Overview

This New York Times bestseller upends conventional thinking about autism and suggests a broader model for acceptance, understanding, and full participation in society for people who think differently. What is autism: a lifelong disability or a naturally occurring form of cognitive difference akin to certain forms of genius? In truth, it is both of these things and more--and the future of our society depends on our understanding it. Wired reporter Steve Silberman unearths the secret history of autism, long suppressed by the same clinicians who became famous for discovering it, and finds surprising answers to the crucial question of why the number of diagnoses has soared in recent years. Going back to the earliest days of autism research and chronicling the brave and lonely journey of autistic people and their families through the decades, Silberman provides long-sought solutions to the autism puzzle, while mapping out a path for our society toward a more humane world in which people with learning differences and those who love them have access to the resources they need to live happier, healthier, more secure, and more meaningful lives. Along the way, he reveals the untold story of Hans Asperger, the father of Asperger's syndrome, whose ""little professors"" were targeted by the darkest social-engineering experiment in human history; exposes the covert campaign by child psychiatrist Leo Kanner to suppress knowledge of the autism spectrum for fifty years; and casts light on the growing movement of ""neurodiversity"" activists seeking respect, support, technological innovation, accommodations in the workplace and in education, and the right to self-determination for those with cognitive differences.

Full Product Details

9781504615907

Table of Contents

Reviews

""A comprehensive history of the science and culture surrounding autism studies...an essential resource."" -- ""Nature"" ""A historical tour of autism, richly populated with fascinating and engaging characters, and a rallying call to respect difference."" -- ""Science magazine"" ""A well-researched, readable report on the treatment of autism that explores its history and proposes significant changes for its future."" -- ""Kirkus Reviews"" ""Beautifully told, humanizing, important...showing us there are other ways to think and work and live."" -- ""New York Times Book Review"" ""Epic and often shocking...Everyone with an interest in the history of science and medicine--how it has failed us, surprised us and benefited us--should read this book."" -- ""Chicago Tribune"" ""Essential reading for anyone interested in psychology."" -- ""Temple Grandin, New York Times bestselling author "" ""Required reading for every parent, teacher, therapist, and person who wants to know more about autism."" -- ""Parents Magazine"" ""Silberman has surely written the definitive book about [autism's] past."" -- ""The Economist (London)"" ""The best book you can read to understand autism."" -- ""Gizmodo"" ""This gripping and heroic tale is a brilliant addition to the history of autism."" -- ""Uta Frith, professor emeritus, University College London""

Author Information

Steve Silberman (1957-2024) wrote the award-winning, bestselling nonfiction book on autism, NeuroTribes. As a journalist, he covered science and cultural affairs for Wired and other national magazines for more than twenty years. He was awarded the AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Award for Magazine Writing. His writing has appeared in the New Yorker, Time, Nature, and Salon. Oliver Sacks (1933-2015) was the author of more than a dozen books, including The Mind's Eye, Musicophilia, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, and Awakenings, which inspired both the Oscar-nominated film and a play by Harold Pinter. The New York Times has referred to him as ""the poet laureate of medicine,"" and he was a frequent contributor to the New Yorker and the New York Review of Books. He lived in New York City, where he was professor of neurology at the NYU School of Medicine for many years. William Hughes is an AudioFile Earphones Award-winning narrator. A professor of political science at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Oregon, he received his doctorate in American politics from the University of California at Davis. He has done voice-over work for radio and film and is also an accomplished jazz guitarist.

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