Hardcover
304 Pages, 6.37 x 9.52 x 1.14 in
September 25, 2007
Crown Publishing Group
0307395987
9780307395986
From the Publisher
Ever since he was small, John Robison had longed to connect with
other people, but by the time he was a teenager, his odd habits-an
inclination to blurt out non sequiturs, avoid eye contact,
dismantle radios, and dig five-foot holes (and stick his younger
brother in them)-had earned him the label "social deviant." No
guidance came from his mother, who conversed with light fixtures,
or his father, who spent evenings pickling himself in sherry. It
was no wonder he gravitated to machines, which could, at least, be
counted on.
After fleeing his parents and dropping out of high school, his
savant-like ability to visualize electronic circuits landed him a
gig with KISS, for whom he created their legendary fire-breathing
guitars. Later, he drifted into a "real" job, as an engineer for a
major toy company. But the higher Robison rose in the company, the
more he had to pretend to be "normal" and do what he simply
couldn't: communicate. It wasn't worth the paycheck.
It was not until he was forty that an insightful therapist told him
he had the form of autism called Asperger's syndrome. That
understanding transformed the way Robison saw himself-and the
world.
Look Me in the Eye is the moving, darkly funny story of
growing up with Asperger's at a time when the diagnosis simply
didn't exist. A born storyteller, Robison takes you inside the head
of a boy whom teachers and other adults regarded as "defective,"
who could not avail himself of KISS's endless supply of groupies,
and who still has a peculiar aversion to using people's given names
(he calls his wife "Unit Two"). He also provides a fascinating
reverse angle on the younger brother he left at the mercy of their
nutty parents-the boy who would later change his name to Augusten
Burroughs and write the bestselling memoir Running with
Scissors.
Ultimately, this is the story of Robison's journey from his world
into ours, and his new life as a husband, father, and successful
small business owner-repairing his beloved high-end automobiles.
It's a strange, sly, indelible account-sometimes alien, yet always
deeply human.
From the Jacket
"Deeply felt and often darkly funny, Look Me in the Eye is
a delight."
-People magazine, Critics Choice, 4 Stars
"It's a fantastic life story (highlights include building guitars
for KISS) told with grace, humor, and a bracing lack of
sentimentality."
-Entertainment Weekly
"Dramatic and revealing."
-Boston Globe
"Lean, powerful in its descriptive accuracy and engaging in its
understated humor...Emotionally gripping."
-Chicago Tribune
"Robison's lack of finesse with language is not only forgivable,
but an asset to his story . . . His rigid sentences are arguably
more telling of his condition than if he had created the most
graceful prose this side of Proust."
-Chicago Sun-Times
"Look Me in the Eye is a fantastic read that takes readers
into the mind of an Aspergian both through its plot and through the
calm, logical style in which Robison writes. . . Even if you have
no personal connections with Asperger's, you'll find that
Robison-like his brother, Burroughs-has a life worth reading
about."
-Daily Camera
"Not only does Robison share with his famous brother, Augusten
Burroughs (Running With Scissors), a talent for writing;
he also has that same deadpan, biting humor that's so
irresistible."
-ELLE magazine
"There's an endearing quality to Robison and his story that
transcends the "Scissors" connection … Look Me in the Eye
is often drolly funny and seldom angry or self-pitying. Even when
describing his fear that he'd grow up to be a sociopathic killer,
Robison brings a light touch to what could be construed as dark
subject matter…Robison is also a natural storyteller and engaging
conversationalist."
-The Boston Globe
"This is no misery memoir…[Robison] is a
gifted storyteller with a deadpan sense of humour and the book is a
rollicking read.
-Times (London)
"Robison's memoir is must reading for its unblinking (as only an
Aspergian can) glimpse into the life of a person who had to wait
decades for the medical community to catch up with him."
-Booklist
"Well-written and fascinating." --Library Journal
"Thoughtful and thoroughly memorable…Moving…In the end,
Robison succeeds in his goal of "helping those who are struggling
to grow up or live with Asperger's" to see how it "is not a
disease" but "a way of being" that needs no cure except
understanding and encouragement from others."
-Publishers Weekly
"Affecting, on occasion surprisingly comic memoir about growing up
with Asperger's syndrome….The view from inside this
little-understood disorder offers both cold comfort and real hope,
which makes it an exceptionally useful contribution to the
literature.
-Kirkus Reviews
"Of course this book is brilliant; my big brother wrote it. But
even if it hadn't been created by my big, lumbering, swearing,
unshaven 'early man' sibling, this is as sweet and funny and sad
and true and heartfelt a memoir as one could find, utterly
unspoiled, uninfluenced, and original."
-from the foreword by Augusten Burroughs, author
of Running with Scissors
"Look Me In The Eye is a wonderful surprise on so
many levels: it is compassionate, funny, and deeply insightful. By
the end, I realized my vision of the world had undergone a slight
but permanent alteration; I had taken for granted that our
behavioral conventions were meaningful, when in fact they are
arbitrary. That he is able to illuminate something so simple (but
hidden, and unalterable) proves that John Elder Robison is at least
as good a writer as he is an engineer, if not better."
-Haven Kimmel (who was in attendance at the 1978 KISS tour*),
author of A Girl Named Zippy
"I hugely enjoyed reading Look Me in the Eye. This
book is a wild rollercoaster ride through John Robison's life--from
troubled teenage prankster to successful employment in electronics,
music, and classic cars. A kindly professor introduced him to
electrical engineering, which led to jobs where he found techie
soulmates that were like him. A fascinating glimpse into the mind
of an engineer which should be on the reading list of anyone who is
interested in the human mind."
-Temple Grandin, author of Thinking in Pictures and
Animals in Translation
"John Robison's book is an immensely affecting account of a life
lived according to his gifts rather than his limitations. His story
provides ample evidence for my belief that individuals on the
autistic spectrum are just as capable of rich and productive lives
as anyone else."
-Daniel Tammet, author of Born on a Blue Day: Inside the
Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant
About the Author
JOHN ELDER ROBISON lives with his wife and son in Amherst, Massachusetts. His company, J E Robison Service, repairs and restores fine European automobiles. Visit his website at www.johnrobison.com.