Be Different: Adventures of a Free-Range Aspergian [Hardcover]

“For anyone who has difficulty fitting in, this book is fantastic.”
—Temple Grandin, author of Thinking in Pictures

“In places, Be Different is downright funny. . . . But when [Robison] recounts how hurt he feels when people say he doesn’t seem to care . . . this book becomes a heartbreaking, eloquent plea for understanding.”
—Montreal Gazette

“Robison, who learned the hard way that coping in the real world is really just a matter of learning manners and social conventions, fills his book with practical advice for young Aspergians, using himself as an example.”
—Macleans
 
“His new book, Be Different, is an uplifting guide for people with Asbergers and their loved ones to understand themselves and each other.”
—King5.com
 
“Be Different: John Elder Robison’s new book shines. . . . There is a generation of teens and adults with autism spectrum disorders who are looking for guidance, and this book provides it. . . . If you have aspergers, ADHD, autism or if you feel left out in any way (or if you love or teach someone in any or all of the aforementioned categories), you must read this book.”
—Laura Shumaker, City Brights, San Francisco Chronicle
 
“In a love poem to his wife, Pedro Salinas, the Spanish poet, wrote, ‘Glory to the differences / between you and me.’ John Robison teaches us to celebrate differences like Salinas did, but also offers clear insight and valuable advice on how to cope with the challenges that being different can create. This book transcends the specific case of Asperger’s syndrome and is a lesson in humanity and the human condition.”
—Alvaro Pascual-Leone, M.D., Ph.D., Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
 
“Anyone with Asperger’s, if not everyone else, will derive knowledge and pleasure from the wonderful stories told in John Elder Robison’s newest book, Be Different. Clearly, John is one of our community’s leading voices.”
—Michael John Carley, author of Asperger’s from the Inside Out and executive director of GRASP and ASTEP
 
“Be Different is a fascinating and unique guide for young people who may be struggling with autism and feel ‘out of sync’ with the world around them. John shares personal insights about growing up, feeling apart from his peers, and learning to modify his socializing skills and harness his gifts to discover his path to a successful life.”
—Mark Roithmayr, president of Autism Speaks
 
“Robison offers down-to-earth life advice for his “Aspie” peers and their friends, families, and teachers... recommended reading for anyone seeking to understand Aspergian children and adults”
—Kirkus

JOHN ELDER ROBISON grew up in the 1960s before the diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome existed. Today he has claimed his spot on the autism spectrum; he blogs for Psychology Today and is an adjunct professor at Elms College in Chicopee, Massachusetts. John served on the public review board for the National Institutes of Health where he considered research proposals to study autism spectrum disorders; he is currently involved in autism research at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; and he sits on the Scientific Advisory and Scientific Treatment boards of Autism Speaks. His previous book, Look Me in the Eye, was a New York Times bestseller and has been translated into ten languages. He is the brother of Augusten Burroughs, author of Running With Scissors.