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    Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's
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    Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's
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    Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's
    Audiobook (abridged)5 hours

    Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's

    Written by John Elder Robison

    Narrated by John Elder Robison

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Ever since he was small, John Robison had longed to connect with other people, but by the time he was a teenager, his odd habits-an inclination to blurt out non sequiturs, avoid eye contact, dismantle radios, and dig five-foot holes (and stick his younger brother in them)-had earned him the label "social deviant." No guidance came from his mother, who conversed with light fixtures, or his father, who spent evenings pickling himself in sherry. It was no wonder he gravitated to machines, which could, at least, be counted on.

    After fleeing his parents and dropping out of high school, his savant-like ability to visualize electronic circuits landed him a gig with KISS, for whom he created their legendary fire-breathing guitars. Later, he drifted into a "real" job, as an engineer for a major toy company. But the higher Robison rose in the company, the more he had to pretend to be "normal" and do what he simply couldn't: communicate. It wasn't worth the paycheck.
    It was not until he was forty that an insightful therapist told him he had the form of autism called Asperger's syndrome. That understanding transformed the way Robison saw himself-and the world.

    Look Me in the Eye is the moving, darkly funny story of growing up with Asperger's at a time when the diagnosis simply didn't exist. A born storyteller, Robison takes you inside the head of a boy whom teachers and other adults regarded as "defective," who could not avail himself of KISS's endless supply of groupies, and who still has a peculiar aversion to using people's given names (he calls his wife "Unit Two"). He also provides a fascinating reverse angle on the younger brother he left at the mercy of their nutty parents-the boy who would later change his name to Augusten Burroughs and write the bestselling memoir Running with Scissors.

    Ultimately, this is the story of Robison's journey from his world into ours, and his new life as a husband, father, and successful small business owner-repairing his beloved high-end automobiles. It's a strange, sly, indelible account-sometimes alien, yet always deeply human.


    From the Hardcover edition.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateSep 25, 2007
    ISBN9780739357699
    Unavailable
    Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's
    Author

    John Elder Robison

    John Elder Robison is the author of the bestselling memoir LOOK ME IN THE EYE as well as BE DIFFERENT, and he lectures widely on autism and neurological differences. An adjunct professor at Elms College, he also serves on committees and review boards for the CDC, the National Institutes of Health and Autism Speaks. A machinery enthusiast and avid photographer, John lives in Amherst with his family, animals, and machines.

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    Reviews for Look Me in the Eye

