Genre: Non-Fiction/Memoir
Page Count: 200+
Published: 2020 (Douglas & McIntyre)
Potential Triggers: swearing, LGBTQIA+, bullying, drinking mentions, drug mentions, smoking mentions,
Mental Health Topics: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD; as seen in ASD),
"I Overcame My Autism And All I Got Was This Lousy Anxiety Disorder" is a long title to be sure, but it also holds all the meaning that this book encapsulates. Written by Sarah Kurchack, an autistic advocate living in Ontario, this memoir portrays what it's like to live with autism and try to mold yourself to the world around you.
As far as memoirs go, I loved this one. In particular, I appreciated the emphasis on how you can't separate autism from the autistic and how autism never goes away. Not to mention that, but this also brings together what autistics think, how they feel, and what they go through in a neurotypical world. As an autistic myself, I totally support how the author portrayed autism and her experiences in the world around her. I can totally relate and understand exactly where she was coming from.
I don't think I could pick a favorite part of this book, but if I tried, I'd have to choose the witty footnotes at the end of some of the pages. One of my particular favorites simply said "Hello, Erik" (I'll leave you to figure out where or why she said that).
If you want to learn about autism, if you like memoirs, or if you're feeling particularly compelled to try out this book after reading this review, I would highly recommend this book. It's one of my favorite memoirs that I've read thus far and I've got a long stack of memoirs that I've been slowly working through, so that's saying something! I cannot recommend this book enough so I will leave you at that and hope you read it. God bless and happy reading!