Living Beyond Normal An Autistic Autobiography is more than Adam Sherman’s life story. It is, as he says, a story bigger than he is. With honesty and candor he takes on the task of vanquishing the many misconceptions of autism.
What drove him to write this book was sudden connection of Black Lives Matter and autism with the inexcusable police shooting of Charles Kinsey, a mental health therapist who was retrieving his 27-year old non-verbal autistic patient Arnaldo Rios Soto who had wandered away from his group home.
When he heard the police officer say shooting Kinsey was an accident and the intended victim was Soto the young autistic man, Adam ran to the keyboard. He knew he needed to dispel the kind of fear that leads to hatred. He wants stories known and the names of victims said out loud.
Adam’s own journey on the path of self-recognition is sometimes painful but still a joy to follow from his being early unaware of his place on the continuum, to recognition, to refusal to talk about it at home (and the threat he made to his parents as an adolescent made me actually laugh in the joy of its honesty), to acceptance in college and becoming his full charming wonderful smart, emotionally sensitive, loving self. He is a university graduate with a degree in Environmental Studies which is where he wants to land professionally.
To see the look in his eyes and his choking up at the beauty of some of his experiences is to know something significant about Adam. Get a box of Kleenex ready and see him talk about the 8 year old boy he met who had a friend with autism and was treated badly by the other children on the playground. You will likely choke up yourself, as did Adam, when you hear what the 8 year old’s response was at learning that his friend Adam, as well, was autistic.
His love letter? He wants to write a love letter to the love of his life. He will explain, but it is a good thing you have that box of Kleenex open when you hear Adam talk about the kind of life he would have with her. He knows who she is, and he wants to be as happy in his marriage as his parents (both accomplished international journalists, by the way) are in theirs.
Choosing gifts just got simpler with Adam’s book appropriate for so many people. This is a book for people who simply want to know more and for those living on the autism spectrum and their families an d friends. It is a wonderful gift for teachers, doctors, therapists, counselors, school libraries, people who are just curious, and the list goes on. You may find your own reason for sharing this book with those in your life.