Wonderful insight into what life is like for an Aspergian. I relate to his extremely logical view of the world, and it makes me think that we are all on a continuum; there is no such thing as "normal" or a "right" way to behave. I read the book because I wanted to improve my understanding of an acquaintance with Asperger's. I found John's story fascinating and his honesty and spirit inspiring. We all have to learn how to live in the world around us, after all, but it is mo... (show more)

Wonderful insight into what life is like for an Aspergian. I relate to his extremely logical view of the world, and it makes me think that we are all on a continuum; there is no such thing as "normal" or a "right" way to behave. I read the book because I wanted to improve my understanding of an acquaintance with Asperger's. I found John's story fascinating and his honesty and spirit inspiring. We all have to learn how to live in the world around us, after all, but it is more difficult for some than for others. This book has made me more accepting of all types of people, and more cognizant that we are all fighting to cope in one way or another. (show less)

My 6 year old exhibits behaviors associated with Asberger's, and may end up being diagnosed with it. After finishing a grueling round of books by mental health professionals, this was a refreshing change of pace.

Robison, the older brother of Augusten Burroughs, recounts a dysfunctional and very interesting life - on tour with KISS creating Ace's fire-breathing guitars and creating some of the first electronic toys at Milton Bradley - until he was diagnosed at 40. Of his condition he c... (show more)

My 6 year old exhibits behaviors associated with Asberger's, and may end up being diagnosed with it. After finishing a grueling round of books by mental health professionals, this was a refreshing change of pace.

Robison, the older brother of Augusten Burroughs, recounts a dysfunctional and very interesting life - on tour with KISS creating Ace's fire-breathing guitars and creating some of the first electronic toys at Milton Bradley - until he was diagnosed at 40. Of his condition he concludes "So I'm not defective. In fact, in recent years I have started to see that we Aspergians are better than normal! And now if seems as though scientists agree: Recent articles suggest that a touch of Asperger's is an essential part of much creative genius." Not weird, just wired differently. He also grew up in Western Massachusetts, and mentions Chicopee, South Hadley, Amherst and Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton (where my brother was born) which was fun. (show less)

John Elder may appear to be arrogant at times in this book, but I think this is only pride in those major achievements of his life and the skills he understood were exceptional. These achievements and skills he obtained some admiration for in his life, while he was tormented for his peculiar style of communication and behavioural traits. There’s no doubt why he would feel the need to focus on them.

Both John Elder Robison and Augusten Burroughs have a wonderful sense of humour, sometimes ... (show more)

John Elder may appear to be arrogant at times in this book, but I think this is only pride in those major achievements of his life and the skills he understood were exceptional. These achievements and skills he obtained some admiration for in his life, while he was tormented for his peculiar style of communication and behavioural traits. There’s no doubt why he would feel the need to focus on them.

Both John Elder Robison and Augusten Burroughs have a wonderful sense of humour, sometimes rye, sometimes deadpan, which often make me laugh out loud while reading their books. Their ability to find humour in sometimes obscene or difficult experiences no doubt assisted them in getting through their childhood, or was a result of it.

I would look forward to a book being published by their mother, to gain her point of view of events.

I was fascinated by this read having a son with “Aspergian” traits (to such an extent that he was tested for it in third grade). Those traits have dissipated over the years and I found the chapter he wrote about basically re-wiring his brain so that he could appear more “normal” amazing. The book helped me understand certain behaviours my son exhibited, particularly before the age of five, and I actually felt a little guilty after gaining that understanding. I remember being disappointed in his dictatorship style of play and giving him lecture after lecture about the need to let his little friends decide where to hide, or how to build something, or what order to set the trains in. His all consuming obsession with some things sometimes freaked me out, and his frequent inability to respond with a greeting, farewell or look at people when he was speaking or being spoken to would sometimes embarrass me. I laughed in one chapter in which John Elder gained the nickname “Little Professor” - this was the same nickname my son had in Kindergarten.

I think this book (and others like it) is essential reading in better understanding people with Aspergers, and even those around you without, because some of those “Asbergian” traits exist to some extent in many people. (show less)

As a mom to a son with Asperger's, I was very interested in reading this book to see what insights an adult who has dealt with the disorder his whole life had to share. Mr. Robison did not find out what he "had" until he was a grown man yet learned to cope on his own with the traits that made socializing so difficult for him. His life, with or without Asperger's, is one worthy of a novel. He grew up in an extremely dysfunctional home, his father an alcoholic and his mother with ment... (show more)

