Books

Nonfiction and Fiction About Families and Autism

Jodi Picoult, House Rules, fiction, but so realistic, a young man with autism obeys the house rules to protect his younger brother
Jean Little, Willow and Twig, several characters with disabilities, Twig’s disability is not named, seems like autism
Nicholas Sparks, Dear John, a story of a man with Asperger Syndrome, his son, son’s girlfriend who knows autism, bittersweet
Ann Bauer, A Wild Ride Up the Cupboards, one family’s non-fiction autism experience in two generations
Mark Haddon, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, humorous but really hits home if you know Asperger Syndrome
Keiko Tobe, With the Light (graphic novel), a mother is immersed in autism and deals with reactions of others
Barbara LaSalle, Finding Ben: A Mother’s Journey Through the Maze of Asperger’s, one of the best about helping a young adult through transition to adulthood, starts with birth of child and follows his story
Shonda Schilling, The Best Kind of Different: Our Family’s Journey with Asperger Syndrome, family of well-know baseball player Curt Schilling
Mary Sharp, An Unexpected Joy, local author (East Lansing) tells her family’s story

Roy Grinker, Unstrange Minds,three stories wound together: autism of a family member, the ways autism is viewed in other cultures, creation and revision of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, one of the best books on autism and family
Michelle Fine and Adrienne Asch, Women with Disabilities, a bit academic, but personal stories here, too
Julie Smart, Disability, Society, and the Individual, textbook but very informational if you are in the disability world
Yuko Yoshida, How to Be Yourself in a World That’s Different, brain science in a friendly presentation for youth with autism
Luke Jackson, Freaks, Geeks, and Asperger Syndrome, Luke’s real-life story and his reflections on having a proud journey as a person with Asperger Syndrome
Richard Solomon, M.D., Autism: The Potential Within: The PLAY Project Approach to Helping Young Children with Autism, just what the title says. The PLAY Project has its home base in Ann Arbor