While the premise of this book is engaging and it is always refreshing for an OWNVOICES take on Autism, I found the book long winded and wasn't able to finish.

Mr. Garcia has clearly done a lot of research and shared a lot of his own experiences, his vulnerability is to be admired. However, better editing could have made this a more concise book that would ensure better readability. Additionally, the inclusion of individuals OWN stories instead of mentions of individuals could have enhanced the book as well.

I applaud the content and want to love it, but the execution wasn't as well done as I hoped.

This isn't my usual kind of pick but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Garcia does exactly what he sets out to do - change the conversation on autism. I loved the everyday minutiae that Garcia picked through to illustrate small challenges and microaggressions that people with autism endure; and I was interested to learn more about the history of autism which, frankly, I didn't know a lot about. I also enjoyed the way Garcia structures the text, weaving in personal stories of autistic people, their parents and carers, and organizations who have helped or hurt our understanding of autism. He did well to include his own experience as an autistic person without turning the work into a memoir. I definitely recommend this book to anyone looking to grow their understanding or change their perception of what life with autism looks like - Garcia notes that this work isn't exhaustive and there is still more to do or learn, and you can find many recommendations and suggestions within his study!

Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. We're Not Broken by Eric Garcia is a different take on autism in America, namely because it's written by an autistic person, collecting different autistic stories. The most interesting and thought-provoking chapter, for me, was the chapter on gender identity. That autism resources still are sectioned off from different gender identities, instead of combing forces is sadly typical of most entities. There was a lot of information dumping in the early chapters that made it difficult to follow and process. A person was introduced and then there was a tangent about the policies that were created, when I really want to know more about the person. The book read as uneven to me. Some chapters were very strong, while others were not.

As a special education teacher, this was such an important book to read. I had training/classes when getting certified about teaching students with autism but it was quite refreshing to hear about perspectives from people with the disorder, not neurotypical people trying to be advocates. Highly recommended!

Still reading, but I am really enjoying and learning from this book, which amplifies the voices and experiences of autistic people, and includes the voices of those who are both "high" and "low" functioning.

As someone who has been both good friends and romantic partners with autistic adults I found this compilation of autistic adults' stories with Eric Garcia's own story to be detailed, varied (as autistic people are), and with helpful ideas and perspectives for people on and off the spectrum.

I have very mixed feelings about this book. I spent a lot of time trying to finish it, but I ended up only skimming the second half of the book, because it just felt SO LONG. The author gets carried away a lot and I got lost in the longwindedness. He talks about how some people are very badly misinformed about autism and the glaring flaws in the help autistic people get, the author promises that there's a pretty easy solution without ever giving it. Which annoyed me because we are learning how to REALLY help and advocate. We're also told we'll get stories from other people with autism, but get glimpses instead. I didn't really learn much about them or how autism has affected their lives.
Overall, it feels like the author just bogs the reader down with facts instead of amplifying other autistic voices. I was really disappointed!

*Thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing me with an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.*

This was a well-researched, empathetic, and personal look at autism from a journalist who is himself autistic. Also a third-generation Mexican American, Garcia gave a fantastic primer on the different intersections of identity that come into play with autism, looking at race, gender, sexuality, and more. He talked candidly and with honesty about his own past missteps, even as someone who has autism, offering a model for growth and increased understanding. This growth is even more important to consider as we think about how (relatively) quickly nomenclature and verbiage around disabilities in general and autism in particular change. He interviewed a diverse group of autistic people, all with a range of different support needs, which a lesser journalist/writer (or even more egregiously, someone not in the community themselves) would have found it easy to not do. My one qualm is one that I'm not even sure is one with the book itself, or my mood, but there were some moments where I felt like the writing could have been tightened up a bit.

It was especially poignant to read this as disability rights are in the news in a big way, with one of the most famous pop stars in the world fighting to regain control of her own life after over a decade of having decisions made for her by people who financially benefit from those decisions. I'm so frustrated and angered that this is the current situation, but I'm hopeful that we are moving towards disability justice with books like Garcia's and other texts like Alice Wong's edited Disability Visibility. I would highly recommend for anyone interested in learning more about autism from autistic folks directly.

Thanks to HMH and Netgalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

We're Not Broken
Changing the Autism Conversation
by Eric Garcia
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
You Like Them
Health, Mind & Body | Nonfiction (Adult)
Pub Date 03 Aug 2021 | Archive Date 03 Aug 2021

As a retired school teacher and now the director of a small library I was excited to start reading this book about autism. However, I thought the author was rather long-winded- I think the book would have been more enjoyable to read with better editing and execution. Thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley for the ARC of the book. I will not be purchasing it for our library.

I really liked the idea behind this book as someone who works day to day with people with autism. However, I found that actual writing to be a bit long winded and not particularly engaging. I found myself wishing that it had been better edited and executed, as I think I could have really enjoyed what the author had to say and his experience.

As a person knowing an autistic child, I absolutely loved the research which validated many areas for me. This book is compelling and educational at the same time. The author totally tackled the myths of autism and corrects our perceptions. This could be an educational template for all those who want to know the why's and how's to move forward with autistic individuals.

This book is very important for whoever works with autistic people and/or their families. It is important to respect autistic views and inputs in any decisions about them and in this book the writer highlighted also that might have been true 20-30 years ago, it is not nowadays. His own carrier is an excellent example of this. I will suggest it to my supervises and all the families I work with.
One great point for this book is that the author was really open-minded and reported various angles without judgment (a real journalist). He also divided the book into chapters by subjects: very functional given the amount of information reported.

