From the time he was three or four, John Elder Robinson realised that he was different from other people. He was unable to make eye contact or connect with other children, much to his distress, and by the time he was a teenager his odd habits, such as a tendency to blurt out non sequiturs, obsessively dismantle radios, and dig five-foot holes (and stick his little brother in them), had earned him the label 'social deviant'. It didn't help that his mother was off her rocker most of the time and his father spent his evenings drinking and terrorising his family.
LOOK ME IN THE EYE is Robinson's moving and unexpectedly funny story of growing up with Asperger's syndrome (a form of high-functioning autism) at a time when the diagnosis didn't even exist. Along the way it also tells the story of two brothers born eight years apart yet devoted to each other: the author and his younger brother, who would grow up to become Augusten Burroughs, author of the bestselling RUNNING WITH STORIES and who has contributed a beautiful foreword to this book.
LOOK ME IN THE EYE is a wonderful fusion of inspiration, dark comedy and insight into the workings of the human mind. For someone who has struggled all his life to connect with others, Robinson proves an extraordinary storyteller -moving effortlessly from haunting descriptions of the adults who made him feel 'defective', to his savant-like abilities with electronics, and to terrific stories from his time on tour with rock band KISS (he created their famous special effects). And after reading about how John puzzles over small talk, you'll never see a simple 'How are you?' in quite the same way. Above all, you'll marvel at the way John worked to overcome the limitations of Asperger's and gain the connection he always craved: he's now married with a teenage son and a successful business. This is a must-read for anyone fascinated by THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME, and of course for all those Augusten Burroughs fans.
