This is such a good book to learn what having autism is like for some people. The author plainly and clearly describes how her brain works in such a way as to help neurotypicals understand autism better. It would also be a good read for autistic adults who like memoir or nonfiction so they could see they are not alone in their struggles. The book could have ended in about 4 or 5 different places, however, and it seems the ending was just dragged out too long. Still a good read.

Received from NetGalley for A review

This book focuses on a girl who receives an autism diagnosis late in life. This book was extremely fascinating and recommended read for not just persons interested in topics related to autism but also in general.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. 

This was definitely not what I considered to be a typical person living with autism. And to have found out so late in life! It definitely gave a new perspective into the autism voice.

Such an interesting and honest point of view from an autistic person. As a mother of a child diagnosed with ASD, this was a truly pertinent book. The author writes wonderfully.

All girls should read this, especially if they are being bullied. It shows how every girl has gone through some sort of bullying in their life. It also tells how they got through it and how it has affected them today. This book really helps explain why girls are the way they are and in a way that everyone can understand it. I loved all the personal stories from girls of all different ages. They really made the book move along and made it really interesting. Now, I notice different kinds of bullying and recognize things in real life that girls in this story really did and experienced. 'Odd Girl Out' has made me understand girl bullying in a whole new way.

I really wanted to enjoy this book. I thought the narration and the writing were interesting and I was sure I would love this story. But I didn't. There really isn't a specific reason why I didn't enjoy this book, I simply couldn't get through it. Maybe I would've liked it more in a different medium, like maybe as a movie or a tv show, or even a documentary.

Laura felt different her entire life and didn't find out why until she was in her mid-forties. Laura then received an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis. This book chronicles a year of her life, beginning with her diagnosis. This book offered a really unique insight into the life of a female on the spectrum. I really enjoyed this book. Thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book as an ARC.

I did not finish the book, so I cannot write the worlds best review here. I wanted to like this book, and I did feel like the author shed some life on the inner life of a woman with Asperger's who was diagnosed in adulthood. The diagnosis was helpful for her, as it helped her to understand things that prior to diagnosis did not make sense for her. or for those who loved her, and she took the opportunity it share her story with others, both so she could help others and so she did not have to explain herself to all of the people in here life... because they could just read it. Unfortunately, I just could not stick with the book. I am not sure if it was the book or was me, so I would not discourage you from checking it out for yourself, and making your own decision. Especially if you are interested in understanding more about women and Asperger's as there is simply not a ton of books out there about it! I applaud Ms. James for putting her story out there!

I found this book to be a fascinating read about a woman who was diagnosed as autistic in her forties.  Laura James does a good job of showing the reader what her life is like as a person who has always been different from others around her. Things that come "naturally " to regular people must be analyzed and "solved" by her - it seems to make life a constant puzzle to be figured out.  She lives a life seemingly based more on logic than the neurotypicals around her and finds the subtle undercurrents we live by to be quite puzzling. I don't mean to make the book sound dry or academic - it is in fact very interesting.  How she has managed to create a "normal" life for herself complete with a long term marriage and motherhood is a very good read.  Recommended.

My thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Odd Girl Out

My Extraordinary Autistic Life

by Laura James

Perseus Books, Da Capo Press

Seal Press

Biographies & Memoirs

Pub Date 27 Mar 2018

I am reviewing a copy of Odd Girl Out Through Seal Press and Netgalley:

This is a powerful portrait of an autistic mind. Laura James. Situations she can’t control or even predict confuse her whether negative or positive! She relates her feelings to colors, the good ones are pretty colors, the bad ones are shades of green! As a child she felt at peace when she was spinning around .

Laura James wasn’t diagnosed with Autism until August of 2015 by then she was married with Children!

In this book she talks about how as a child her meltdowns were kicking, screaming, throwing herself to the floor, crying until she was out of breath explosions but now when she has a meltdown it’s an implosion.

In this book we learn how Laura James has learned to accept her diagnosis and continue to live her life to the fullest extent she can.

I give Odd Girl Out five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

An interesting first hand account of the autism spectrum written from the point of view of one living with the condition herself. We don't see too many reports from the female side so this was a great read.

Odd Girl Out is an amazing look inside the autistic mind. Laura's stream of consciousness way of writing really helped me develop an understanding of what it's like to live with autism, and what it may be like to think differently. I am not wholly neurotypical, and I was able to see some coping mechanisms I use for anxiety applied to her life. This helped me to understand that while we all have a different way of thinking and perceiving this world, we all have a common goal to understand the world around us.

The only reason I would give 4 stars rather than 5 is that the text and stream of events seems a bit disorganized and as I have ADHD, this made some of the book hard for me to focus on, though I would like to make it clear that I feel this adds true character about how the autistic mind thinks and relates thoughts.

Overall, this is an amazing book for anyone that would like to have a better understanding of autism and what it is like to live with.

This is an honest story of a woman who lived her whole life thinking that she was different. 
It wasn't until she was in her fourties that she finally got her reasoning, she had Autistic
Spectrom Disorder. Now finally she had answers for the reason that she did some of the things
that she did. I really found this interesting because it was told through her point of view so
all of these that she does is her normal, it's just weird to everyone else. It also helped show
that even though she was autistic she was still able to leave a normal life just some things were
done differently than another person would have done them. The book takes a look into her life for
a whole year and helps shine a light on autism in females and why it is less diagnosed as well
as how she copes. Great read especially if you know someone on the spectrum. What I enjoyed the most
about this book was how it showed her cope and how she could be a functioning adult with a marriage 
and a life. Her life was great she just did things a little different and I think that more people
need to realize how true this is.

An interesting look at autism through the prism of an unlikely source, an adult woman who was diagnosed late in life.  I found the narrative voice to be a little hard to follow at times, but I appreciate the insight the author gave, especially as I have several students who are on the spectrum.  It certainly gave me a new appreciation and understanding for the way their minds work.

I wanted to like this book.  It was just not for me. 
Thank you to author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read. While I got the book for free it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.