    4/5

    775 ratings80 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Brilliant written by Aspergian and brother of Augusten Burroughs who so artfully described his beyond-dysfunctional family in "Running with Scissors."
    • 3/5
      As a fan of his brother's books, I was pleasantly surprised with this memoir about his Asperger's. It was funny, especially the pranks and awesome that he worked for KISS and Milton Bradley. I've learned a lot about Asperger's thatI didn't know. All in all it was a great book.
    • 3/5
      The author says he's spent his 50 years trying to act and sound more like typical people. He's done such a good job that I didn't get as much insight into Asperger's as I'd hoped. It's still an interesting read, though.
    • 4/5
      Look Me In The Eye: My Life With Asperger'sby John Elder Robison 2007Crown 4.1 / 5When John Elder was growing up there was no diagnosis for Asperger's. He spent his life labelled a social deviant, weirdo, and misfit. He was an adult, about 40 years old when finally his lifelong "condition" was given a name. And that he was not alone. Aspergers is a developmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. It is very similar to autism, but Aspergers is to a much lesser degree than Autism.John wanted to be like the other boys he saw around him, making friends, hanging out with a group of friends. He wanted to be liked but couldn't connect with people on a personal level. He found it hard to even look at them when they did speak to him.He spent his time dismantleing radios, dig 5 foot holes in the ground (to put his younger brother in). He would blurt out words and labelled a social deviant by counselors. His parents were unable to offer any support or understanding. His mother had mental disorders, and his father was an alcoholic, John Elder was left to his own devices much of his childhood. He dropped out of school in 10th grade, but was able to use his savant-like ability ti visualize how electronic circuits worked and was able to support repairing sound systems and installing them. He first worked with Pink Floyd, repairing guitars but his work with Kiss was what really displayed his abilites. He was hired by KISS to develop a guitar for Ace Frehley, a fire breathing fog machine used for thier tours. Milton Bradley hired him to help invent the first interactive talking toy, Milton. The toy bombed but his reputation as an electronics sound specialist helped realize his strengths. He now owns his own compay JE Robison Service that repairs and restores old European automobiles.I totally enjoyed this book. It is funny, moving and insightful and a topic very close to my heart. I can totally understand and relate from personal experience how he felt growing up. Except he finally found acceptance in his family, I still have not. His brother is best selling author Augusten Burroughs. His memoir 'Running With Scissors' tellls his story of growing up in that family from his point of view. My favorite chapters were 'Permanent Playmate' and 'I Find A Porsche' and 'The Flaming Washtub'. I love this guys wit and pranks, This is a fantastic book. Highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      Written by the brother of Augusten Burroughs (Running with Scissors). A view of Asperger's from 'the inside' - while a frustrating syndrome to have, it was also one that enabled the author to live a pretty interesting life (I want to have a foundry in my garage).
    • 5/5
      One of the best books arround!! It provides an inside view on aspergers and life with it.
    • 4/5
      This is a great book for someone who is trying to better understand someone that has Aspergers.
    • 5/5
      I love this book! The dry, sometimes-disturbing humor is spot-on, the descriptions vivid and almost technicolor in their realness. A truly inspiring story, told in an engaging, involving way. It led me to do some research of my own into Asperger's Syndrom, and to endeavor to be more sensitive in my dealings with others in the future.
    • 5/5
      In this autobiography, John Robinson gives a rare insight into the life of a man with Asperger's. It is filled with witty stories and charming memories of his. Bark!
    • 4/5
      Great read by an interesting author. See the world from a unique viewpoint. I thought he made a great case for viewing autistic people as different but not disabled (at least in his case). His story is also pretty incredible. I'm glad Mr. Robinson shared his take on the world.
    • 3/5
      This book, which I read for a first year psychology seminar, was very interesting, funny, and highly worthwhile. Robison's voice is strong, and the way he tells his own story is relate-able, striking when you realize that his very story comes from fundamental differences from those around him.
    • 5/5
      I love this book! The dry, sometimes-disturbing humor is spot-on, the descriptions vivid and almost technicolor in their realness. A truly inspiring story, told in an engaging, involving way. It led me to do some research of my own into Asperger's Syndrom, and to endeavor to be more sensitive in my dealings with others in the future.
    • 4/5
      I finished this book last week. At first I wasn't sure I'd like the book, b/c I wasn't sure I liked the author! He described a lot of what I considered to be mean spirited pranks he'd play on people, including on his little brother- who was going through his own trials and tribulations. . .Then as I read on I got to truly appreciate and admire this remarkable man. He tells a great story, honestly sharing his struggles and joys. I was relieved in many parts of the book, to learn that he was able to rise to such successes, given all the obstacles he had to face.

      I think this book could be very encouraging to readers w/AS.. but it could also be perhaps discouraging too.. as the author is a high functioning Aspie, brilliant, successful, married w/a kid.. I know many people w/AS may feel that this level of functioning is unattainable for them.. There are countless Aspies who can't even make friends never mind finding a mate, who long for gainful employment but can't hold even a simple job. So my hope is that it is not discouraging to the wonderful eccentrics out there who can't attain the same level as Robison.
    • 4/5
      Impressive - not that the author can write even though he's an Aspergian, but that he can make us feel so much empathy, and help us learn so much about him, ourselves, and humanity.
    • 2/5
      It's a choppy memoir about a guy with Asperger's. It's not bad at the beginning, but then it's just a bunch of poorly written one-dimensional stories.
    • 5/5
      I appreciated this book in ways I could not have imagined. It's one of the most fascinating stories I've read. The author's Asperger's was not diagnosed until he was in his forties. He described growing up thinking that other people were acting in inexplicable ways, when in fact his actions were outside of social norms, because of the autism. Thing is, some of the things he describes about himself sounded like me. I recognized some of my own tendencies. For example, my tendency to assume my actions and beliefs are correct, and anyone who behaves differently must be uninformed. This wonderful book shows how alike people are in fundamental ways. Our differences are a matter of degrees. After you read Look Me in the Eye, you'll be more sympathetic to people. You'll be less likely to judge people who might be acting differently than you expect them to. Instead you'll start wondering what their story really is, what makes them tick.
    • 5/5
      I have had the pleasure of teaching a couple of students with Aspergers, back in my regular ed days. It was a delightful experience. I found this book to be equally delightful. It was funny, sad, and encouraging. I admire Robison's spirit and intelligence and the ability to rise above his circumstances, especially his childhood experiences. I know that Aspergers no longer exists as far as official diagnoses are concerned, but I disagree wholeheartedly. I'm glad Robison shared his experiences, and I hope people continue to read this wonderful book.
    • 4/5
      John Elder Robison is Augusten Burroughs' older brother. While I didn't love Running with scissors, I was inspired to pick up this book after cataloging Robison's most recent effort, Be different: adventures of a free-range Aspergian, with practical advice for Aspergians, misfits, families & teachers. That one caught my interest because it is a book about Asperger's that is actually directed to folks with Asperger's (or Aspergians, in Robison's lingo). His memoir covers different ground than his brother's book. There is a significant age difference in the brothers, plus Robison's status as an Aspergian gives him a much different take on life and his surroundings than his non-Aspergian sibling.

