Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

A Book with a Neurodivergent Main Character

I literally pumped my fist in the air and said "YES!" when I read this one! There are some really good ones out there but one of my favorites is any of the books from the 3 books from the Don Tillman trilogy by Graeme Simsion :
#1 The Rosie Project
#2 The Rosie Effect
#3 The Rosie Result
I adored the first two books and realize that I own the third but have not yet read it, so that will be the one listed on my initial plan!

I'm certain there are many more, including nonfiction!!

Listopia is HERE

OMG I love this prompt!

As someone who was recently diagnosed with adult autism this year, I'm always looking for books related to autism or other neurodiverse disorders.

I found a few. I'm not sure about nonfiction, I still need to dig deeper there, but I did find a fiction pick:

The Silver Linings Playbook

There are lots and lots of nonfiction books about this. The best one is Unraveling the Mystery of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder: A Mother's Story of Research & Recovery.

Oh nice, thanks Autumn.

Even though I have 'Silver Linings Playbook,' I'm thinking of NF too. I told myself I want to read more NF with regards to autism, specifically books published within the past 5 years.

I will go for middle grade novel-in-verse Good Different

I think a sociopath protagonist would work for this prompt

Jane Doe (sequel: Problem Child)
You

TJ Klune’s series The Extraordinaries has a teen m.c with ADHD

Anna wrote: "I think a sociopath protagonist would work for this prompt

Jane Doe (sequel: Problem Child)
You"

People with autism are usually much more honest than average people so a sociopath would not work. They do not lie. I also read
You. It was so funny. I couldn't believe her giving him all her personal information so carelessly. I had to laugh at what a dumb bunny she was!

Ron wrote: "OMG I love this prompt!

As someone who was recently diagnosed with adult autism this year, I'm always looking for books related to autism or other neurodiverse disorders."

I recently learned that I have ADHD and I too was excited by this prompt. Since ADHD in women presents differently than in men, when I found The Love Letters of Abelard and Lily I knew this was the perfect book for me. Bonus, both leads are neurodivergent but in different ways! Double bonus, the author is also neurodivergent!!

A family member carried a book to me so I could figure out if I am neurodivergent. I wish I could think of the name of it as it is very helpful. It showed that I am more ADHD. I was in therapy for years but no therapist ever hinted that I had these problems. I have severe food allergies which are a contributing problem and wheat is a big danger for some. I know that Round Up can cause some of these problems so avoid it. You can read about the wheat problem in Unraveling the Mystery of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder: A Mother's Story of Research & Recovery.

The book is Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity. He explains the differences between autism and attention deficit disorder. I don't believe that I had these problems when I was younger but they have appeared due to Chemical Injury (CI) and is also called EI (Environmental Illness). Our toxic overload today can make these problems worse.

~☆~Autumn•.¸¸.•*´¨`* •.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸ wrote: "Anna wrote: "I think a sociopath protagonist would work for this prompt

Jane Doe (sequel: Problem Child)
You"

People with autism are usually much m..."

I wasn't comparing autism to being a sociopath. Just listing a different type of neurodivergence. (Thinking outside the box is actually one of my ADHD traits lol)

From google:

"Sociopathy and narcissism are slowly hijacking the Neurodiverse umbrella. This trend needs to be discussed. Shamus Hart."

~~~~~~~~~~~

I think this trend is very very wrong as imo sociopath's are criminals and Narcissists are not far behind as they don't care about anyone but themselves. People need to be very careful about lumping these things together.

Don't forget to read Temple Grandin's books: Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior, Thinking in Pictures: My Life with Autism, Emergence, The Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships: Decoding Social Mysteries Through the Unique Perspectives of Autism, Genetics and the Behavior of Domestic Animals and more.

Lucie wrote: "I will go for middle grade novel-in-verse Good Different"


Ooh! Me too!

I've had The Reason I Jump on my TBR for a while, so this might be the year I finally read it.

Thinking of books I've read in the past, Queens of Geek, Turtles All the Way Down and Six of Crows should fit. Though my memory isn't as good with these, I think Eliza and Her Monsters, The Brightsiders, and Even If We Break work too.

~☆~Autumn•.¸¸.•*´¨`* •.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸ wrote: "From google:

"Sociopathy and narcissism are slowly hijacking the Neurodiverse umbrella. This trend needs to be discussed. Shamus Hart."

~~~~~~~~~~~

I think this trend is very very wrong as imo s..."

