Background
Published in Japan in 2007 and in English in 2013, “The Reason I Jump” was written by Naoki Higashida, who is described as a severely autistic teenager. This book offers insight to the personal mind of someone living with autism. Structured as a series of questions and answers, the book addresses common misconceptions about autism and provides explanations for behaviors that might seem puzzling to neurotypical individuals. Higashida conveys his thoughts and feelings with clarity and emotion, aiming to foster understanding and empathy. The book was translated into English by David Mitchell and Keiko Yoshida, with Mitchell, a parent of an autistic child, contributing an introduction.
My Thoughts
This was one of those rare works where with the introduction and the afterward were of more value to me than the actual narrative. The text itself made some definitive statements about how people living with autism perceive the world. While the author is certainly able to describe his experience, blanket statements about everyone along the spectrum of autism felt arrogant and inappropriate. A fundamental misunderstanding of what a spectrum implies seems to be sadly lacking in the general population and the narrative seemed to feed this misunderstanding. That said, I was pleased to hear Higashida is now a public speaker who actively engages with people and tries to help them understand autism. This condition certainly warrants more study and understanding.
I found the book by the author or more precisely, the author’s name. I have a friend named David Mitchell and wanted to see what the author wrote. I didn’t know this was a translation until I had already ordered it and started the book. However, I’m currently about a third through another David Mitchell book, “Cloud Atlas” which I’m really not enjoying so it may not make this blog. I really try to finish books, even when they are difficult yet I’m not sure about this one. Please forgive my occasional selection bias.
Recommendation
I’m on the fence here. It wasn’t great but it did give me some things to think about.