This book left me feeling very
uncomfortable as it stayed into the realms of disabilism, perhaps it is OK to
mock someone with autism in Australia but I don’t think that is OK here.
This is not a gentle exploration of the condition as in The Curious Incident of
the Dog in the Night time, because our hero has no idea of his condition we are
forced from the outside to look on. This then is the rub, one could see that
this book was set up as a future film to appeal to the ‘jackass’ fans who don’t
mind watching someone with a disability thrust into situations where they are
bound to fail. It left me wondering what sort of educational system they have
in Australia if our hero is meant to have reached being a professor at a
university without being properly diagnosed.
Given that I disliked the book I am
sure it will be successful and will be a hit at reading group, where blows may
even be exchanged. Is it ever right to laugh at someone disabled?
