Anything but Typical Book

Wow.

I have read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. I have read Rules, Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree, and I am halfway through Marcelo in the Real World. Books about characters who have autism have always intrigued me, and I loved every single one of the books I just mentioned. But nothing compares to Anything But Typical.

This is the story of a 12 year old boy named Jason who was diagnosed with autism at the age of 8, after a long period of denial by his mother. He has few friends, but through a fanfiction website, he makes a connection with another 12 year old, a girl whose user name is PhoenixBird, and who enjoys his stories. As his relationship with PhoenixBird progresses, other things happen in his life - violent outbursts he can't explain, confusion over what his mother wants from him and why she is sad, and incidents with the other kids at school, who are frequently not understanding of Jason's condition.

The entire story is told in the first person from Jason's point of view, and you become immediately immersed in his earnest, honest, and unique voice. His relationship with his 7-year-old brother, Jeremy, is one of the most touching sibling relationships I've ever read in a children's book, and his parents, understanding Dad, and overwhelmed and bewildered Mom, are extremely realistic and believable. They're not always fully accepting of their son's limitations or needs, and they struggle to understand what it is like to be him, but they also love him a great deal, and it's clear that they want to do the right thing for Jason if they can discern what that is.

I cried at least four times throughout this book. The language, despite being very detached and different from the language of a traditional novel for kids, is really quite beautiful, and some of Jason's realizations about his own life read like universal truths. I had When You Reach Me pegged as the Newbery for next year when I finished it earlier today, but now I am inclined to think it's got some serious competition.

This book is great. It's one of those stories where you just feel yourself settling in with it, pleased to feel not one word or detail out of place. I loved the realism and the specificity of it. Other books have taken on the point of view of an autistic person to tell the story of being autistic. This book takes on the point of view of a very specific boy and tells his story. This isn't a book about being autistic, this is a book about being yourself, whoever that is, and also about growing up and truly being that person, even when those around you sometimes don't understand why you're doing so. Absolutely brilliant. I am in love with this book.