Naoki Higashida was born in Kimitsu, Japan in 1992. He was diagnosed with autism in 1998 and subsequently attended a school for students with special needs, then (by correspondence) Atmark Cosmopolitan High School, graduating in 2011.Having learnt to use a method of communication based on an alphabet grid, Naoki wrote The Reason I Jump when he was thirteen and it was published in Japan in 2007. He has published several books since, from autobiographical accounts about living with autism to fairy tales, poems and illustrated books, and writes a regular blog. Despite his communication challenges, he also gives presentations about life on the autistic spectrum throughout Japan and works to raise awareness about autism. In 2011 he appeared in director Gerry Wurzburg's documentary on the subject, Wretches & Jabberers.David Mitchell is the author of the novels Ghostwritten, number9dream, Cloud Atlas, Black Swan Green and The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, The Bone Clocks and Slade House. He has been shortlisted twice for the Man Booker Prize and won several awards for his writing. KA Yoshida was born in Yamaguchi, Japan, and specialised in English Poetry at Notre Dame Seishin University.
Essential reading for parents and teachers who work with
individuals with autism who remain non-verbal
*Temple Grandin*
There is much to be learned from it about this mysterious condition
that Higashida regards as both a blessing and a curse. The book's
single most important function is to drum into the sometimes thick
heads of us neurotypical readers that people with autism experience
a genuine and usually insuperable disconnection between what they
want to say or do and what their brain allows them . . . we should
look with gratitude through the porthole he has cleared on to a
submerged world.
*Observer*
Wise and witty, it offers a second insider's insight into the
mysteries of non-verbal autism . . . The evolution of Higashida's
insights is at times almost unbearably moving . . . Ultimately,
though, his self-awareness is uplifting, reminding us to take joy
in life's simple pleasures . . . sage and subtle . . . [a work] of
illuminating beauty.
*Financial Times*
Once again, the invitation to step inside Higashida's mind is
irresistible . . . Higashida challenges the common belief that
people with severe autism are exclusively literal-minded. Time and
again he uses metaphor to help readers understand his world . . .
if any author can help us get a grip, it's Higashida.
*Evening Standard*
Higashida's books belong in the small but intense canon of
"locked-in" memoirs, such as Awakenings or The Diving Bell and the
Butterfly . . . Higashida reveals himself to be far more conflicted
than before. The titles show how much the years have changed him.
The Reason I Jump had joy shimmering through it. Fall Down Seven
Times, Get Up Eight - the title is taken from a Japanese proverb -
is about persistence.
*The Times*
Readers are invited to observe the world from Higashida's
perspective - and what a startling perspective that is . . .
Higashida is wise beyond his years and constantly expressing his
gratitude towards his family, above all his resilient mother. His
pronouncements often ring with Yoda-like depth. He sounds like a
village elder and it is impossible not to listen . . . challenges,
even ones as seemingly insurmountable as those presented by severe
disability, are negotiable. Hope - Higashida's favourite word -
prevails.
*Sunday Times*
The Reason I Jump was a game-changer . . . This follow-up may not
have the same surprise value, but it does something just as
inspiring: it shows us how, with a little luck, plenty of support
and a huge amount of determination, a "neuro-atypical" person can
forge a happy and fulfilled path into adulthood . . . Higashida's
observations across a whole range of topics are moving and
thought-provoking
*Guardian*
The book rightly challenges the methods and attitudes that prevail
in supporting people with autism. It is rich in metaphor . . . Fall
Down Seven Times, Get Up Eight should be read by many beyond the
circle of parents seeking to understand their child. It places Mr
Higashida among the first rank of gifted writers, not just writers
with autism.
*The Economist*
Higashida's words are surely a vital message for all those who love
and care for autistic family members or friends . . . his writing
is poetic, with an inspirational tone that reveals wisdom beyond
his years and an acceptance of diversity that we should all aspire
to . . . Higashida holds up a mirror to conventional assumptions
about autism, including those of health professionals, and
challenges us to do better . . . The extraordinary impact that he
is making on families across the world continues.
*The Lancet*
moving and thought-provoking
*The Guardian*
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