      The writing is a little choppy, but after a bit I got used to the flow of it and I think the funny rhythm actually ultimately helped me to understand how Robison thinks. He is surprisingly funny in an extremely deadpan way. Despite his unusual way of expressing himself, Robison is very self-aware. I found this book to be quite inspiring, in a very non-Lifetime television special kind of way. Robison had a rough time as a kid and an adolescent, between his crazy parents and his Aspergian personality. He did not succeed in the normal ways early in life, but he somehow didn't let that discourage him from pursuing his natural talents and he ended up becoming a successful human being anyway. He is not the same as most of the other folks in his life, but he seems to be okay with that. Very cool.
    • 4/5
      I don't know why I picked this book up, I guess it was the terrific cover photo that grabbed me. I've never read anything like this before, but I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end. John Elder is able to make you laugh and cry with him on his journey of discovery with Asperger's, which is, I could easily believe, a much misunderstood condition. Read it and enlighten yourself!
    • 1/5
      The author is not enough aware of mores to realize that he is not as funny as he thinks.
    • 5/5
      Interesting biography with the bonus of a glimpse into the mind of someone with Asperger's syndrome.
    • 2/5
      I honestly did not find this very compelling. I am confused by all the reviews saying it was not about AS. Its very much about AS and how Aspergians interact with the world. I think for me that the issue was that I have worked a good deal with people with ASD's and have some people in my personal life who are on the spectrum. Nothing here shed light that has not already been shed by those relationships. The rest was dull. When I read stories about people who toured with KISS, I want them fueled by sex and drugs and rock & roll, not circuit design. Bad match of book and reader. Robison is really honest, his writing is inelegant and workmanlike but not bad, and his path has been unique. I think this would be a better read for people who know little about ASD's but have an interest.
    • 5/5
      This book is amazing! There are parts that reach in and shake you. There are parts that make you feel sad. But, there is so much that helps open your eyes and gives you a glimpse of what Asperger's is like for those that face this "gift." As the mother of an Asperger's son, this book helped give me a different perspective as to what my son goes through. I think this book should be read by everyone. Regardless of whom you know with Aspergers (because surely you do), this book helps you understand so much more. It's just a beautiful way to the most brilliant minds on earth. I will never forget the funeral and the dead body. This whole book really reached me. But, some parts will never leave me. Thank you, John Elder Robison - from me, AND my son!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      An intimate and detailed emotional journey, 'look me in the eye', is a well written, compassionate, deeply moving story that will have the reader laughing out loud on one page and on the verge of tears the next. Robison reveals what life was like growing up with an abusive, alcoholic father and his mentally ill mother. As a result of his inability to communicate appropriately, blurting out non sequiturs, and several other socially unacceptable behaviors, he was labeled a deviant. He found comfort with machinery. Dismantling and repairing various machines would lead to incredible employment opportunities, developing toys for Milton Bradley and guitars for the hard hitting rock group KISS and later for Pink Floyd. His life would be forever altered when, at the age of forty he was diagnosed with asperger's syndrome, a mild form of autism. Look Me In The Eye is much more than a memoir, Robison lifts the curtain and shines an unflinching light on life with asperger's syndrome. Well written and original, this heartfelt journey is a fascinating and entertaining read that will remain with the reader long after the book is returned to the shelf. Happy Reading!RJ 3Rs