I don’t know how I feel about the general morality of the definition of neurodivergent. I understand you think that’s important when choosing a book for this prompt and I’m sure you will find a good one that suits you. Everyone has their own book finding process I guess :)

Autumn wrote: The book is Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity. He explains the differences between autism and attention deficit disorder. I don't believe that I had these problems when I was younger but they have appeared due to Chemical Injury (CI) and is also called EI (Environmental Illness). Our toxic overload today can make these problems worse.

OMG I loved this book! I read it this year and...I was absolutely floored. I annotated it so heavily because of how much I could relate to it, not just now, but I saw my past self in a lot of it too. This is certainly my favorite book of 2023.


*****

I found my NF choice.

I was Googling upcoming release books about autism and this one caught my eye that is scheduled for release in January:

Women and Girls on the Autism Spectrum, Second Edition: Understanding Life Experiences from Early Childhood to Old Age

I thought this would be interesting because it shows how different autism presents itself in women compared to men. And I kind of experienced this first hand. When my therapist (a woman) diagnosed me as autistic, I told my psychiatrist about it and he dismissed it without giving it a second thought. I'm looking forward to seeing what research this author has in regards to all of that.

If you like Calvin and Hobbes, then I highly recommend checking out Calvin: A Novel, by Martine Leavitt. It has a main character who has recently been diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Henry's Demons: Living with Schizophrenia, a Father and Son's Story is excellent. It also tells a main cause of this mental illness.

For any readers open to YA, Margo Zimmerman Gets the Girl would work for this category. It was probably my favourite read of 2024. I believe that both authors are also neurodivergent, too. It also qualifies for category #45: An LGBTQ+ romance novel.

I was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome 12 years ago. I was 24 years old and had a 1-year old son at the time.

A fiction favourite i highly recommend is A Boy Made of Blocks. The main character's son is autistic. It also fits the video game category. The dad bonds with his son playing Minecraft together.

As for non-fiction, some autobiographies/memoirs i love (and highly recommend) of people with autism are:
Asperger's on the Inside
Pretending to be Normal: Living with Asperger's Syndrome
Twirling Naked in the Streets and No One Noticed: Growing Up With Undiagnosed Autism

For those diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome (or interested others) might find this helpful
Appreciating Asperger Syndrome: Looking at the Upside - with 300 Positive Points

Shamus Hart may not like it, but "neurodivergent" is such a vague term that many different things fit under the umbrella: autism, learning difficulties, ADHD, mental illness, and sociopathy are all diverging from the typical brain pattern. If one tries to say "sociopaths are not neurodiverse" then what you are saying is "sociopaths are the vast majority." And let's hope that is not true.

"Neurodivergent" is not a medical term or diagnosis.

"Sociopath" is probably not the INTENT of this prompt, but it still fits within the wording we were given.

Nadine in NY wrote: "Shamus Hart may not like it, but "neurodivergent" is such a vague term that many different things fit under the umbrella: autism, learning difficulties, ADHD, mental illness, and sociopathy are all..."

Thank you, Nadine!

What about Hester? The protagonist can see colors in letters... Synesthesia

I came across these two books at my library: would either one of them fit?
Struck By Genius: How a Brain Injury Made Me a Mathematical Marvel
or Between Two Worlds: Lessons From the Other Side by Tyler Henry who is a medium.

Strong Female Character is a memoir by Scottish comedian about finding out she has autism. I read the first few chapter and really liked it, but then my loan ran out.

Helen Hoang writes romances about neurodivergent characters

Pretty as a Picture is a murder mystery set on a film set, where the main character is on the spectrum

Convenience Store Woman- one of my favorite books from last year. I don't know if it ever actually states the character is on the spectrum, but that's how I read it, so I think it fits

I ran across Geek Girl on a list today. It's a whole YA series featuring a neurodivergent main and the author is on the autistic spectrum.

I plan to read books on autism next year for this prompt, but I'm currently reading one now and that book is:

We're Not Broken: Changing the Autism Conversation

I'm barely on chapter 1, but already I am liking it.

Any of the books in the The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series would qualify; her being on the spectrum was specifically discussed in The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.

I read an excerpt of Nobody Nowhere: The Extraordinary Autobiography of an Autistic Girl in a collection a few years ago and was immediately absorbed. I'm considering reading it for this prompt.

Does anyone have any fiction recs with characters who are autistic?

I already have my pick for this prompt, but I kind of want to branch out on the side.

Strange Sally Diamond

For anyone who has read Happiness Falls: is the neurodivergent son, Eugene, a "main character"? I just read page one and he's mentioned immediately, and then I wondered if I can use this book for this category.

Nadine in NY wrote: "For anyone who has read Happiness Falls: is the neurodivergent son, Eugene, a "main character"? I just read page one and he's mentioned immediately, and then I wondered if I can use..."

