I love a murder mystery book as long as it isn’t to scary that it gives me nightmares just before I go to sleep. This was a great read and I loved Jonathan Roper who is a detective on the Autism Spectrum.

At first I wondered whether the actually story slipped slightly and concentrated on Jonathan’s Autism a little too much but no, looking back after finishing it I think it had a good balance. I may have thought this because I have a knowledge of Autism but for someone reading this it is a very good insight into how the Autistic brain works.

Jonathan's Autism is different from my sons Autism but I think most people will say that as everyone's Autism is quite unique. The character is brought in to help investigate a murder which has taken place and puts his fabulous mind to work on working out a solution to quite a complex situation. I love that he has the support of his colleague Brian Hooley who has the patience and understanding of his condition to allow him to do his job. Others as in life are not always so understanding and he had been previously suspended for misconduct, but he's brought back and he proves himself to do what he feels is important to him and that's to help solve this case. 

He may have problems socially and coping with the day to day life within a big organisation but to be honest I don't think he feels that's his priority, his work is and that's Autism isn't it? It does make me chuckle as he asks Brian about certain situations regarding behaviour such as sarcasm and how he should deal with it which I just feel is a nice honest approach and he honestly is trying to make an effort to fit in. 

It was fascinating to see how he worked out the clues and put it all together making the last few chapters of this book so gripping I couldn't put it down. Brilliantly written by Michael Leese who also has a son with Autism, he states that his son's Autism is also very different to the character he has created but one thing they do share is a powerful sense of determination which I think shines through in a lot of people I know with Autism too.

I think this book would make an great tv series, it reminded a lot of the current series of The Good Doctor on Sky Living. Doctor Shaun Murphy has a similar rapport with his mentor Dr Aaron Glassman, it would be nice to see more characters on tv with Autism and a detective drama would be something to consider maybe? I'd love to watch this on the telly.

It is a great read and can definitely recommend it. This is the first of two books in the Jonathan Roper series, the second being 'I Can See You'. I will pop links (affiliated) for both these books at the end of this post. If you would like more information about the author go to:
www.michael-leese.com 

Thank you for reading today, please join me tomorrow for our first tv chat of the new year on Pass the Remote Sunday.

Take care for now. 

I've touched on this subject a little bit before and stating the important places to read about Autism. Blogs are good and books, some come recommended and can be purchased online from stores such as Amazon, Kindle versions are available for most books now and some support groups may have lending libraries where you can borrow books.

One publisher who leads the way regarding books available about Autism is Jessica Kingsley Publishers. There are hundreds of books available about every subject you can think of such as:

Gender Diversity
Depression and Anxiety
Foods and Diets
Relationships
Challenging Behaviour
Puberty 
Social Stories
Education
Lego Therapy

The paper version of the catalogue is great reading in itself as it is amazing how many great ideas have been used to inspire people to create material to help us to understand about certain topics. I challenge anyone to look for a book about something they need more information on and not find it. I honestly don't think it's possible. 

When we received my sons diagnosis I craved every single piece of reading material available. Even before diagnosis when we couldn't put our finger on some aspects of his behaviour I just wanted to absorb all the information to get a better understanding. I remember then that I took great comfort in knowing that this information was there from Jessica Kingsley.

It's just another place to go and maybe as parents you could share/swap with each other, some books I tend to keep as regular reference which I re visit again and again. The thing is that when living with Autism and especially living with a child growing up there are so many stages that you want to grab that help for all those stages. 

These books are not only for parents, they are available for family members, siblings, professionals and anyone studying Autism. It might be enough to make your mind boggle but it can also help to make certain situations a little clearer.

You can order online at: www.jkp.com
A booklet is available with Your Autism magazine as part of your membership with the National Autistic Society. If you attend any of our Derby & District NAS Branch meetings, I do have a copy of the booklet to have a look through. 

Give it. try and let me know, if you have ordered any books, what can you recommend? If there are resources you have found useful please let me know. Next week I will cover Social Stories and how they can help someone with Autism.

Thank you for reading this week and please come back tomorrow for a bit of TV chat with Pass the Remote Sunday but for now.......

Take care.

There are so many great books to read to educate ourselves about Autism but this one is a definite 'must read'. Like me, I'm sure you are either starting to read everything or have loaded up on so much information on Autism your mind is about to burst. Whether you are a parent, carer, educator or trying to understand your own Autism it's a constant learning curve. We read articles by professionals, psychologists, researchers and every scientist going and although interesting it never beats the chance to actually listen to someone who is on the Autism Spectrum themselves.

This book was written by Naoki Higashida who was 13 years old at the time of writing his memoir. He is no verbal and he explains in the book how he came to manage the ability to get his thoughts over and transfer them into such a informative piece of literature. The book was then translated into English by David Mitchell and his wife in the belief that this book would be of help to a wider audience who felt the need to understand Autism more.

David Mitchell starts the book with a lovely introduction and as a parent of someone with Autism I felt personally that he wrote that from the heart, it was so easy to relate to his feelings especially with him too having a son with Autism. You will always find passion amongst a lot of parents, we have a desire to share information and help each other as it can be tough trying to understand everything. I'm so glad he decided to help bring this book to everyone's attention, it certainly opened my eyes and helped me understand.

The book takes on a question and answer format which makes it so easy to read. Naoki answers 58 questions that we all really want to know the answers to but either a bit shy of asking anyone or can't actually get the answers from our own people close to us on the spectrum. Questions such as:
Why do people with Autism speak so loudly?
Why don't you make eye contact when talking to someone?
Why do you ignore us when we talk to you?
Why are you so picky about what you eat?
Why can you never stay still?
and yes, he does explain the reason why he jumps......

So many more questions and very maturely answered some with a lot of humour and I think this books does prove that some people with autism are capable of using imagination, humour and empathy, it is also clear how badly they need our compassion, patience and understanding. There is also a short story at the end of these questions as well as a heartfelt 'afterword' by the author. So plenty of content to read. I know some people struggle with reading and don't have the time to sit down with a book so it is also available as an audio book too.

I can't recommend this book enough. It is one of the best I have read and if you haven't already, order a copy now. I will include a link (affiliated) at the end of this post to Amazon.

Thanks for reading today and if you have read this book let me know what you thought. I will be back tomorrow for a bit of TV chat with 'Pass the Remote' so join me then.

Take care for now.