Fall Down Seven Times, Get Up Eight (a Young Man's Voice From The Silence Of Autism)

By (author) Higashida Naoki; Translated by David Mitchell; Translated by Yoshida Keiko
Short description/annotation:
Following his ground-breaking international bestseller THE REASON I JUMP, written when he was only thirteen, Naoki Higashida offers equally illuminating and practical insights into autism from his current perspective as a young man.
Description:

*The Sunday Times bestseller*

''Wise and witty... The evolution of Higashida''s insights is at times almost unbearably moving'' Financial Times

''The invitation to step inside Higashida''s mind is irresistible'' Evening Standard

Naoki Higashida met international success with The Reason I Jump, a revelatory account of life as a thirteen-year-old with non-verbal autism. Now he offers an equally illuminating insight into autism from his perspective as a young adult.

In concise, engaging pieces, he shares his thoughts and feelings on a broad menu of topics ranging from school experiences to family relationships, the exhilaration of travel to the difficulties of speech. Aware of how mystifying his behaviour can appear to others, Higashida describes the effect on him of such commonplace things as a sudden change of plan, or the mental steps he has to take simply to register that it''s raining. Throughout, his aim is to foster a better understanding of autism and to encourage those with disabilities to be seen as people, not as problems.

With an introduction by David Mitchell, Fall Down Seven Times, Get Up Eight includes a dreamlike short story Higashida wrote for this edition. Both moving and of practical use, the book opens a window into the mind of an inspiring young man who meets the challenges of autism with tenacity and good humour. However often he falls down, he always gets back up.

''Higashida''s observations across a whole range of topics are moving and thought-provoking -- all the more so for coming from the perspective of a social outsider'' Guardian

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Essential reading for parents and teachers who work with individuals with autism who remain non-verbal
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There is much to be learned from it about this mysterious condition that Higashida regards as both a blessing and a curse. The book''s single most important function is to drum into the sometimes thick heads of us neurotypical readers that people with autism experience a genuine and usually insuperable disconnection between what they want to say or do and what their brain allows them . . . Higashida''s writing opens my mind to all sorts of possibilities for interpreting the behaviour of both my sons . . . a defining characteristic of autism is held to be lack of empathy, yet Higashida shows a delicate regard for the difficulties his condition creates and is adept at explaining his experiences in language that makes sense to neurotypicals . . . we should look with gratitude through the porthole he has cleared on to a submerged world.
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Wise and witty, it offers a second insider''s insight into the mysteries of non-verbal autism . . . The evolution of Higashida''s insights is at times almost unbearably moving . . . Ultimately, though, his self-awareness is uplifting, reminding us to take joy in life''s simple pleasures . . . sage and subtle . . . [a work] of illuminating beauty.
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Once again, the invitation to step inside Higashida''s mind is irresistible . . . Higashida challenges the common belief that people with severe autism are exclusively literal-minded. Time and again he uses metaphor to help readers understand his world . . . if any author can help us get a grip, it''s Higashida.
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Higashida''s books belong in the small but intense canon of "locked-in" memoirs, such as Awakenings or