Yes, Eugene is a main character.

Also, this book can be a recommendation for Ron.

Thanks, Milena.

Milena wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "For anyone who has read Happiness Falls: is the neurodivergent son, Eugene, a "main character"? I just read page one and he's mentioned immediately, and then I ..."



thanks!

If anybody is reading the Percy Jackson books in light of the Disney Plus series coming out, any entry in that series - or the several sequel series, I'm pretty sure - would count. Literally all the demigod characters are ADHD and dyslexic.

Some other books from my shelves that would fit (mostly focused on autism since I'm autistic myself):

Nonfic
Odd Girl Out
How to Be Autistic
Ten Steps to Nanette: A Memoir Situation
NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and How to Think Smarter About People Who Think Differently
Untypical
Strong Female Character
Letters to My Weird Sisters: On Autism and Feminism
Diary of a Young Naturalist
Mad Girl (focuses on OCD)

MG & YA fiction
The Real Boy
The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester (main character is also nonbinary if anyone wants some LGBTQ+ rep too)
A Kind of Spark (as well as most if not all of Elle McNicoll's other novels)
The Nowhere Girls
On the Edge of Gone
A Quiet Kind of Thunder (selective mutism)
Under Rose-Tainted Skies (agoraphobia, OCD)

Adult fiction
All The Little Bird-Hearts
Into the Drowning Deep
Failure to Communicate
Act Your Age, Eve Brown
Big Girl, Small Town

Starting my nonfiction book for this prompt:

Knowing Why: Adult-Diagnosed Autistic People on Life and Autism

As someone just diagnosed with ADHD in 2023, I'm leaning towards an adult book with an ADHD main character. Suggestions?

If you're seeing a lot of women diagnosed with ADHD later in life, it's because the eighties (and most of the nineties) completely failed to recognize that it wasn't just boys that had ADHD…I hate feeling like a trope! LOL

Highly recommend The Curious Incident of the Dog at Nighttime! Autistic main character.

Christin wrote: "Highly recommend The Curious Incident of the Dog at Nighttime! Autistic main character."

I second the recommend. This book is excellent. I also recommend The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon

Love Anthony by Lisa Genova

Nadine in NY wrote: "Shamus Hart may not like it, but "neurodivergent" is such a vague term that many different things fit under the umbrella: autism, learning difficulties, ADHD, mental illness, and sociopathy are all..."

I could not have put this better myself!

If you diverge neurologically from the majority, you're neurodivergent.

No moral judgment, The vast majority of sociopaths (NOT a clinical diagnosis, btw) are NOT criminals. Having worked forensic clinical psych inpatient for many years, I ran into an amazing number of folks with Narcissistic Personality, Histrionic Personality, and folks with substance abuse disorders.

The Maid by Nita Prose

I enjoyed Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine.

My copy of Women and Girls on the Autism Spectrum, Second Edition: Understanding Life Experiences from Early Childhood to Old Age arrived yesterday.

I'm really looking forward to getting into this one. I skimmed through some of it yesterday and a lot of it makes sense. I look forward to reading it as a whole today. Complete with annotations.

Recently finished The Framed Women of Ardemore House which stars an autistic woman who inherits an estate and gets embroiled in a murder mystery (as you do). Not having first or even second hand experience, I can't really comment on the accuracy of the representation but I will say it felt thoughtfully done. Jo is a multi-dimensional character whose autism presents challenges for her but is still a competent adult. I recommend it as an option for people looking for representation of adult women with autism since a lot of books are about kids and men.

I just came across mine by happenstance. Was reading The Murder of Mr. Wickham and thought the portrayal of Jonathon Darcy seemed like someone on the spectrum (he's uncomfortable in social situations, particularly where he can't apply standard etiquette rules, he mentions that his coping mechanism when tense/working something out is to sit and rock back and forth) so I googled, and apparently he is meant to be neuro-divergent, and it is more explicitly confirmed in the sequel, The Late Mrs. Willoughby.

I can also say as an Austen fan I'm enjoying it so far. The author basically worked it out so that almost all the MC's from Austen novels are attending a house party together after all their respective marriages, when Wickham is murdered. It's fun, and she clearly knows and loves her Austen. My only complaint so far is that, clearly in part in order to give multiples parties possible motives for the murder a lot of the couples are going through rough patches or sticky situations. And that hurts a little - for almost all Jane's couples (particularly Anne/Capt Wentworth and Elizabeth/Darcy) I just want to picture them living forever in a blissful little happily ever after bubble. No hard times for them!

I think I will read The Rosie Result, I enjoyed the other two books in the series