This book did exactly what it was meant to do- change the conversation on Autism. Even as a young special education teacher equipped with an ASD endorsement on my teaching certificate, I learned so much. I learned the history of autism diagnoses, the gender gap, current challenges, etc. You name it- the book addressed it! Broken into different sections, this book hit all aspects of today’s world with the connection to Autism and people living with it. Definitely a great educational read!

I was shocked to see so many negative reviews of We're Not Broken! As an autistic woman, for me this book felt like a breath of fresh air. Garcia delves into so many of the challenges that face autistic people in the US, as well as looking at how the history of autism research has impacted perceptions of autism today. Garcia's central premise--that focusing on curing autism, or getting autistic people to act more neurotypical, is dehumanizing and focusing on the wrong thing--is a much-needed point. It was also wonderful to see the perspectives of so many different autistic people, from so many different backgrounds. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is autistic, works with autistics, or knows someone who is autistic (which, frankly, is pretty much anyone)!

Thanm you for the advanced copy of this book.

There was much of this book that I am glad to have read and as a teacher working daily with pupils with ASD and profound learning difficulties I am always looking to better my understanding which I much rather do by reading own voices material. So I am grateful to the author for this.

This was a heartwrenching book on what autistic people go through on a daily basis. I also loved how the author is autistic and wrote about his experience as well.

An excellent follow-up to Steve Silberman's Neurotribes. Written by an autistic author, with personal anecdotes along with excellent factual statistics.

I was thrilled to be invited by the publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to review this book.
The author himself is in the Spectrum Generation. Garcia emphasizes we need to hear from these people with autism themselves, not from their parents or professionals. I definitely understand his great point. I was born Deaf. Like other Deaf people, we do not appreciate it when professionals, interpreters and non-Deaf people speak for and about us.
Garcia goes into detail about past misinformation, stereotypes, and mythology about autism. Each chapter focuses on an issue such as government policy, education including accommodations, relationships, health care. At times the book is dry with its research. Garcia tells us about his own experiences and about others on the spectrum. Those tidbits are very interesting.
I've taught quite a few students on the autism/Asperger spectrum. I fondly remember specific interactions with two. I'm tempted to tell about them here. I've also met other adults whom I recognized as having Aspergers. When asked, they confirmed this.
I thank the publishers and Netgalley for inviting me to read this book. I now am wondering about the students I worked with, plus how and what they're doing in their adulthood. Memories memories.

We're Not Broken is about autism and misconceptions about autism.
I have very mixed feelings about this book. I spent a lot of time trying to finish it, but I ended up only skimming the second half of the book, because it just felt SO LONG, even though it's a relatively short book. The author gets carried away a lot and some of his points seriously confused me. While he talks about how some people are very badly, if at all, informed about autism, and the glaring flaws in the help autistic people get, the author promises that there's a pretty easy solution without ever giving it. Which annoyed me, because after all, some people with autism will never be able to enter the work-force and it's not from lack-of-trying from neurotypical people, rather, some people with autism just don't fit with any of the jobs available, just like some neurotypical people, and that's fine.
We're also told we'll get stories from other people with autism, but rather than get their stories and outlook on life, they get mentioned in passing when the author tries to validate his points. For example, in the section about love, a couple where both parties are autistic is mentioned. However, we don't really learn much about them and how autism has affected their dating before and even now in their marriage.
Overall, it feels like the author just misses the point most of the times.
At times the book did provide interesting data about autism in the US specifically. There are many things that are just so different here in Europe, and that also lowered my interest in the book.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing me with an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.*

DNF at 25%

I’m really disappointed because I was so looking forward to reading this book. I have sought out books and lectures by those living with autism to better help my son, who lives with the same. I think it is important to hear “own voices” perspectives. As such, I thought I had some idea what to expect with this book but knew that the more perspectives I read, the more I could grow. I was wrong.

The book starts out with a long-winded introduction that is mostly a really ugly political rant. When the author finally wandered back to the topic, he explained that the purpose of his book was to clear up seven common misconceptions about autism - 1. That autism only affects white males, 2. That those with autism who need a lot of support are less human than those with high-functioning, 3. That “autistic people should appear in the media only when they inspire hope or pity”, 4. That people with autism can only hold jobs in tech fields, 5. That people with autism are incapable of romantic relationships, 6. That people with autism cannot live independently, 7. That people with autism are incapable of advocating for themselves. I was aghast that he believed these were “common” misconceptions. I’ve honestly never met a single person that believed any of these things. I truly worry for the author because of who he must be surrounding himself with.

I was tempted to put the book down at that point, but it promised stories from others with autism, so I looked forward to hearing those. Unfortunately, those stories never materialized. The author did start out with half a page about a politician with autism, but rather than a deep dive into her life, there was just a superficial mention of the rally she was speaking at. This was followed by a lot of history of the autism awareness movement where the author attempted to assign ill intentions to every person who ever took up the cause. Then there was a short blip about an attorney with autism that went only slightly deeper. I kept slogging through and the author did swing back to Jessica Benham, the aforementioned politician with autism, a couple of times but still fell short of the depth I needed to hear.

None of my criticism of this book is a criticism of authors with autism in general. This book is the anomaly. I’ve read, listened to, and spoken to dozens of people with autism who demonstrated far more self-awareness than the author showed in this book. I don’t see that there was any intention in this book to show how those with autism function, what accommodations they need, or how neurotypicals go forward in bridging a more inclusive world as was promised with the jacket description. This is all really ugly rant and blame and no solutions.

Thank you, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this advanced reader copy.