Different...Not Less

Different....Not Less

Author(s): Temple Grandin, Ph.D.

Tony Attwood, Ph.D. (Foreword)

Publisher: Future Horizons, Inc.

ISBN: 978-1-935274-60-5

I initially read this book about a year or two ago, so the review is a little dated, and possibly fuzzy. At any rate, the book itself instead of being a biography of the author, herself, is a collection of short biographies of people on the Autism/ADHD spectrum. 

The people mentioned in the book come from all walks of life. Such examples include, but are not limited to tour guides and retail sales, physicians, psychologists, and teachers. When I initially read it, I felt that there was a lot to live up to when compared with other people in the book.

In a sense the information in the book, was (as ironic as this sounds) both a confidence booster and deterrent, because even though the people in the book were on the spectrum and successful, it gave me a feeling of "Wow. There's suddenly quite a lot of expectation to live up to."

None the less, I would still recommend it to anyone, whether they're on the spectrum or not. It is very well written, and quite enlightening. Sure, it doesn't have any of what I would call the "celebrity" types, such as Dan Ackroyd (even though I have heard he has also been supposedly diagnosed). 

On the other hand, that actually makes the book easier to relate to because most if not all of the people that the book profiles have average jobs. Probably the most high profile job mentioned is with an advertising agency, but even that seems less intimidating than a well-known actor. And before it is asked, I already mentioned a recommendation at the beginning of this paragraph.