# Books featuring characters with Autism and Aspergers



## Joanne (Mar 29, 2011)

What I am wondering is, what other books feature protagonists who are on the Autism Spectrum?

_--- edited... no self-promotion (book covers, web links, mentioning your book/blog/etc.) in posts outside the Book Bazaar forum. please read our Forum Decorum thread. future posts containing self-promotion will be deleted without notice._


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## BethCaudill (Mar 22, 2011)

_Hard to Hold_ by Julie Leto is in the new True Life subgenre of Romance. They take a real life couple's journey and turn it into a Romance story. There hero of this book has Tourette's Syndrome. My book club read it and while it was a nice story, we didn't find it very exciting.


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## lib2b (Apr 6, 2010)

There are:


and


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## Seleya (Feb 25, 2011)

There is also


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## chipotle (Jan 1, 2010)

I really learned a lot about Aspergers from reading The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie. It is a historical romance and it shows how they used to treat disorders like that when they talk about Lord Ian's childhood in the asylum. It is also just a very good book, one of my faves of last year. It made number 10 on the list of Top 100 Romances of All Time poll by AAR.


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## BethCaudill (Mar 22, 2011)

chipotle said:


> I really learned a lot about Aspergers from reading The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie. It is a historical romance and it shows how they used to treat disorders like that when they talk about Lord Ian's childhood in the asylum. It is also just a very good book, one of my faves of last year. It made number 10 on the list of Top 100 Romances of All Time poll by AAR.


I was trying to remember this one. It was a great book but I couldn't remember the title or author. One of those I know it when I see kinda things. This book was talked about a lot when it came out.


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## Cynthia Justlin (Feb 23, 2011)

I was just going to recommend Jennifer Ashley's *The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie*, but it looks like chipotle beat me to it!  I really loved the book. One of the best historical romances I've read of late.


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

lib2b said:


> There are:


Beat me to it. I love _The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time_. A therapist friend who works with clients on the autism spectrum recommended it to me a few years ago. It's the only book I know of where the author tells the story from the 1st person POV of a boy with autism. One of the best books in 1st person POV I've ever read.


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## lib2b (Apr 6, 2010)

purplepen79 said:


> Beat me to it. I love _The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time_. A therapist friend who works with clients on the autism spectrum recommended it to me a few years ago. It's the only book I know of where the author tells the story from the 1st person POV of a boy with autism. One of the best books in 1st person POV I've ever read.


_The London Eye Mystery_ is actually very similar except written for a younger audience. Same first person POV of a young boy on the autism spectrum.


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## EGranfors (Mar 18, 2011)

My grandson (5 years old) is autistic.

Three fiction books I loved with autistic protagonists are

The Speed of Dark, Elizabeth Moon
Daniel Isn't Talking
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

Non-fiction, all the Noah books, including the one by Karl Greenberg (?) Boy, Alone


I highly recommend Moon's book.


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## Guest (Mar 30, 2011)

I wrote a paper in grad school asserting that Darcy in Pride and Prejudice was Aspy.


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## Julia444 (Feb 24, 2011)

Jeff Cohen's Aaron Tucker mysteries have an autistic teenaged son (and Jeff's own son has Asperger's). Jeff has also written some books about Asperger's and autism.

http://www.amazon.com/Whom-Minivan-Rolls-Tucker-Mystery/dp/1890862185

I also loved THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHTTIME, which some of you have mentioned already.

Julia


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

lib2b said:


> _The London Eye Mystery_ is actually very similar except written for a younger audience. Same first person POV of a young boy on the autism spectrum.


Never heard of it--thanks for the rec!


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## Alexandra Sokoloff (Sep 21, 2009)

Barbara Vine (Ruth Rendell)'s The Minotaur is a terrific mystery with an ultra-sympathetic character with Asperger's/autism (he's misdiagnosed at first). Great book!


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## boydm (Mar 21, 2009)

Mark Alpert's thrillers Final Theory and The Omega Theory feature a boy who's autistic. There's also a thriller coming out this Fall called Cold Glory by B. Kent Anderson that has a hero with an autistic son.


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## Guest (Apr 3, 2011)

I loved The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime!


