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.

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

Steve Jobs

The book was somewhat long, but never boring. I learned many facts about Steve Jobs that I didn't know before.  Although he was the CEO of Apple, he wasn't the only one with ideas, the book often appears to claim that he was the only one who came up with the design ideas. 

Steve Jobs gave Walter Isaacson free range to write whatever he wanted in his book, and it seemed factually accurate. My only criticism was that there was a little too much detail. Frequently there were transcripts of whole conversations that maybe didn't need to be there. 

I listened to this on CD and I'll just say that I've heard better readers of audiobooks. 

As members of a book club in Silicon Valley, many people knew people who knew Steve Jobs. And one of our group used to work for Apple. That is why we decided to read a biography when we didn't usually do so. That, and the fact that Steve Jobs had just died when we were choosing the books. 

It was definitely a good book to read, but needed more time than average because of its length. 

I would like in the future to read another Walter Isaacson book, he has also written the following:

Einstein: His Life and Universe
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life

Book Club Questions for The Infinite Tides

I reviewed The Infinite Tides here

The book is fairly new and I couldn't find any book club questions for it, so here are some I have written that may help your discussion.

1.  What was the main theme of the book? Was there a meaning to the story?

2.   Did you like the character of Keith or not?

3.    Did Keith’s marriage fail just because he was out of space and not available at the time of his daughter’s death, or would it have failed anyway?

4.    What do you think of what his wife did? Should she have spoken to him face to face instead of through electronic media?

5.    How did Keith deal with his loss? What should he have done?

6.    Were you surprised that Keith was a local celebrity? How does he handle his new fame?

7.    Did you see a parallel between Jennifer and Nicole and Keith’s own wife and daughter?

8.    Is Keith’s reaction to his loss typical of men in general? Do women react to grief differently than men?

9.    How did his friendship with Peter and Luda help his return to normal life?

10. What do you see in the future for Keith?