“One of the most remarkable books I’ve ever read. It’s truly moving, eye-opening, incredibly vivid.”—Jon Stewart, The Daily ShowNAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BYNPR • The Wall Street Journal • Bloomberg Business • BookishFINALIST FOR THE BOOKS FOR A BETTER LIFE FIRST BOOK AWARD • NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERYou’ve never read a book like The Reason I Jump. Written by Naoki Higashida, a very … BESTSELLER
You’ve never read a book like The Reason I Jump. Written by Naoki Higashida, a very smart, very self-aware, and very charming thirteen-year-old boy with autism, it is a one-of-a-kind memoir that demonstrates how an autistic mind thinks, feels, perceives, and responds in ways few of us can imagine. Parents and family members who never thought they could get inside the head of their autistic loved one at last have a way to break through to the curious, subtle, and complex life within.
Using an alphabet grid to painstakingly construct words, sentences, and thoughts that he is unable to speak out loud, Naoki answers even the most delicate questions that people want to know. Questions such as: “Why do people with autism talk so loudly and weirdly?” “Why do you line up your toy cars and blocks?” “Why don’t you make eye contact when you’re talking?” and “What’s the reason you jump?” (Naoki’s answer: “When I’m jumping, it’s as if my feelings are going upward to the sky.”) With disarming honesty and a generous heart, Naoki shares his unique point of view on not only autism but life itself. His insights—into the mystery of words, the wonders of laughter, and the elusiveness of memory—are so startling, so strange, and so powerful that you will never look at the world the same way again.
In his introduction, bestselling novelist David Mitchell writes that Naoki’s words allowed him to feel, for the first time, as if his own autistic child was explaining what was happening in his mind. “It is no exaggeration to say that The Reason I Jump allowed me to round a corner in our relationship.” This translation was a labor of love by David and his wife, KA Yoshida, so they’d be able to share that feeling with friends, the wider autism community, and beyond. Naoki’s book, in its beauty, truthfulness, and simplicity, is a gift to be shared.
Praise for The Reason I Jump
“This is an intimate book, one that brings readers right into an autistic mind.”—Chicago Tribune (Editor’s Choice)
“Amazing times a million.”—Whoopi Goldberg, People
“The Reason I Jump is a Rosetta stone. . . . This book takes about ninety minutes to read, and it will stretch your vision of what it is to be human.”—Andrew Solomon, The Times (U.K.)
“Extraordinary, moving, and jeweled with epiphanies.”—The Boston Globe
“Small but profound . . . [Higashida’s] startling, moving insights offer a rare look inside the autistic mind.”—Parade
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Great! Very eye-opening to see autism from inside the head of an autistic.
Should be required read for anyone in the field of education. You cry with joy and guilt for anytime you may have lost patience with a child.
Loved it!
If you have a child with ADHD or know someone who has it, this book will help you understand what is going on in their mind, and as a result, will help you help them.
I have a grand-nephew who has autism. This book helped me to understand his challenges and what he may be thinking sometimes. I think, because autism is
so much more prevalent, everyone should read this book.
This book is incredibly moving, there are moments of tears, smiles and laughter. It is a really important and clear insight into autism. It is wonderful to hear clearly what an autistic child thinks, feels and needs in their own words. All education professionals and those who work with children should read this book. It made me cry to think of times that I’ve accidentally let down and made situations more intolerable for an autistic child.
The Reason I Jump was written by Naoki Higashida, a thirteen-year-old Japanese boy with autism. Though unable to verbalize his thoughts in normal speech, his mother created something called the “alphabet grid” that allows him to communicate. He has both a keyboard version for typing on the computer and a cardboard version he carries around with him. The alphabet grid contains the English letters in the middle, with numerous common Japanese symbols around the edges, and by pointing at the appropriate symbol he can hold conversations with others and make his thoughts and wishes known.
It’s a little hard to classify this book. It’s part-memoir, although as a young teen Naoki hasn’t had much life experience to relate. It also contains some short stories that Naoki has written to illustrate what life is like for those with autism. But mostly, it’s a series of questions followed by a paragraph or two explaining the questions he most often encounters about his condition.
