Autistic Fiction/Autobiographies and Memoirs Recommendations

Dawn said:

I've read a fair few of these, but have gone down your list and found a few more to add to my wish list. :-)

Hi Dawn. That’s great! There are so many autistic authored memoirs to choose from that my reading list keeps getting longer! What titles have you added to your wish list?

Dawn said:

You do always come up with the interesting stuff...much appreciated

You are very welcome! I aim to engage in as much autistic led content as possible, to understand the diversity of our community!

Dawn said:

bios of other autistic people - both the ordinary folk like us and the famous brave enough to go public.

My bookshelf is full of these, I am sure yours is too!

Thank you for this.  I have a bit of an obsession with the bios of other autistic people - both the ordinary folk like us and the famous brave enough to go public.  I've read a fair few of these, but have gone down your list and found a few more to add to my wish list. :-)

You do always come up with the interesting stuff...much appreciated

Ditto! Hopefully we can help to make that change!

Yes, there are lots of autistic celebrities who have recently released memoirs. I have not done much research into Melanie Sykes but I do know that she realised she was autistic after her son was identified autistic as a child.

Roy said:

I follow her on insta, the tv world is very toxic.

Yes I can imagine!

Talking of autistic celebrities did you know that Carrie Grant is autistic? She was recently identified and it makes lots of sense given that many of her children are multiply neurodivergent. One of her children Tylan Grant is autistic and ADHD and stars in Hollyoaks.

I was misdiagnosed as a Schizophrenic as a teenager.  With all that that entails.

I hope things will change, I’ve listened to the prologue of Melanie Sykes book,  Illuminated. It sounds really good, another person who never knew until finally the ‘ penny dropped’. I follow her on insta, the tv world is very toxic.

Hi Roy

I know you enjoyed both Fern and Sara’s books. There is such a huge selection of autistic authored memoirs available now, it is hard to choose which one to read next!

Roy said:

It’s so sad how many of us get treated as mentally ill before we finally realise who or what we are.

I agree, it’s especially sad when we know that many mental health difficulties could have been avoided/lessened if we knew about our autistic experiences, at a younger age and were able to adapt our environment accordingly.

 This therefore also links to how many autistics associate being autistic with distress because they were only identified at crisis point. It is very upsetting when this leads to a negative perception of oneself and sometimes self hatred.

Hopefully, this will slowly change though as more lived experience autistic authored content is given a platform and prioritised over non autistic voices.

Thanks for the recommendation, the book is on my reading list!

Yes absolutely! I definitely recommend 1800 Seconds on Autism! It’s quite funny due to the bond between the two autistic hosts but also very informative.

I listened to Fern’s book as an audiobook, it is very good, it’s funny and very sad at times . Another I enjoyed was Sara Gibbs book, Drama Queen. It’s so sad how many of us get treated as mentally ill before we finally realise who or what we are.

It's definitely worth a read. She's an interesting, even inspiring woman. I enjoyed her book it was a great read.

I listened to the Fern episode. I think I'll try the other episodes of that particular podcast when I next need to hear about Autism.

Thanks for the compliment! My name very much fits, as is obvious I am very proud to be autistic!

You are very welcome, I hope you enjoy the episode!

 If you want anymore recommendations of autistic experience related content, please let me know!

Thankyou Ausomely Autistic. I think that's a fitting name for you.

I like Fern Brady too! She appeared in an episode of the podcast 1800 Seconds on Autism that you might be interested in:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5OdNdK8QNePvNTiWWIPoFi?si=Jvs2ZfmhQzmGWFBNKlpq8g

I plan on reading Fern Brady's book at some point.  It's had  good reviews.  I am also interested in Stand up comedy, so Fern's book has more than one interest point for me.

Congratulations! What an achievement!

I have just finished my memoir after two years and will be having a book launch early next year.  It is about me living with Autism, Dyslexia, and growing up in a Dysfunctional household.