I finished Be Different almost a month ago, but I’ve been thinking about it all this time, trying to decide what to write. Robison’s latest book is as well-written and entertaining as his first book, Look Me In the Eye. I think I’ve hesitated to write about Be Different because I see so much of myself in the anecdotes. I see more of my son, which makes sense, as he’s been diagnosed with Asperger’s, but there’s a lot of me in there, too. Even having acknowledged several months ago that I have some Aspie tendencies, it’s still a little weird to see that many similarities. I’m what Robison calls a “Proto-Aspergian”, someone with a few Aspie traits, but isn’t completely Aspergian (Robison’s name for Aspies). Neurotypicals are “Nypicals”.

I don’t usually read other reviews before I write a review (and this isn’t really a review), but as I said before, I was at a loss for what to say. Until I saw a reviewer who had written that he didn’t finish the book because it was written just for Aspergians and their families, and that the advice seemed simplistic.

Honestly, I think everyone should read this book. I guess it’s pretty, well, simplistic, but I think if people would take the time to understand a little about others who aren’t like them, differences wouldn’t seem so scary or bad. If you’re a teacher or in any kind of profession where you’re around a lot of kids, reading this book will help you understand that not all those “bad” kids are bad. (Kids rarely are, but that’s for another post.) For those with friends or family members with Asperger’s, it really does help to read things written by an Aspergian. For Aspie kids, while they may realize that there is something different about them, they don’t really understand all the ways in which they think differently than Nypicals. How can they? It’s all they’ve ever known. That’s just the way things are for them. So hearing it from someone who is able to articulate it is helpful.

On a side note, Robison writes a lot about music, and I’m not a musician, but I think both his books would be enjoyed by musicians. (He used to design exploding guitars for KISS, in case you didn’t know.)

As for the reviewer’s claim that the book’s advice is simplistic, all I can say is that he obviously isn’t close to anyone with Asperger’s. If he were, he would know that, in some situations, Aspies really do need basic advice that sounds intuitive to Nypicals. The example the review gives is, “Manners are important even if they don't make sense. Read Emily Post.” That may sound ridiculous to many, but it makes perfect sense to me in relation to myself and my son. I think if you’re a Nypical reading the book, you can learn something if you keep in mind that the book was written mainly for other Aspergians.

You don’t have to read Look Me In the Eye first to understand Be Different, but I think it adds a perspective to the book that you wouldn’t have otherwise had. And reading in Be Different about John Elder teasing his younger brother wouldn’t be quite as funny without knowing all the tricks John Elder played on him when they were young… and knowing that even after all this time, he’s still falling for it.
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This was a fascinating look into an "aspergian" brain. I will definitely give it to my son to read someday. ( )

At the age of 59, I was diagnosed with Asperger's. I picked this book up sometime after that diagnosis, probably within the past 3 yrs. I didn't get around to reading it until recently, and that's a shame. There is so much about Asperger's that this book helps you understand. This book explains me. Not everyone knows someone with Asperger's, and not everyone who has it, even knows they have it. I couldn't have been diagnosed at a young enough age to help me because people didn't know. They said I was lazy. They said I didn't pay enough attention. They said I was slow. Reading this book reaffirmed to me that none of that was, or is, true. I'm just different. Thanks for sharing...John Elder Robison!

If you know someone with Asperger's, or maybe even suspect that you do...or maybe you want to know more about Asperger's. I recommend this book. It's a very good introduction to understanding those of us who are different. ( )

Robison wrote this in a very easy-to-read, conversational tone. It's the kind of fast read one would feel comfortable passing over to a nine-year-old son or daughter who might crack up laughing at some of the hilarious undertones and purposeful hilarity. Anyone who has frustratedly gone to a library or bookstore and quickly thumbed through many books about Asperger's in order to decide on a book to read in order to understand a friend or family member's mind...particularly the "average" nypical, will walk away bored or annoyed by all the technical DSM-V type jargon found in other books. THIS book is the perfect read for someone who does not like to read textbooks or case studies written on collegiate level, and also perfect someone who LOVES to read Dave Barry-style books, as it is written intelligently by someone who has clearly tried very hard to speak as "easily" as possible, so everyone can understand.

On a personal note, I liked how he lightly brushed upon some of the Aspergian moments he's experienced, particularly that of being known as a person who feels "safe" walking in strange places alone during any weather. That is something he and I have in common, and I too have wondered what he wondered about it, if an Aspergian mind is wired to appreciate and take in the natural/biological world more so than other people's minds.

My favorite chapter involved "pliers", a short tale of strategical classroom bully-breaking from the point of view of a person who grew up to realize he ought not have stooped to a bully's level in retaliating, but that in certain measures, in certain instances, one must show bullies why it is not in their best interest to start somethin'! This chapter also highlighted the conflicting compassionate/self-interested state nypicals find maddening or intriguing when confronted with the Aspergian who is often a nice person...but (especially when younger) does not follow the same conventional rules of "falling in line" with people who demand respect without earning it.... ( )

BE DIFFERENT was a Christmas gift to myself, mostly because I had so enjoyed Robison's memoir, LOOK ME IN THE EYE. I wish I'd saved my money. This book comes across as repetitious and rather robotic in tone, full of what seems to be mostly common-sense advice, repeated nearly ad nauseam. Perhaps it would be useful to parents, friends or relatives of children or adults with Asperger's, but only if they'd known nothing about it to begin with. The emotionless mechanical feeling the book leaves you with was very much like the memoir Templin Grandin wrote - also not terribly interesting. I couldn't help but feel that Robison only wrote this book to capitalize on the popularity of his earlier - and far superior - book. Perhaps a bit of monetary opportunism at work. Sorry, John, but this combination advice/self-help book simply did not work for me. ( )