As a mom to a son with Asperger's, I was very interested in reading this book to see what insights an adult who has dealt with the disorder his whole life had to share. Mr. Robison did not find out what he "had" until he was a grown man yet learned to cope on his own with the traits that made socializing so difficult for him. His life, with or without Asperger's, is one worthy of a novel. He grew up in an extremely dysfunctional home, his father an alcoholic and his mother with mental illness. He left school and home at a young age and worked in some interesting jobs before opening the business that he is still in today. The stories he has to tell are interesting and funny. Throw in the insights about Asperger's and how he taught himself to overcome a condition that he did not even have words for until he was 30+ years old, and this book was an entertaining and enlightning read. I look forward to his next book. (show less)

Outro dia um casal de médicos conhecido me perguntou porque eu leio livros sobre certas síndromes. Pura curiosidade!! Eu leio (quase) tudo que aparece pela frente e entre este tudo estão os livros sobre doenças, especialmente as mais estranhas. Pois então. Estava eu numa livraria e me deparo com Olhe nos meus olhos - Minha vida com a Síndrome de Asperger, que é a história real do autor, John Elder Robinson.

Fiquei apaixonada pelo livro! De fácil leitura, com um texto fluido e dinâmico, Olhe ... (show more)

Outro dia um casal de médicos conhecido me perguntou porque eu leio livros sobre certas síndromes. Pura curiosidade!! Eu leio (quase) tudo que aparece pela frente e entre este tudo estão os livros sobre doenças, especialmente as mais estranhas. Pois então. Estava eu numa livraria e me deparo com Olhe nos meus olhos - Minha vida com a Síndrome de Asperger, que é a história real do autor, John Elder Robinson.

Fiquei apaixonada pelo livro! De fácil leitura, com um texto fluido e dinâmico, Olhe nos meus olhos atrai o leitor primeiramente porque instiga nele a curiosidade acerca do que vem a ser a Síndrome de Asperger. Isso a gente entende nas primeiras páginas, mas aí vem a vontade de acompanhar a trajetória desse garotinho que desde cedo sabia que não era igual às outras crianças e mais ainda, entender como ele, desde os 3 anos de idade, teve que aprender a lidar com pessoas corrigindo tudo o que fazia sendo que ele realmente acreditava que não existia nada de errado em suas atitudes.

O fato é que a Síndrome de Asperger é um distúrbio como um “leve” autismo. Mas como só foi detectada em 1981, várias pessoas que desenvolveram a doença bem antes desta data, eram vistas como esquizofrênicas, depressivas ou doentes mentais. Tudo isso porque os portadores desse distúrbio não são mesmo pessoas sociáveis, não olham nos olhos de seus interlocutores (daí o titulo do livro), são desatentas e muitas vezes parecem estar desconectadas do mundo. Você pergunta a um indivíduo com Asperger se o céu está azul e ele pode simplesmente responder que gosta de banana – talvez porque esteja com fome ou porque goste de banana, enfim... Mas o caso é que ele nem percebe que o outro falou do céu e ele respondeu sobre banana. Por isso, diversas vezes uma pessoa com a Síndrome pode ser tida como louca ou lunática.

Só que por outro lado, um Asperger – como os próprios portadores se denominam – pode ser um grande gênio com excelentes desempenhos em determinadas áreas como música, engenharia, eletrônica, física. Um Asperger pode vir a ser um cientista excepcional!

E Robinson nos conta exatamente isso: somando-se ao fato de que vivia em uma família complicada (o pai era alcoólatra e mãe tinha surtos de depressão, psicose e outras coisas), ele era claramente uma criança diferente que passou a ser um adolescente visto como marginal, com grandes chances de se tornar um ladrão ou mendigo no futuro. Mas, levado ao laboratório de eletrônica de uma faculdade por um amigo de seus pais, lá encontrou seu mundo. Daí em diante, só lendo o livro para entender como Robinson não só compreendeu que era um portador da Síndrome de Asperger, como trabalhou para “burlá-la” a ponto de se tornar um empresário de sucesso.

Vale mencionar pelo menos que foi Robinson o criador das poderosas, inovadoras e incomparáveis guitarras de Ace Frehley, o vocalista do KISS. E além desta, o autor acompanhou outras bandas como Pink Floyd e Judas Priest simplesmente porque compreendia e era capaz de ajustar circuitos altamente complexos de amplificação e equipamentos musicais. Sem falar no quanto era inovador e criativo ao desenvolver e testar seus próprios métodos.

Olhe nos meus olhos é um livro muito bacana! Não fala de doença e sim de amor, luta, superação, coragem, desafios. É uma história de vida imperdível!

* Olhe nos meus olhos – John Elder Robinson – Ed. Larousse
Tradução: Júlio de Andrade Filho

** Robinson tem um irmão mais novo a quem sempre chamou de “Verme” e que mais tarde veio a se tornar um escritor cujo pseudônimo é Augusten Burroughs, autor do livro que inspirou o filme com o mesmo título: “Correndo com Tesouras”. (show less)

This book gives a heart warming look into what it is like for anyone who has ever felt like a misfit and the road to becoming "normal". I loved this book and would (and do) recommend it to anyone with or without Aspergers.

