NeuroTribes : The Legacy of Autism and How to Think Smarter About People Who Think Differently

Stunning... Highly original... Outstanding. Spectator
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A well-researched, readable report on the treatment of autism that explores its history and proposes significant changes for its future... In the foreword, Oliver Sacks writes that this "sweeping and penetrating history...is fascinating reading" that "will change how you think of autism." No argument with that assessment. * Kirkus Reviews * This is perhaps the most significant history of the discovery, changing conception and public reaction to autism we will see in a generation. * TASH.org * The best book you can read to understand autism. * Gizmodo * Epic and often shocking... Everyone with an interest in the history of science and medicine - how it has failed us, surprised us and benefited us - should read this book. * Chicago Tribune * It is a beautifully written and thoughtfully crafted book, a historical tour of autism, richly populated with fascinating and engaging characters, and a rallying call to respect difference. * Science magazine * The monks who inscribed beautiful manuscripts during the Middle Ages, Cavendish an 18th century scientist who explained electricity, and many of the geeks in Silicon Valley are all on the autism spectrum. Silberman reviews the history of autism treatments from horrible blaming of parents to the modern positive neurodiversity movement. Essential reading for anyone interested in psychology. -- Temple Grandin, author of Thinking in Pictures and The Autistic Brain Nothing short of a revelation... Sweeping and lovingly detailed. * Parent.co * Stunning...a remarkable narrative...one of the most fascinating accounts of autism I have ever read. -- Simon Baron-Cohen * The Lancet * It's a readable, engaging story. But it's also a serious political and sociological critique, couched in a 500-page-long piece of original historical scholarship. * Salon * Breathtaking... As emotionally resonant as any [book] this year. * The Boston Globe * A lively, readable book... To read NeuroTribes is to realize how much autistic people have enriched the scope of human knowledge and diversity, and how impoverished the world would be without them. * San Francisco Chronicle * A comprehensive history of the science and culture surrounding autism studies... An essential resource. * Nature magazine * NeuroTribes is remarkable. Silberman has done something unique: he's taken the dense and detailed history of autism and turned the story into a genuine page-turner. The book is sure to stir considerable discussion. -- John Elder Robison, author of Look Me in the Eye Silberman's sweeping history is always sensitive and builds a persuasive argument that the ability to think differently is useful, necessary even, for the success of the modern world. * New Scientist * Silberman is a skilled storyteller... [He] researches with scientific rigour... A powerful voice: NeuroTribes offers keen insight. * New Statesman * Deservedly won the Samuel Johnson Prize for non-fiction... NeuroTribes is deeply felt... This work stands alongside Andrew Solomon's Far From the Tree. * The Times * NeuroTribes by Steve Silberman explores in fascinating, near-encyclopaedic depth how autism has evolved. It's a gripping narrative written with journalistic verve. * Observer * Brilliant and sparklingly humane. * Guardian * Silberman's phenomenal book goes a long way to uncovering some of the myths about this particular "tribe" and is all for recognising their incredible talents and contributions to society. * The Sun * Ambitious, meticulous and largehearted... NeuroTribes is beautifully told, humanizing, important. * New York Times * [An] epic history of autism. * Sunday Telegraph * A rich amalgam of social history and contemporary reportage. -- Ian Thomson * Financial Times * Whatever the future of autism...Mr Silberman has surely written the definitive book about its past. * The Economist * A sprawling and fascinating dissection of the role autism has played in shaping human history. * Daily Telegraph * Stunning... Highly original... Outstanding. * Spectator *
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Steve Silberman is an award-winning investigative reporter and has covered science and cultural affairs for Wired and other national magazines for more than twenty years. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, TIME, Nature and Salon.
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