Sparrow Rose Jones is probably best known for their blog, Unstrange
Mind: Remapping My World, and their previous book, No You Don’t: Essays
from an Unstrange Mind, both of which deftly narrate their examination of
themself, their identity as an Autistic person, and the changing state of access
and civil rights for Autistic people. Their essays have covered everything
from famous civil rights and criminal cases in the media to sexuality and
relationships, life skills, coping mechanisms, and personal introspection.
In The ABCs of Autism Acceptance, Sparrow takes us through a guided tour
of the topics most central to changing the way that autism is perceived, to
remove systemic barriers to access that have traditionally been barriers to
Autistic participation in some sectors of society. They also take us through the
basics of Autistic culture, discussing many of its major features and recent
developments with a sense of history and making the current state of the
conversation around this form of neurodivergence clear to those who are new to
it, whether they are Autistic themselves or a friend/family member looking for
resources to help themselves support the Autistic people in their lives more fully.
While it is impossible to capture the full scope and diversity of Autistic
communities—and there are many of them out there—this book does serve as
an important conversation starter, a primer, and a humble guide to the world.
In these 26 short essays, you will find most of the topics most often blogged about
by Actually Autistic authors, including footnotes, resources, and references
to other writers whose works continue the conversations that start here.
"Sparrow's first book of essays was a grounding experience for me. In many ways, they
could have been a sister or a spiritual mother to me, because so many of the experiences
of terror, exclusion, confusion, and eventual growth in that book strongly mirrored my
own journey to self-acceptance. In this book, Sparrow continues to resonate, this time
by calling attention to the pertinent topics affecting Autistic adults and children in the
present. This book is a must-read for anyone looking to understand not only needs and
viewpoints of Autistic writers, but also the networks of communities they form. It is an
invaluable resource to researchers seeking to understand how these ideas are cultivated
and proliferated, and also to those looking to join this community and contribute to it in
meaningful ways, because Sparrow does not settle for merely documenting-they cite
their sources and back up their review of these topics with an attention to detail that fits
scholarly publications, but a vocabulary and presence that are both friendly and accessible"
- Michael Scott Monje, Jr., author of Defiant (a Lambda Literary finalist), Nothing is Right, and Imaginary Friends
ISBN: 978-0-9972971-7-1 | Trim Size: 6x9" | Length: 154 pp. | Imprint: Autonomous Press
All paperback books on the Autpress direct store come with complimentary ebook editions.
