Thank goodness for whoever decided to release the memoir I overcame my Autism and all I got was this Lousy Anxiety Disorder by Sarah Kurchak early on April 2nd. I immediately downloaded the ebook, though hardcopies are also theoretically also currently available in Canada but shipping delays might keep you from getting it until May (because global pandemic). Americans who want a hard copy will have to wait for September 22 international publication date (hopefully no more pandemic).
Sarah’s memoir is written in the form of connected essays in the form of a “How To Succeed” while directly challenging the idea that she actually knows how to do that. The book is an important challenge to the concept of “overcoming autism” and is a necessary example of the consequences of giving in to the pressures of trying to perform “normalcy” in an attempt to fit in.
More narratives by autistic people are something the world really needs. If only to break the monotony and statistical inaccuracy of the stories (far to frequently fictional and inaccurate) of straight white autistic men. Author Sarah Kurchak tries to challenge the unreality of what the wider world thinks about autistic people (and I can only hope she succeeds in chipping away at that bullshit). One of the most important themes that she discusses in her memoir is the issue of being believed and how often autistic people are challenged on both their autisticness and the validity of their opinions and experiences in relation to relevance to the broader autistic community.
As she points out one of the biggest Autism charities which has a dearth of autistic people in influential roles is called Autism Speaks (an organization that is widely unpopular with actual autistic people).
As Sarah explains in the introduction about a neurotypical response to her as yet unpublished teen sex comedy (which I desperately hope becomes a real book someday soon) that it was “REAL and raw”
For as long as autistic narratives are dominated and controlled by others, these are the concerns that will fester in the pit of my stomach and the back of my brain every time I sit down at my laptop, start to rock from side to side, and write.I have no interest in being told that my writing is real. I need my work to tell you that I am.
This is but one of the first of many poignant quotes mixed with wry and often comical anecdotes while also dealing with serious and heart wrenchingexperiences. This book is not about “what it is like to be autistic” no matter how frequently I reacted with “yep, me too”. It is a challenge to that monolith. It is about Sarah as an individual among individuals who may share common struggles experienced in an unending variety of of ways in a world really not designed for us.
This book is unrecognizable within the genre of autism narratives and that is one of my favourite things about it. I genuinely hope to see more books not like it but which also challenge the far to prevalent monolithic view of autistic people but as individuals whose stories matter outside the niche genre of autistic narratives.
The book is funny, sad, and serious and I highly recommend it as a really good read to absolutely everyone.
I Overcame My Autism and All I Got Was This Lousy Anxiety Disorder: A Memoir is available in ebook and paperback in Canada from Indigo and Amazon
It is available in ebook form in the United States from Amazon and will be available in paperback on September 22.
We’re all stuck inside anyway so why not read a really good book.
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crippledscholar 
I can’t seem to get an e-book of it here in Ireland and paper copy not released till Oct 8th. 😫
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