First Published Saturday, 6th September, 2008.
Augusten Burroughs’ brother to speak on Asperger’s
RiverRun Bookstore and The Birchtree Center of Portsmouth will host John Elder Robison for the debut reading from the paperback of his New York Times bestseller, “Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger’s,” at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 9 at RiverRun Bookstore on Congress Street in Portsmouth. The Birchtree Center will have information at the event on how its organization helps those with autism. This darkly funny book offers insight into the life of an individual growing up on the autism spectrum. The author recounts his experiences as a toy engineer, sound and effects engineer for KISS and other bands, auto restorer, and more. The book also provides another look at the family described in “Running with Scissors” by the author’s brother, Augusten Burroughs. Visit www.riverrunbookstore.com or call 431-2100.
Source:Â http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080906/ENTERTAIN/809060302/-1/rss02
From Publishers Weekly
Although this memoir deals with some dark topics—including Asperger’s syndrome, family alcoholism and mental illness—debut author Robison maintains a keen humor and sense of dramatic irony throughout. The gravelly voiced Robison proves to be a capable storyteller, whether describing the pranks he used to play on his much younger brother (Augusten Burroughs, who reads his foreword) or the relief of finally being diagnosed with Asperger’s in middle age after a lifetime of social isolation and relatively odd behaviors. Robison is a vocal and emphatic advocate for Asperger’s, which he insists is not a disease but a different—and sometimes better—neurology. Asperger’s gave Robison a single-minded ability to focus on his love of electronics, giving him a place in the world as the wizard behind Kiss’s smoking and flaming guitars or, later in life, a gift for diagnosing and fixing high-end imported cars. This memoir is highly entertaining and the abridgment is smoothly edited.
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From AudioFile
Fans of Augusten Burroughs (RUNNING WITH SCISSORS) will enjoy this memoir by his older brother. Narrated by the author, the story conveys with equal measures of humor and pathos the difficulty in growing up with Asperger’s–particularly as there was no diagnosis for the syndrome during Robison’s childhood. His difficulties and his insights into overcoming them make for a compelling story. Robison makes lemonade from what initially seems like lemons, and, from working on rocket-launching guitars for KISS to owning his own business, his story is unique and compelling. His speech idiosyncrasies would likely hinder the story were they not perfectly suited to the nature of his story. In this case, he’s the perfect narrator for a truly original memoir. M.T. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine– Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine