145. I Think I Might Be Autistic by Cynthia Kim

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Kim, Cynthia. I Think I Might Be Autistic: A Guide to Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis and Self-Discovery For Adults. New York, NY: Narrow Gauge, 2013. Kindle Edition.

Reviewed by Jess d'Artagnan Love

72 pages.

Kim describes her own experience of seeking and being diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The goal of the book is to help readers who think they may have ASD and have gone undiagnosed into adulthood. She shares what lead her to thinking she may have autism. She then takes readers through the grueling process of being professionally assessed by psychiatrists and neurologists. She wraps up the book by giving her readers a place to start and resources if they wish to seek a professional diagnosis themselves.

I found this book to be highly informative. It provides “insider information” that the target audience is looking for. Kim doesn’t just rehash medical and diagnostic information that you could look up on the internet. Instead, she takes you through a detailed account of the process and helps the reader consider questions and perspectives important in the diagnosis seeking process. She is like the friend the reader needs to guide them through their own experience.

In addition, the text is written in simple language and organized clearly. This is another way that Kim caters to her audience. For an audience who may have a myriad of developmental and cognitive issues they are trying to address, she makes this book easy to read, understand and access.

Would I read it again? 

If I were the target audience, I would be so appreciative of this book and read it multiple times.

Recommended for

Anyone who thinks they may be on the Autism spectrum and are considering seeking a diagnosis.

Not Recommended for

I think every adult could benefit from reading this book as it will help bring understanding and awareness of the spectrum.

3 stars out of 5

Cynthia Kim’s website: https://musingsofanaspie.com/

Cynthia Kim on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7163648.Cynthia_Kim

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117. "Help Yourself" by Dave Pelzer

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Pelzer, Dave. Help Yourself: Finding Hope, Courage and Happiness. New York: Plume Books, 2001.

218 pages

Reviewed by J. d'Artagnan Love

Most people know Dave Pelzer's most famous work, A Child Called It. Dave experienced one of the most severe documented cases of child abuse and neglect in United States history. I was interested in reading this particular book because of curiosity about the concept of resilience discussed ad nauseam in developmental psychology research. Dave has experienced horrors from which few would recover, but seems to have become a moderately well adjusted, productive, and happy adult. I was curious to know how he got there and thus, picked up this book. 

In this book, Dave chronicles what he did to survive his situation, not just physically, but psychologically. He discusses how he manages his life now and the psychological significance of the trauma he experienced. His goal is an honorable one: an attempt to help others by sharing how he overcame and continues to overcome his childhood experiences. 

Perhaps I should not have been surprised to find that the strategies Dave uses and suggests in his book aren't ground breaking. The advice provided is the same advice found elsewhere in other self-help books and research. Keep a positive attitude. Practice forgiveness, not for the sake of the offender but for your own mental health. Practice self-reflection and take responsibility for your choices. Try to spend time helping others to get out of your own head. These are all valid options for improving a life but nothing new was really added to the conversation on resilience and trauma recovery. 

While it may seem so, I'm not terribly disappointed with this book. I'm sure it will be and is helpful to those who have never encountered these concepts before. For me, it fell flat because of the amount of exposure I've had to the ideas. Had I read this in high school before I became steeped in trauma research, it would have probably seemed ground breaking and inspiring to me then. Alas, that is not how my experience with this book was in reality though, and so I can't say I liked it all that much.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Readers with no experience or background on the topic of resilience and trauma recovery. It's a good "starter" book on the topic. 

NOT RECOMMENDED FOR: Readers with any previous background on the subject. The ideas are repeats of ideas already well known.

2 darts out of 5