This April, we are focusing on works by authors who are neurodiverse. What is neurodiversity?
Coined in the 1990s, “neurodiversity” is often associated with the autism spectrum, but proponents use the term far more broadly. The National Symposium on Neurodiversity at Syracuse University defines it as “a concept where neurological differences are to be recognized and respected as any other human variation.” As Paul McFedries puts it on Word Spy, “The neurodiversity movement is based on the belief that there is no such thing as ‘normal’ when it comes to the human mental landscape.” The implication is that, whether someone has a chronic condition such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, a mental illness such as schizophrenia, or no condition at all, every mind is different in some way. And some minds just need support rather than cures.
Peters, M. (2017, Jun 15). Neurodiversity: When you’re not flawed, just mentally different. Boston Globe.
The following list is only a start of authors who have identified themselves as neurodiverse individuals.
(*PSU login required to access/borrow)
Essays:
Julia Bascom. “Quiet Hands.” Just Stimming … [Blog.] Oct 2011.
David Finch. “Somewhere Inside, a Path to Empathy.” The New York Times. May 2009.*
Ido Kedar. “History Repeats Itself.” Ido in Autismland [Blog.] Dec 2019.
Sarah Kurchak. “Autistic People are Not Tragedies.” The Guardian. Apr 2015.
Novels:
Laurie Hals Anderson. The Impossible Knife of Memory.*
Helen Hoang. The Kiss Quotient*
Rivers Solomon. An Unkindness of Ghosts*
Non-Fiction:
Allison Britz. Obsessed: A Memoir of My Life with OCD.*
Naoki Higashida. The Reason I Jump: The Inner-voice of a 13-year Old Boy with Autism.*
Anand Prahlad. The Secret Life of a Black Aspie.*
John Elder Robinson. Look me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger’s*
This semester, we’re hoping you’ll again join Vairo Library in diversifying our reading lists.