I originally put the book The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism
on-hold at our library because it involved a favorite author of mine named David Mitchell. He wrote the New York Times Bestseller, Cloud Atlas. Mitchell and his wife, KA Yoshida, provided an introduction and translated the original text which was written by Naoki Higashida, a 13 year old boy with autism. As parents of an autistic child, this was clearly a labor of love for Mitchell and Yoshida. So what did I think of the book? I thoroughly enjoyed it. Written in a question-and-answer format, this is an intimate book that made me feel like Higashida was talking directly to me and expressing his feelings. Many times I had to remind myself that this was written by a 13-year-old boy. At the end of the book, he includes a short story that was emotional, enlightening and revealing. It brought me to tears.
Let me give you a suggestion before you read this book. DO NOT read all of the reviews, especially the one that says it takes only ninety minutes to read. In my opinion, the goal is not to see how fast you can read but to enjoy the journey. The book is written in a simple and direct style without all of the flourishes or descriptions in an epic novel. In this case, you have the privilege to immerse yourself into an autistic mind. I intentionally broke the book up into several short reading sessions. It’s a good approach.