No Lie: Perry’s Seven Pearls Of Priceless Wisdom
August 18, 2014
Navel Gazing Advice, Are You Seeing Me?, ASD, Autism, Autism Fiction, Autism Writing, AYSM, AYSM Quotes, Books, Difference, Disability, Good Life, New Books, New YA Lit, No Lie, Novels, Perry, Perry Quotes, Perry Richter, Random House Australia, Wisdom, YA Lit, Young Adults 2 Comments
Are You Seeing Me? is on the shelves and the initial response has been terrific. Readers have shared their experiences of laughing and crying and wishing earnestly and thinking differently and, when all was said and done, not wanting to let go.
A major reason for this response has been Perry Richter. The young man with the “brain condition” seems to be touching hearts and souls in a big way. I’m delighted by this – in the character’s simple eloquence and careful observance, there are lessons for all of us, his author included.
So, as both an early thank you to AYSM’s readers and a brief foray into the beautiful mind of a special person, here is Perry’s “No Lie” guide to living a good life in an unstable world:
‘Another’ Post About Book Diversity
May 15, 2014
Arguwrite #WeNeedDiverseBooks, Another, Are You Seeing Me?, Authors, Autism, Autism Fiction, Autism Writing, BookCon, Books, Children's Books, Difference, Disability, Diverse Books, Diversity, Fiction, Kindling, New Work, Novels, Other, We Need Diverse Books, Writing, Writing Books, YA Lit, Young Adult Books 1 Comment
First, the good news:
The recent #WeNeedDiverseBooks Twitter coup was an admirable rebuff of the longstanding hegemonies in children’s and young adult fiction. It doesn’t look like a flash in the pan either, so that’s good too.
Now, the bad news:
The whole exercise has further illustrated – dare I say, reinforced – the pecking order of minorities in both the book debate and the wider society looking on.
Still Missing The Boat
August 27, 2013
Navel Gazing, News Asylum Seekers, Australia, Australian Election, Australian Government, Australian Politics, Border Policy, Border Protection, Difference, Federal Election, Immigration, Immigration Policy, Kevin Rudd, Labor Party, Liberal Party, Migrants, Refugees, Stop The Boats, Tolerance, Tony Abbott, Voltaire, Voltaire Quotes, Xenophobia 1 Comment
Last week, I penned a missive in response to a vile letter directed towards an autism-diagnosed Canadian boy and his family. It was intended to highlight the essential need for respect and understanding when it comes to the differences between us.
Five days later and I am writing again. The circumstances are not the same. Sadly, the theme is.
A Letter To The Autism Hater’s Kids
August 21, 2013
Navel Gazing Autism, Autism Hate Letter, Canada, Difference, Hate Crime, Hope, Karla Begley, Kids, Max Begley, Ontario, Parenting, Respect 33 Comments
Hi There
My name is Darren. I thought I would get in touch. I live a long way away – on the other side of Canada, in fact – so we’ll probably never see each other in person. I thought a letter might be the next best thing to say hello and pass on something important, something I hope you take to heart.
A letter. Your mum wrote one. It is evil. Unforgivable. The police say it isn’t a ‘hate crime’, but that’s just what the law says: it is hateful and it is criminal. That’s not just my opinion – that’s how many, many, many people feel about it. The words in her letter – they should never be written down, never spoken. They should never even find a way into your brain. Your mum’s letter shouldn’t have happened. But it did. She has to live with its consequences for the rest of her life.
You don’t.
Myperbole 