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## lib2b (Apr 6, 2010)

I just thought of another one (although I've only heard about it, haven't read it myself yet). _Marcelo in the Real World_ by Francisco X:


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## CozyMama (Dec 12, 2008)

Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine is a wonderful novel written for middle grade readers.  I really enjoyed it even though I'm an adult.  It is written from the first person, too, and the main character has recently lost her older brother.


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## Mel Comley (Oct 13, 2010)

I read a romance recently where the MC's brother had Aspergers. I know the author speaks from experience too as both her sons have it.


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## Paul Levine (May 14, 2010)

_--- edited... no self-promotion (book covers, web links, mentioning your book/blog/etc.) in posts outside the Book Bazaar forum. please read our Forum Decorum thread. future posts containing self-promotion will be deleted without notice._


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## Joel Arnold (May 3, 2010)

Cynthia Lords' middle grade novel *Rules* is told from the point of view of the sister of a boy with autism (and is also a really good book!)


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

Asperger's.


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## Aaron Pogue (Feb 18, 2011)

There's a point-of-view protagonist with Aspergers in _The Second Opinion_ by Michael Palmer (a medical thriller). I don't really recommend the story on its own merits, but that's largely _because_ the author (who is a doctor) wrote it expressly to demonstrate what people with Aspergers are like, and that tromped all over the plot.

If you're at all interested in medical thrillers, though, it would probably be just the thing for you.


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## Christopher Meeks (Aug 2, 2009)

I use an illustrated book in my Children's Literature class called "Emma's Rug" by Allen Say, and nowhere does it say Emma has Asperger's, but I'm convinced she does. I've had a few students in my classes over the years who have it, and Emma is similar. She does not connect to her peers, her teacher, or her mother in a usual way. Readers notice something is different about Emma, besides her having a talent in art. It's an interesting book.


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## cork_dork_mom (Mar 24, 2011)

I'm currently reading "The revenge of the radioactive lady" by Elizabeth Stuckey-French. Two of the children in the story have Asperger's.

It's a great story along the lines of Carl Hiaasen.


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## Laura Lond (Nov 6, 2010)

Double Vision by Randall Ingermanson has one of main characters with Aspergers.



(Alas, it's not available on Kindle.)


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## RJMcDonnell (Jan 29, 2011)

Julia444 said:


> Jeff Cohen's Aaron Tucker mysteries have an autistic teenaged son (and Jeff's own son has Asperger's).


I thoroughly enjoyed his novel As Dog is My Witness. It delivered mystery and humor while educating me on the obstacles faced by a teenager with Asperger's.


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## kuklachica (Dec 26, 2010)

I don't think I saw this one mentioned, House Rules but Jodi Piccoult

House Rules: A Novel


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

EGranfors said:


> My grandson (5 years old) is autistic.
> 
> Three fiction books I loved with autistic protagonists are
> 
> ...


Moon's The Speed of Dark is brilliant.


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## sallys (Nov 14, 2009)

600 Hours of Edward


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## D. Nathan Hilliard (Jun 5, 2010)

Doesn't Stephen King's Dreamcatcher feature an autistic boy?


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## EGranfors (Mar 18, 2011)

I am currently reading "Noah's Wife," in which the author has chosen to give her main character from eons ago autistic characteristics.  Very interesting.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

D. Nathan Hilliard said:


> Doesn't Stephen King's Dreamcatcher feature an autistic boy?


Down Syndrome.


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## SM Johnson (Apr 5, 2011)

I recently read a YA fiction novel called Mindblind. The protagonist is a 14 y.o. boy who has Aspergers, and a mother who's coached him all his life on how to interact with others. I thought the book was quite good.

http://www.amazon.com/Mindblind-Jennifer-Roy/dp/076145716X


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## Vianka Van Bokkem (Aug 26, 2010)

_*"Miracle Run"*_ By Corrine Morgan-Thomas.

-Vianka Van Bokkem


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## SidneyW (Aug 6, 2010)

Like the others here who mentioned it, I really enjoyed The Curious Incident of the Dog In the Nighttime. Really a fast-moving tale with an interesting narrator.


