“Press Release: Be Different by John Elder Robison
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE/On sale: March 22, 2011
Contact: Sarah Breivogel, 212-572-2722
The author of the New York Times bestselling memoir Look Me in the Eye returns with endearing stories and practical advice that will help anyone labeled “different” find his or her path to success.
BE DIFFERENT
Adventures of a Free-Range Aspergian
with Practical Advice for Aspergians, Misfits, Families & Teachers
By John Elder Robison
“I certainly hope reading my stories and learning about the ways I coped with problems and found my path entertain you while also giving some useful insights into dealing with your own quirks, or those of someone you care about.”
—John Robison, from Be Different
When John Robison published his memoir Look Me in the Eye in 2007, readers were given a window into the life of a man who spent forty years growing up knowing that he was different but not knowing why. Born before the Aspergers diagnosis existed, Robison struggled for years without answers to his inexplicable behavior. Unable to pick up social cues or access emotion or feelings, Robison was labeled defective by his parents, as well as the kids on the playground. Inspiring and intensely moving, his memoir about growing up with Asperger’s syndrome unknowingly and finally emerging as a fully realized adult quickly became a New York Times bestseller.
In his new book, BE DIFFERENT: Adventures of a Free-Range Aspergian with Practical Advice for Aspergians, Misfits, Families & Teachers (Crown Archetype, March 22, 2011), Robison argues that Asperger’s is about difference, not just disability. With his usual honesty, dark humor, and unapologetic eccentricity, he answers questions like:
* How to read others and follow their behaviors when in uncertain social situations
* Why manners matter
* How to harness your powers of concentration to master difficult skills
* How to deal with bullies
* When to make an effort to fit in, and when to embrace your eccentricity
* How to identify special gifts and use them to your advantage
Equally important, Robison offers practical advice—to Aspergians, their parents, and educators—on how Aspergians can improve the weak communication and social skills that
keep them from taking full advantage of, or even recognizing, their often remarkable gifts.
Since the publication of Look Me in the Eye, Robison’s platform has increased exponentially. He’s been invited to join review boards for the National Institutes of Health and Autism Speaks, has joined autism advisory boards for two of the Harvard hospitals, remains active in TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) research, and is in-demand as a speaker at schools, colleges, and organizations throughout the country. Like Temple Grandin, Robison is very involved in shaping the direction of research on many fronts and is quickly becoming a go-to authority on the subject of Aspergers.
On sale just in time for April’s National Autism Awareness Month, BE DIFFERENT is a must read for anyone who has Aspergers, is raising a child with Aspergers, or works with Aspergians. And for those who enjoyed reading about Robison’s eccentric upbringing and gravitated toward his wit and humor, BE DIFFERENT offers more of the same. Every person, Aspergian or not, has something unique to offer the world, and every person has the capacity to create strong, loving bonds with their family and friends. BE DIFFERENT will help readers and those they love find their path to success.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: JOHN ELDER ROBISON, born in Athens, Georgia, grew up in the 1960s before the diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome existed. Today, he has claimed his spot on the autism spectrum. He is an author and frequent lecturer about his life with Asperger’s. He blogs for Psychology Today and is an adjunct faculty member at Elms College in Chicopee, Massachusetts. John serves on committees and review boards for the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health. He is currently involved in autism research and therapy programs at Harvard’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Massachusetts General Hospital. John also sits on the science and treatment boards of Autism Speaks. His previous book, Look Me in the Eye, was a New York Times bestseller and has been translated into ten languages and sold in sixty plus countries. He lives in Amherst, Massachusetts.
BE DIFFERENT
Adventures of a Free-Range Aspergian with Practical Advice
for Aspergians, Misfits, Families & Teachers
by John Elder Robison
Crown Archetype • March 22, 2011
Price: $24.00 hardcover • 304 pages • ISBN 978-0-307-88481-7
www.crownpublishing.com
Visit John Robison at www.johnrobison.com or at http://jerobison.blogspot.com
Also available in audio and electronic versions