This memoir by a thirteen-year-old boy with autism is based upon his communication using an alphabet grid created and translated to construct words he is unable to speak out loud. The book is a series of questions posed to its author, Naoki, about his thinking, behavior, and inner life. Novelist David Mitchell and his wife, KA Yoshida, translate the book, and Mitchell writes the introduction. The memoir is intended as an opportunity for readers to understand what occurs in the autistic mind and to answer questions about how this special class of persons feels, perceives, and responds to the world.
One of our local book clubs recently selected this title for discussion. Their conclusions were mixed, and I agree with the club’s overall sentiment that the depth of the memoir and its accurate reflection into the thoughts and feelings of its thirteen year old author, Naoki, may be compromised by its series of translations. Naoki chooses characters in an alphabet that is first decoded and translated by his mother, and the work is further translated into English. Nevertheless, this process is a commendable effort resulting in a book that promotes compassion and understanding of persons with autism. I would recommend it to anyone who is curious about autistic behavior. Parents and caregivers may find this book particularly interesting.
--Rosemary Szczygiel, Hilliard Branch Library
Find The Reason I Jump in the Nassau County Public Library System catalog.
One of our local book clubs recently selected this title for discussion. Their conclusions were mixed, and I agree with the club’s overall sentiment that the depth of the memoir and its accurate reflection into the thoughts and feelings of its thirteen year old author, Naoki, may be compromised by its series of translations. Naoki chooses characters in an alphabet that is first decoded and translated by his mother, and the work is further translated into English. Nevertheless, this process is a commendable effort resulting in a book that promotes compassion and understanding of persons with autism. I would recommend it to anyone who is curious about autistic behavior. Parents and caregivers may find this book particularly interesting.
--Rosemary Szczygiel, Hilliard Branch Library
Find The Reason I Jump in the Nassau County Public Library System catalog.