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## Dee_DeTarsio (Oct 26, 2010)

I'm looking forward to reading The Kitchen Daughter which sounds fabulous!!


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## victoriaallman (Mar 25, 2011)

There is a great new book out called Wicked Good.

It is a page turner. The fast-pace of this book gripped me from page one. 
The story begins with Rory, a kid with Asperger's Syndrome getting into trouble in school and his mother, Archer trying to protect him. I thought Wicked Good would be a tale about family, and it is, but it is so much more. When Rory decides to look for his biological mother, Archer must fight to protect her son at the same time as let him follow this search through. Rory's quest, with the help of another troubled teen takes him to Bangor, Maine where Rory gets wrapped up in the history of the perfect storm, the Andrea Gail, and the Salem witch trials. 
The short, snappy chapters are so well-written that you cannot help but keep reading chapter after chapter to the end. 
This is a fabulous read for anyone, but especially if you have or know of a child with Aspergers Syndrome. 
I could not put it down.

http://www.amazon.com/Wicked-Good-ebook/dp/B004TSC8D6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1302410608&sr=1-1


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## EGranfors (Mar 18, 2011)

I'm reading "Noah's Wife," (yes, the ark Noah), which has the main character with some Asperger's / autistic traits. Very very interesting book!


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## D/W (Dec 29, 2010)

I know this is an older thread, but I thought many of you would be interested in this. Currently FREE (list price $14.95 in U.S.), but be sure to double-check the price before one-clicking to "buy", as prices do change:

Amazon US: How Can I Talk If My Lips Don't Move? (inside my autistic mind)
Amazon UK: How Can I Talk If My Lips Don't Move? (inside my autistic mind)
Amazon DE: How Can I Talk If My Lips Don't Move? (inside my autistic mind)

From the product description:

_An astounding new work by the author of The Mind Tree (Arcade, '03) that offers a rare insight into the autistic mind and how it thinks, sees, and reacts to the world. When he was three years old, Tito was diagnosed as severely autistic, but his remarkable mother, Soma, determined that he would overcome the "problem" by teaching him to read and write. The result was that between the ages of eight and eleven he wrote stories and poems of exquisite beauty, which Dr. Oliver Sacks called "amazing and shocking," for it gave the lie to all our assumptions about autism. Here Tito goes even further and writes of how the autistic mind works, how it views the outside world and the "normal" people he deals with daily, how he tells his stories to the mirror and hears stories back, how sounds become colors, how beauty fills his mind and heart. With this work, Tito- whom Portia Iversen, co-founder of Cure Autism Now, has described as "a window into autism such as the world has never seen"-gives the world a beacon of hope. For if he can do it, why can't others? _

Note: This book has received ten 5-star reviews at Amazon.com.


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## EGranfors (Mar 18, 2011)

I'd like to write a book about this since my grandson has autism, but I think his parents would not like it.

Good book: Speed of Dark, by Elizabeth Moon

Not so good:  Horse Boy by ??  I don't remember (it was pretty far out there as to what they tried)


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## D/W (Dec 29, 2010)

EGranfors said:


> I'd like to write a book about this since my grandson has autism, but I think his parents would not like it.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Thank you for posting this here and in the Free Books thread.
Familiarity breeds understanding.


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## D/W (Dec 29, 2010)

Oh, I'm _so_ happy that this book is being seen by those who care! I had read this thread several months ago, but I didn't comment at the time. I posted about the book here because I wanted to make sure it was noticed before it's no longer free. I don't have any autistic friends or relatives myself but I'm very interested in learning more, so I'll be reading the book.


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## mscottwriter (Nov 5, 2010)

I'll add "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer.  I'm not sure if the boy in the story is specifically labeled as having Asperger's, but he certainly shows those characteristics.


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## Amyshojai (May 3, 2010)

Thinking In Pictures by Temple Grandin (nonfiction):

http://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Pictures-My-Life-Autism/dp/B002TS7XCO/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1311046342&sr=1-1


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## D/W (Dec 29, 2010)

This is not a fictional book, but I thought I'd post here since I know that some of you may be interested. It is currently FREE, but probably for a very limited time, so be sure to double-check the price before "buying."