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      I'm not sure how I came about this book a year ago. I found it in my Nook last month and decided it was time to give it a read. Much to my delight, the foreword was written by my favorite memoir-ist Augusten Burroughs who describes that his brother, John Elder, wrote his very own memoir! This made me very excited because here I knew I could find a few details filled in from the other novels Burroughs had written.Robison did not disappoint. He did fill in a few details but more surprising was the natural voice he has for writing. I enjoyed his style of story telling - it made sense in my brain, the order with which he described details of his life. Pages were dedicated to his life with cars then immediately followed by pages describing his pranks, both spanning very different timelines but it gave the feel of a storytelling around the campfire. Unlike many, I was not unaware of Asperger's, thanks to my watching of Degrassi back once upon a time. It was gratifying to know that how I had associated Aspergers in my mind had correlated to real life experiences, for the most part. Robison is correct when he says he is lucky to have figured out how to adjust to the world - his life could have been very different had he not harnessed his natural talents and applied them to situations he knew he could conquer.Robison followed a very interesting, and mostly satisfying, life. Life on the road with big bands like KISS, working with Milton Bradley, etc. But his personal story of a life-long evolution is the most interesting piece and I highly recommend this novel if you love a good memoir.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Excellent book. Difficult to believe it was written by a person with Asperger. Not sure why he did not make money working wiith KISS
    • 5/5
      John Elder Robison is eight years older than his brother Augusten Burroughs, but it was from Burroughs's 2002 Running with Scissors that the world first learned of the extraordinarily troubled family in which the brothers were brought up. Encouraged by Burroughs to share his own memories of being raised by an alcoholic father and a mentally unstable mother, Robison did so in 2008 with Look Me in the Eye, a memoir in which he gives an insider's account of what it is like to suffer from a form of autism called Asperger's syndrome.Robison was already forty years old by the time he learned that he was, as he puts it, an Aspergian. Common symptoms of the syndrome include the inability to look someone in the eye when speaking to them, being unable to participate in a conversation at all if anything else catches their attention while they are speaking, non-appropriate facial expressions or body language in social situations, failure to develop peer relationships with other children, and occasional “rare gifts” like “truly extraordinary insight into complex problems.” Robison was somewhat shocked to learn that there were other people out there like him – so many of them, in fact, that the rest of the world even had a name for them.John Robinson, from the time he was a child, liked other children and badly wanted to be part of the gang. But rather than being made a part of any neighborhood gang, Robinson most often found himself on the outside looking in, always the last to be chosen for team sports and games - if chosen at all. Unable to respond socially appropriately when given half a chance to become part of the action, he made other children so uneasy that they wanted nothing to do with him. Robison, though, is one of the luckier Aspergians, and has the kind of offsetting talents that others of us can only dream about. Not only was he the developer of the exploding, laser-firing guitars that helped to make the band KISS famous, he was instrumental in the production of the early electronic game modules that made Milton Bradley for a time the most recognizable toy company name to children all over the world.Look Me in the Eye is fascinating because of the insights offered into an autism variation that until recent years has drawn little attention. What makes the book truly exceptional, however, is that these insights are coming from someone who has experienced the syndrome first hand, a man with a surprising storytelling ability and a well-defined sense of humor that contribute one memorable and entertaining story after another. I found myself telling some of Robison's stories to friends even before I finished reading the entire book because I was anxious to recommend it to others as quickly as I could. Look Me in the Eye is simply not to be missed.(Review Copy provided by Publisher)
    • 4/5
      I was much more interested in the author's insights to his Asperger's and the explaniations of his thought processes than his life story. But overall, I really enjoyed the book and would read more from this author and his brother.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      A very well-written glimpse into the life of an Aspergian. I was introduced to it by my parents after one of my children was diagnosed with it. Not only did it provide much needed information on this thing my child was diagnosed with-it provided much needed information on ME, and why I was so very different from everyone else all of my life. I highly recommend it and would like to say "thank you, thank you SO much," to Mr. Robison. I cannot tell you what you have given me. Thank you.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      We went to see Robison at Powell's and he was such an engaging speaker that I decided I'd best read his book. I'm glad I did. He's a good writer, wiping the film off of the window between the putatively normal and the Aspergian world. Robison mines his interesting life for anecdotes and comes up with some doozies. My favorite part of the book, though, is his description of fatherhood. It's dead-on but so brutally honest that it's hilarious. F'rinstance, this bit from the hospital where the baby was born: "I made sure he was tagged with a nylon serial number plate on a ring around his leg before I allowed him to be released into the general population of hatchlings. They had a big room where all the babies lay behind glass and grew under heat lamps, just like the baby chick display at the State Fair. Some were in incubators but most were just on trays."

      Recommended.