by Tim Page. At the age of 45, Pulitzer Prize-winning music critic and writer Page learned that he had Asperger's syndrome. The diagnosis explained his lifelong struggle to fit in with others, the parallel play that he engaged in as a child, existing alongside others but never with them. Page watched with envy as his younger sister and brother came into the world, merged into the family, and found a place for themselves in both while he continued to founder. In school, he was absolutely no good at subjects that didn't interest him. Music was a saving grace, regimented yet soaringly creative. Old movies were also an obsession, inspiring him to try his hand at writing and directing silent films cast by his siblings and neighborhood children. His difficulty in making friends heightened the pain of adolescence, but he was pulled into the human race by Emily Post's etiquette lessons, which helped him decipher the mysteries of social conventions. Repulsed by the human touch, Page admits that lovemaking was very mechanical, well into adulthood. In adolescence, he dropped out of school, considered suicide, and dabbled in drugs, including LSD, which produced nightmarish hallucinations on what was already a delicate and disordered psyche. Page eventually found an esteemed career that he thinks might have been enhanced not debilitated by his condition. This highly introspective memoir includes photographs and drawings that evoke a life of struggle and triumph. --Booklist. (Check Catalog)
Monday, November 2, 2009
Parallel play : growing up with undiagnosed Asperger's
by Tim Page. At the age of 45, Pulitzer Prize-winning music critic and writer Page learned that he had Asperger's syndrome. The diagnosis explained his lifelong struggle to fit in with others, the parallel play that he engaged in as a child, existing alongside others but never with them. Page watched with envy as his younger sister and brother came into the world, merged into the family, and found a place for themselves in both while he continued to founder. In school, he was absolutely no good at subjects that didn't interest him. Music was a saving grace, regimented yet soaringly creative. Old movies were also an obsession, inspiring him to try his hand at writing and directing silent films cast by his siblings and neighborhood children. His difficulty in making friends heightened the pain of adolescence, but he was pulled into the human race by Emily Post's etiquette lessons, which helped him decipher the mysteries of social conventions. Repulsed by the human touch, Page admits that lovemaking was very mechanical, well into adulthood. In adolescence, he dropped out of school, considered suicide, and dabbled in drugs, including LSD, which produced nightmarish hallucinations on what was already a delicate and disordered psyche. Page eventually found an esteemed career that he thinks might have been enhanced not debilitated by his condition. This highly introspective memoir includes photographs and drawings that evoke a life of struggle and triumph. --Booklist. (Check Catalog)
