rich in detail of the time period, the people involved and the attitudes of the day. The book engrossed me from cover to cover like few other books have done. 

WARNING: Do not read Wikipedia to find out the true story before you read the book, for the real story is engrossing to read, and the details are incredibly well written. You will love the plot much better if you don't know what is happening before you start the book. After I read the novel I did check Wikipedia and while the facts are there, the emotions are in the book.

The book stayed with me long after I had closed the covers.

Mary by Janice Cooke Newman

Mary: Mrs. A. Lincoln

I loved this book and would put it in the top ten of my all time favorite books. It is the story of Abraham Lincoln from his wife's point of view. I assume that the author did her research and it is factually accurate, because of that I learned a great deal. I didn't check to see if the facts lined up with truth as the few facts I knew before I read the book did line up. The book is written in the first person as if Mary Lincoln were writing the story which for me added to the charm of the book. 

The book was longer than the average book club read, and most people enjoyed it. Just one person said she didn't, she actually thought that a lot of it was not true.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

I read this book soon after I read The Glass Castle, both books were about children being raised in poverty and they were just too similar. I think if I had read them further apart I would have enjoyed them a little more. The book is more than 60 years old and is really a timeless classic. It takes place at the start of the 20th Century in Brooklyn and is the story of one family's struggles to survive. 

The book is a little long and a number of people didn't finish in time for our monthly book club meeting, nevertheless it was enjoyed by all of us. Definitely an educational book that everyone should read.

The Wednesday Letters by Jason F Wright

The Wednesday Letters

This was not my favorite book to read. I thought the plot line a bit shallow. The book starts with an elderly husband and wife who die on the same day. I thought that idea a bit far fetched and I never warmed to the rest of the book.

The story is that of their children going through their things after their death and discovering a secret that had been kept from them for many years. I didn't think the characters of the 3 children were very well developed and I struggled to keep them in my head and remember who was who.