As I had expected, there were times my heart broke and that I cried but I also laughed out loud many times while reading this book which was a total surprise. The stories are very funny and show a combiunation of great wit and intelligence. I have recounted st... (show more)

This book gives a heart warming look into what it is like for anyone who has ever felt like a misfit and the road to becoming "normal". I loved this book and would (and do) recommend it to anyone with or without Aspergers.

As I had expected, there were times my heart broke and that I cried but I also laughed out loud many times while reading this book which was a total surprise. The stories are very funny and show a combiunation of great wit and intelligence. I have recounted stories from the book to family and friends. My favorite being the story at the petting zoo. Just hysterical.

I would strongly recomment this book to be used in Middle Schools. A time when children are all feeling desperately different and trying to fit in.

The writing is both interesting and informative. It made me look at myself and others in a whole new light of compassion and respect. (show less)

I'm always intrigued by books written by someone with Aspergers or written in the perspective or someone with Aspergers or Autism (ie Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime and Born on a Blue Day) and this was no exception. The voices of this perspective truly raise awareness of what it is like to live "on the spectrum."

I read this book during a three day business trip from Boston to San Francisco. It kept me entertained and smiling to myself (I may have even laughed out l... (show more)

I'm always intrigued by books written by someone with Aspergers or written in the perspective or someone with Aspergers or Autism (ie Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime and Born on a Blue Day) and this was no exception. The voices of this perspective truly raise awareness of what it is like to live "on the spectrum."

I read this book during a three day business trip from Boston to San Francisco. It kept me entertained and smiling to myself (I may have even laughed out loud once or twice) through the two long flights. John Elder is entertaining and surprisingly raw and honest. The only draw back was that the end of the book gets a little choppy; it feels like it should end a few chapters before it actually does. Also, I wonder how much of an influence John Elder Robison's brother Augusten Burroughs (Running with Scissors) had on the editing, their voices are remarkably similar. Overall, this is a light (but sometimes dark) read that successfully walks the line of entertaining while raising awareness. (show less)

I'm reading this now. A good book told from the perspective of someonw with autism. My masters' thesis was about living with autism, as it affects all family members, and have taught many children on the autism spectrum. Everyone's experience with autism is different, but there are commonalities in those experiences, such as getting the diagnosis, that ring true in Look Me in the Eyes. I saw the movie of Running with Scissors, his brother's story, which does not touch on Mr. Robinson, but... (show more)

I'm reading this now. A good book told from the perspective of someonw with autism. My masters' thesis was about living with autism, as it affects all family members, and have taught many children on the autism spectrum. Everyone's experience with autism is different, but there are commonalities in those experiences, such as getting the diagnosis, that ring true in Look Me in the Eyes. I saw the movie of Running with Scissors, his brother's story, which does not touch on Mr. Robinson, but is more a portrait of a dysfunctional family. Apparently there is only one chapter about Mr. Robinson in Mr. Burrough's book, but now I'll have to go back and read it. I recommend this book as a good read for anyone, but for people touched by autism it is one more book to add to a must-read library. When you have the time (that part is a joke). (show less)

Robison absolutely won my heart within the first few pages of his book. He chronicles a very confused and muddled life, and has some of the most endearing memories I have encountered.

Maybe I love this book as I do because I am familiar with Asperger's Syndrome, but I think Robison writes his memories with such a touching grace it is hard not to love him. It is also stunning to see the emotion in his words, as people with Asperger's/Autism/what have you have a very hard time showing their... (show more)

Robison absolutely won my heart within the first few pages of his book. He chronicles a very confused and muddled life, and has some of the most endearing memories I have encountered.

Maybe I love this book as I do because I am familiar with Asperger's Syndrome, but I think Robison writes his memories with such a touching grace it is hard not to love him. It is also stunning to see the emotion in his words, as people with Asperger's/Autism/what have you have a very hard time showing their emotions - which makes it very easy to forget that they are there. Robison shows his readers, however, that not only are the emotions there but they almost seem to remain longer than those of "normal" folks.

I think my favorite part of this story is his relationship with his son, "Cubby". His tenderness and adoration of the boy are heart-warming, while his interactions (especially the early ones) are hilarious. There is one scene I read to my mother again and again, where Robison sticks his son in the front of his hoodie, zips it up and takes his for walks. In another, he teaches his son about the elves who work on cargo ships, because they need employment in the off-season.

We should all be so blessed to have parents like him. (show less)