Awards

• Runner-up for ALCS Educational Writers' Award 2020
• Winner of East Anglian Book Awards: Biography & Memoir 2020

Overview

Full Product Details

9781912408320

Table of Contents

Reviews

Raw and remarkable The Guardian The most explicit expression of having that condition. I have never heard it quite articulated like that. Turner prize-winner Mark Wallinger, Spectrum Prize judge

‘Raw and remarkable.’ – The Guardian; ‘The most explicit expression of having that condition. I have never heard it quite articulated like that.’ – Turner prize-winner Mark Wallinger, Spectrum Prize judge; ‘Charlotte shows us both the desperate and bleak angle to autism, as well as the beautiful side.’ – Professor Simon Baron Cohen; ‘A passionate, hugely articulate argument for the acceptance of difference. Every teacher, every parent, every person should read this book.’ – Meg Rosoff; ‘I hardly ever read non-fiction so this was a little bit out of my comfort zone but Charlotte's writing style is so raw and true and flows so well that I absolutely raced through it. Autism is so underrepresented, so to read a book written by someone with autism who has experienced so many of the things I'm going through is such a comfort.’ – Jodie Loves Books; ‘The book overall is a fantastic, sometimes harrowing read which does not talk down to you and really feels like Charlotte is there with you, telling you these things. If you are looking for a great, no-nonsense memoir which does not gloss over anything, this is the book for you.’ – Ambitious about Autism; ‘How to be Autistic is a call to action: raw, honest, often deeply frustrating, ultimately hopeful. Poe's impassioned call to “create something beautiful” is a rare positive message aimed directly at autistic readers who may find aspects of their own experience reflected in these pages, and hope for a future that may not always seem bright.’ – Eris Young, The Skinny; ‘I blew through this thing in under a week. It’s an incredibly candid, impassioned account that’s as difficult to put down as it was sometimes to read. But it was also funny, hopeful and most of all human.’ – Turnaround 2019 Nonfiction Staff Picks; ‘Sassy, honest and enlightening.’ – The Bookseller; ‘A call to action: raw, honest, often deeply frustrating, ultimately hopeful.’ – Hythe Books for Change, Instagram; ‘Poe’s memoir is a painful poetry of her life’s cosmos. Poe now works as an artist and defies the old, archaic stereotype that people with autism are not creative or empathetic. [They are] creative, expressive and electric.’ – Norwich Linguist; ‘I hope your eyes are open to the failures in our current and previous education systems. I hope you can see the position society puts people in when they do not conform to the norm. I hope you can grow empathy, not to be mistaken with sympathy, of an experience that may be so unlike your own. I hope you read this book.’ – Hannah May, Letz Talk About Books Baby, Bookstagrammer; ‘I love a good book and this one I could not put down, even though it pulled at all my emotions.’ – The Spectrum Pharmacist, Bookstagrammer; ‘Charlotte gives the reader an amazingly raw and honest look at their life. This book has meant a lot to me as I work with children with ASD in secondary education and this has shown me their internal struggles and given me some answers as to what I can do to support them further.’ – The Relaxed Reader, Bookstagrammer, 5-star review; ‘A really moving insight into what it's like to experience autism and to have to fight incredibly hard for a diagnosis, and then for support, and finally for acceptance.’ – The Papertrail, Bookstagrammer; ‘How to be Autistic has become a fixture on our favourites table since it was published last year. Poe's voice is confident, moving and often funny, as she reveals to us a very personal account of autism, mental illness, gender and sexual identity… This is an exuberant, inspiring, life-changing insight into autism from a viewpoint almost entirely missing from public discussion.’ – The Owl Bookshop #OwlRecommends; ‘I’m a teacher, I’ve read a number of books and resources about Autism. This is the first time I’ve seen or read a book BY a person with autism, and I can promise that I learned far far more reading this than any course or textbook could ever teach me.’ – 4/5 star review by Bookstagrammer, Lauren Eats and Reads; ‘I got this in my Books That Matter Books and Treats package and I'm so glad I did, it was incredible.’ – 5/5 star review by Hannah Spines, Reader; ‘This memoir was beautiful. Charlotte Amelia Poe managed to make me laugh, cry, and taught me so much more about what it means to be an autistic person. Not only does Poe talk about being autistic, but they also talk about their own gender and sexuality. This is a multifaceted memoir that gave me a lot to think about and made me question my own preconceptions about autism and my own biases as a neurotypical woman.’ – 5/5 star review by Bookstagrammer, The Feminist Nook; ‘Reading this book was one of those experiences where you feel glued to the pages and being away from it without finishing it painful. Once I started, I couldn't stop. I devoured it. Why? Because it is so rare that there is a book about autism, or a book featuring an autistic character, that is actually written by someone who is autistic. Best of all, there is so much reality and truth packed into this book, that it is one of those especially rare occasions where this book is not only authentic, but is a book where at many times it felt like I was reading about myself.’ – Aneurin Reads, Bookstagrammer; ‘I started How to be Autistic two days ago and I cried within the first few pages - you realise pretty quick how much we (neurotypical people) take for granted in our daily lives. So far I have found the book really easy to read and incredibly enlightening - I’ve known what autism is for a while but my only real reference point has been shows like The Undateables, so I’m very grateful to be able to read about the autism from a first-hand perspective.’ – The Page and the Stage, Bookstagrammer; ‘In this intimate memoir, Poe recounts their turbulent journey through childhood and adolescence on the Autistic spectrum. A much-needed insight into a frequently misunderstood condition.’ – Rudi, Waterstones Norwich Bookseller; ‘If you haven't read [this] incredible book during lockdown yet, we encourage everyone to do so!’ – Brighton and Sussex Medical School; ‘This book is imploring, riveting, and enlightening. It illustrates the rawness of autism.’ – Jaclynne Anne, Bookstagrammer; ‘I love the way this book is written, it feels like [Charlotte is] actually talking to me. This first snippet of the book is truly inspirational, it feels like some great speech written by a notable person of history. I think, given the current circumstances we’re all finding ourselves in, there’s a lot that we can all take away from this.’ – What Emily Reads, Bookstagrammer; ‘How To Be Autistic was one of my favourite memoirs of 2019.’ – Nonfiction Millennial, Bookstagrammer; ‘[A] unique and powerful account of immense personal and political value. Experience and expertise come together with shocking generosity. This is a guide for our times.’ – Sacha Craddock, critic and curator; ‘My 3 year old is currently going through the diagnosis process...Charlotte put points across from views I wouldn't of necessarily thought of and I found it a really interesting and insightful read.’ Whitbread_Reads, Bookstagrammer; ‘These personal essays can be difficult to read at times, and Poe doesn’t hide the fact that they are also difficult to recount in writing. Poe’s determination shines through - a determination to provide an own-voice account of autism by and for autistic people, a determination to help neurotypical people understand and do better for autistic people and a determination to create beautiful art. A really stunning collection of personal essays.’ ¬– Yasminerosereads, Bookstagrammer; ‘As a neurotypical person seeking out an own-voices perspective, I really appreciated the metaphors Charlotte used to describe the differences in the way we perceive the world, and correct common misconceptions exacerbated by tv and other forms of media. I also loved their sense of humour that offered some relief and the ending was uplifting whilst remaining real. This is the sort of book that leaves you just that bit kinder than when you started.’ – Bookswithamb, Bookstagrammer; ‘This book will help many readers going through similar experiences, as well as their families.’ – Francesca Happe, Times Literary Supplement; ‘I hardly ever read non-fiction so this was a little bit out of my comfort zone but Charlotte’s writing style is so raw and true and flows so well that I absolutely raced through it. Autism is so underrepresented, so to read a book written by someone with autism who has experienced so many of the things I’m going through is such a comfort.’ – Jodie Loves Books, Bookstagrammer, 5-star review; ‘I’ve just read ... at one sitting ... Charlotte Amelia Poe’s autobiographical How to be Autistic. It gives real understanding of the pained life of an autistic child to young adulthood.’ – Dame Stephanie Shirley; ‘To be honest, I didn’t know that much about autism when I started reading, and this quickly became clear to me: without realising it, I, too, had formed particular ideas about what autism is and does to people. I think that’s my major take-away from this book: that autism manifests itself in highly individual ways. The essayistic pieces at the end are such a great addition, and emphasise how strongly Poe feels about mental illness activism and sharing her story.’ – Petite Pinotte, Bookstagrammer; ‘I read How To Be Autistic last year. I was very lucky to attend the book launch and hear the author’s fantastic speech. It’s a very well written childhood autobiography of an autistic person.’ – WordChild, Bookstagrammer; ‘Charlotte has the rare ability to take you on the most incredible journey from the depths of despair to laughing out loud. This book is not just for autistic people, but for everyone, I simply couldn’t put it down!’ – Mary Simpson, Chief Executive, Spectrum

Raw and remarkable The Guardian The most explicit expression of having that condition. I have never heard it quite articulated like that. Turner prize-winner Mark Wallinger, Spectrum Prize judge Charlotte shows us both the desperate and bleak angle to autism, as well as the beautiful side. Professor Simon Baron Cohen

Author Information

Charlotte Amelia Poe is a self-taught artist and writer living in Lowestoft, Suffolk. They also work with video, and won the inaugural Spectrum Art Prize with the film they submitted, ‘How To Be Autistic’. Myriad published Charlotte’s memoir, How To Be Autistic, in September 2019. In 2020 How To Be Autistic won the memoir and biography category, East Anglian Book Awards, and was runner-up of the ALCS Educational Writers’ Award. Charlotte uses they/them pronouns.

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