The Special Needs Parent Handbook - SPECIAL EDITION (abridged version)


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## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

Movement by Nancy Fulda. It's a short story, but worth the read.

http://www.amazon.com/Movement-Short-Autism-Future-ebook/dp/B006LNRZ44/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323995129&sr=8-1


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## VolcanoShark (Dec 8, 2011)

I read an article in which a phsychologist diagnosed Sherlock Holmes as having Aspergers from descriptions of his personality in the books.


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## D/W (Dec 29, 2010)

Here's another nonfiction book that's currently free:

Crossing the Bridge of Autism, Our Family Story by Stephanie Maddux



And this one is also currently free:

The Thursday Surprise: A Story about Kids and Autism by Ryan Ennis


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## Nancy Fulda (Apr 24, 2011)

MariaESchneider said:


> Movement by Nancy Fulda. It's a short story, but worth the read.
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Movement-Short-Autism-Future-ebook/dp/B006LNRZ44/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323995129&sr=8-1


Aw, thanks, Maria!

(I feel compelled to add that, technically, the protagonist doesn't have autism. She has a futuristic, as-yet-undiscovered medical condition that is very similar to autism in that she seldom speaks. But a lot of Hannah's other characteristics, especially her hyper-awareness of time, don't match the profile of known autism spectrum conditions.)


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## Nancy Fulda (Apr 24, 2011)

One that I found fascinating is Born on a Blue Day by Daniel Tammet.

Also, it has nothing to do with autism per se, but Daniel Keyes' Flowers for Algernon always starts my head turning on thoughts related to cognition, perspective, and whether we really are who we have always considered ourselves to be.


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## Melva (Dec 16, 2011)

Having worked as an instructor for developmentally challenged adults, I find myself including characters with disabilities in some of my writing.  My book The Attic has a protagonist who has Down Syndrom, but not autism.  My book In The Path of The Dragon has reference to a child severely disfigured from burns who after being orphaned in a wild fire, is adopted by a couple who also end up adopting numerous other disabled children.  The subject of these truly 'Gifted' individuals, whatever their disabilities, is dear to my heart.


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## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

Nancy Fulda said:


> Aw, thanks, Maria!
> 
> (I feel compelled to add that, technically, the protagonist doesn't have autism. She has a futuristic, as-yet-undiscovered medical condition that is very similar to autism in that she seldom speaks. But a lot of Hannah's other characteristics, especially her hyper-awareness of time, don't match the profile of known autism spectrum conditions.)


Technically, how do we know if there are or aren't autistic people who are hyper-aware of time or experience time differently than some of us?


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## Guest (Dec 17, 2011)

I have autism and aspergers in my life-- several people in my family and a close friend.

Can't believe I neglected to mention the Millennium series (Stieg Larson).  Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is coming to theaters soon and looks amazing.  The books struggle a bit with translation issues, but Lisbeth is an amazing example of an aspie.

Ahmed read the trilogy on my kindle over the past two weeks while sitting around in waiting rooms and by my bed when I was knocked out or sleeping.  He nitpicked over translation stuff and infodump, but also couldn't put them down.


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## teashopgirl (Dec 8, 2011)

I don't think anyone has mentioned the terrific middle grade/ya novel The Reinvention of Edison Thomas by Jacqueline Houtman yet. I highly recommend it.

 [URL=http://www.amazon.com/Reinvention-Edison-Thomas-Jacqueline-Houtman/dp/1590787080/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324142192&sr=8-1]http://www.amazon.com/Reinvention-Edison-Thomas-Jacqueline-Houtman/dp/1590787080/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324142192&sr=8-1 [/url]


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## Nancy Fulda (Apr 24, 2011)

MariaESchneider said:


> Technically, how do we know if there are or aren't autistic people who are hyper-aware of time or experience time differently than some of us?


For nonverbal autists, there's no way to know for sure. But the currently available research suggests that individuals with Asperger's Syndrome and High-functioning Autism tend to have difficulty understanding time. (This matches my observations of my own son. For years, he didn't seem to realize that the pictures in children's books were showing an ordered sequence of events. At age 7, he still had a hard time telling the difference between seconds, minutes, and hours.)


