''Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's'' is a ''New York Times'' bestselling book by

John Elder Robison John Elder Robison (born August 13, 1957) is the American author of the 2007 memoir '' Look Me in the Eye'', detailing his life with undiagnosed Asperger syndrome and savant abilities, and of three other books. Robison has had several careers. In ...

, chronicling the author's life with

Asperger syndrome Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger's, is a former neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in Interpersonal relationship, social interaction and nonverbal communication, along with restricted and re ...

and tough times growing up.

Story

Published in

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

on the Crown imprint of

Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...

, ''Look Me in the Eye'' describes how Robison grew up as a misfit in the 1960s, at a time when the Asperger syndrome diagnosis did not exist in the United States. The book describes how Robison learns to fit in, without actually knowing why he was different. His situation was made even more complicated at times by his neglectful and abusive father and a somewhat crazed mother. After dropping out of school, he had a sudden fascination with sound engineering and electronics.''Look Me in the Eye.''
Kirkus Reviews. July 15, 2007. Posted online May 20, 2010. Retrieved September 9, 2009. His strong interest led to unusual career choices, including time with

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...

's sound company, making special effects for the band

Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

, designing electronic games and toys for

Microvision The Microvision (aka Milton Bradley Microvision or MB Microvision) is the first Handheld console, handheld game console that used interchangeable ROM cartridge, cartridges and in that sense is reprogrammable. It was released by the Milton Bradley ...

, and starting his own business repairing and restoring expensive cars. Robison finally learned about

in 1996, at age 39, and his life was transformed by the knowledge. He was first introduced to the public in his brother

Augusten Burroughs Augusten Xon Burroughs (born Christopher Richter Robison, October 23, 1965) is an American writer best known for his ''New York Times'' bestselling memoir '' Running with Scissors'' (2002). Early life Christopher Richter Robison was born in ...

' memoir '' Running with Scissors''. He wrote ''Look Me in the Eye'' as his perspective of the family and his life in 2006, after the death of his father.

Published editions

''Look Me in the Eye'' was originally published in

hardcover A hardcover, hard cover, or hardback (also known as hardbound, and sometimes as case-bound) book is one bound with rigid protective covers (typically of binder's board or heavy paperboard covered with buckram or other cloth, heavy paper, or occa ...

by the Crown imprint of

in the United States. The book is also available as a Random House Audiobook, with the abridged version narrated by Robison himself. The paperback was published by

Three Rivers Press Three Rivers Press is the trade paperback imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House. It publishes original paperback titles as well as paperback reprints of books issued initially in hardcover by the other Crown imprints ...

in September 2008. ''Look Me in the Eye'' was also published and distributed by

in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The United Kingdom edition is available from Ebury Books. In 2008, foreign language editions were published in Italy and France. *

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

edition: ''Olhe Nos Meus Olhos - Minha vida com a Sindrome de Asperger'', Larousse May 2008. * German edition: ''Schau mich an! Mein Leben mit Asperger'', Fackelträger Verlag, September 2008.

References

External links

''Look Me in the Eye'' Teacher's Guide

''Look Me in the Eye'' Study Guide

John Robison website

John Robison blogspot
{{Autism resources 2007 non-fiction books American non-fiction books Books about autism Three Rivers Press books