For instance, in answering why he’s not able to hold a conversation or even answer simple questions, he explains that he is able to form words. It’s just that if somebody asks him a question verbally, he has to process the question, formulate an answer, and say the answer out loud, performing all those steps consciously where most people do it automatically. By the time he manages to get a response out, the conversation has moved on or ended completely! To the other person, he appears non-responsive, even though in his own mind he understood the question perfectly. Basically, even his native language is like a foreign tongue to Naoki.
Similarly, he addresses questions regarding his sudden and jerky movements, his repetitious behaviors, his sense of time, and many other topics. It’s all quite reasonable once you read his explanation for them. Many of his activities that seem odd to others really act as a relief valve for him.
I find his answer regarding the reason he melts down or throws tantrums to be revealing. He writes that internally, he is as mature as any other thirteen-year-old. But because others treat him as a little child all the time, and because his own brain and body so rarely cooperate with his intentions, his life is a never-ending frustration. It is his belief that anybody would react the way he does if subjected to the same level of stress he is. (I am paraphrasing his words here, but I think this is an accurate characterization.)
The book is easy to read and immensely interesting. Most readers should be able to finish it off in an hour or two. My wife tells me that The Reason I Jump is increasingly found on high-school required reading lists, which seems like a sensible addition. Considering the amount of insight Naoki provides about autism, a condition that many consider inscrutable, and the amount of sympathy he generates for the autistic, I would say nearly everybody should read this book. I might add, by reading about Naoki’s very non-standard brain, even non-autistic readers will likely learn more about how their own minds work.
A really interesting read from a perspective we don’t see often. Very simple writing style makes it a quick but extremely informative read.
This book is awesome! thank you!
I found it interesting to read a book written from this perspective. I didn’t like that it was in a question and answer format, maybe because it felt like the answers were repetitive. I also found that I was confused by the little stories that were interspersed throughout and the longer story at the end. Were they about the author, or were we supposed to get something out of it, like a moral or a parabola?
On the positive side, I found it informative. There were questions that I had which were answered. The question/answer format allowed for quick ‘chapters’ which was good when I just needed to read for quick minute to fill time.
I enjoyed the story at the end of the book, in the forward. I wish that I had some context of it though. At first I thought that it was a story to allow the reader the chance to see how it might be to be autistic. But by the end, I was pretty sure it was not. Over all, just an ok read for me.
According to the introduction, this is the only book ever written about autism … by someone with autism. Japanese teenager Naoki Higashida wrote this book with a Japanese alphabet pad and an assistant, one character at a time, and you can feel that slow tenderness and passion as he answers question after question. Why do people with autism talk so loudly and weirdly? Why don’t you make eye contact while talking? What’s the reason you jump? I loved David Mitchell since Cloud Atlas, so I originally found this book while searching for bibliographical scraps. I was in for a major surprise. In the introduction David Mitchell shares how his son has severe autism and he, like many, struggled to identify, relate, and support his child… until he read this book. He then worked with his wife to translate it at the request of friends and the book found a giant Western audience after Jon Stewart trumpeted it on The Daily Show and it hit The New York Times bestseller list. Completely expanded my perception of being human with an entirely new worldview. Must, must, must-read.
An interesting story of characters and a setting I’m unfamiliar with.
A very informative book on how an Austistic child thinks and why his behavior is so different. It made me sad to think they are “trapped” in their mind and behavior. My daughter has joined a group to help and understand so she can help her nephew cope.
I couldn’t put this book down. A real insight to the reality of autism
This book deserves all the praise I have seen in other reviews. It truly did give me a very different viewpoint on how to think about a number of different issues. And it was incredible the depth of thought coming from a thirteen year-old. I don’t know whether to credit the superior writing to the author or to the translator, but either way it was a pleasure to read. I only wished there had been more of it.
Didn’t meet my expectations. Some things were difficult to believe.
I wish this book of amazing insight into an autistic mind had been available when my own son was young. I recommend The Reason I Jump to every parent, teacher, caregiver, or anyone with an autistic child in their life.
Thank you, Naoki Higashida, for sharing your beautiful mind with us and helping us neurotypical humans understand how wonderful the thoughts and dreams of more divergent humans can be.
If you are interested in autism or have someone in your life that is autistic, it’s interesting.
It was amazing to get a glimpse into the world of a person who has autism.
A real life truthful look into the the minds and actions of autistic children.I found this so much help in understanding my sweet wonderful grandson 8 years old who is autistic.
Gave me an insight on downs syndrome, which I needed greatly…thx!