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## D/W (Dec 29, 2010)

Here's an amazing deal! The Kindle version of the two-volume reference book Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Handbook for Parents and Professionals normally has a list price (in both ebook and print) of $200. It's currently only 90 cents!

And right now there's a special textbook promotion where you can get a $10 credit to use toward qualifying textbooks. This book does qualify for that, so you can get it for free if you apply the promo code before purchase as instructed here. And here's a search link to the bestselling Kindle textbooks. There are quite a few priced at less than $10.


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## Nancy Fulda (Apr 24, 2011)

It looks like a useful resource, but it's showing up priced at $149.74 on my Amazon. Is there a secret trick for seeing the discount?

Also, for people living with autism on a day-to-day basis, I suspect that something like The Best of Autism/Aspergers Digest might be more relevant.


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## djgross (May 24, 2011)

I enjoyed House Rules, which was mentioned earlier in the thread. 

I just started 77 Shadow Street, which features a character with Autism.


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## D/W (Dec 29, 2010)

Nancy Fulda said:


> It looks like a useful resource, but it's showing up priced at $149.74 on my Amazon. Is there a secret trick for seeing the discount?


It's still selling for 90 cents at U.S. Amazon.com. I just checked all international Kindle stores (including Germany, where you are), and it's much higher everywhere other than the U.S.


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## Nancy Fulda (Apr 24, 2011)

DreamWeaver said:


> It's still selling for 90 cents at U.S. Amazon.com. I just checked all international Kindle stores (including Germany, where you are), and it's much higher everywhere other than the U.S.


How very strange. It must be picking up on my IP's geographic location, because I was browsing Amazon.com with my husband's US account. Dang geographic restrictions. *grumble* *mutter*


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## Ghost in the Machine (Dec 28, 2011)

I'm a big fan of F. Paul Wilson, and particularly his "Adversary Cycle." LINK Book three of the series, The Touch, is about a doctor who finds himself gifted/cursed with the ability to cure illness simply by touching a patient... at the cost of his own life. Every time he uses the gift, it causes tiny brain damage and embolisms. Much of the latter half of the book deals with his dilemma over risking his own life to cure the autistic child of one of his female patients. The child figures prominently in the book, and is brought back in the cycle's concluding novel, Nightworld.

I also thoroughly enjoyed _The Curious Incident_.


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## JennaAnderson (Dec 25, 2009)

I recently finished



and have suggested it for my February book club meeting. I enjoyed it.

A title I'd like to try this year as well is



Jenna


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## R.Stephenson (Apr 8, 2012)

My 14 year old son was diagnosed with Asperger's when he was four going on five.  I have never been officially diagnosed, but I have a strong suspicion that I would fall on the spectrum myself.  My wife and I have spent the last decade doing our part to raise awareness.


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## Panther (Apr 17, 2012)

When I was younger I use to read novels by Torey Hayden. She wrote non-fiction books about her life working as a teacher for special needs children. Some children had autism others had very different needs, but the stories were touching. The books inspired me to want to help others in the same way, and 12 years or so later i became an educational assistant and sometimes a support worker. In one of her books (I don't recall which) she discusses the difficulties dealing with doctors back in a time where autism wasn't understood. She talks about the doctors unwillingness to understand that children with autism can feel pain. This was back in a time where a lot wasn't understood...mind you, this doctor seemed to have a lot of ignorance for a medical doctor! These books really show how one person can change lives!

If you're at all interested in special needs this book will inspire! (and sometimes upset) you.

http://www.amazon.com/Somebody-Elses-Kids-Torey-Hayden/dp/0007218664/ref=pd_rhf_se_p_t_1


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## Lindafaye (Mar 29, 2012)

Jeffrey Cohen has a cozy mystery series where the main character, Aaron Tucker, has a son with Aspergers. A_s Dog is My Witness, Farewell to Legs_ and _To Whom the Minivan Tolls_ are three of his books. There may be more. They are a quick, fun read.


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## MHVK (Apr 6, 2012)

600 Hours of Edward by Craig Lancaster

Main character has Aspergers. I haven't read it personally, but my wife enjoyed it.


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