Anything but Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin

★★★★★

I know a couple people on the autism spectrum, but not well enough to know if this book is an authentic portrayal of autism. For what it is, this book touched me quite a bit. I felt like I could relate to both Jason and his mother, and I think I am leaving this book with a better understanding of people with autism. 

At first, the book felt didactic, like it was written for the express purpose of teaching readers about autism. But Jason won me over pretty quickly, and it didn't take long for me to feel invested in his story. The narrative was disjointed, which interrupted the flow of the story, but I think that approach was used intentionally to reflect Jason's non-linear way of thinking.

I appreciated that Jason was matter-of-fact about life's inequities; he understood more than people thought. He may not have shown it, but he knew when he was being treated poorly because he was different. His self-awareness, expressed through simple statements, was poignant.  

[M]om and dad couldn't make everything all right, even when they say, Don't worry. Everything is going to be all right. It's not. (p. 89)

You don't always get what you need. (p. 91)

"It's strange being in a hotel without Daddy and Jeremy, isn't it?" she says to me. Most things are strange to me, I'm thinking." (p. 154)

I loved that Jason understood his mother in meaningful ways, even though he couldn't always express himself. Like when his mom cried, he observed that it would have been better if his dad were with him, because his dad wouldn't have cried, yet he said, "[I]t's okay. That's what my mom is like. She can't help it. We all have things we can't help doing." (p. 193)

I really enjoyed the ending. I admit, I was a bit wary, afraid it would be one of those over-the-top happy endings that are so common in middle grade fiction. I don't want to put any spoilers in this review, so I'll just say it was satisfying, for me, and still realistic.

A couple nitpicky things, which I ignored when choosing my rating. First, this book threw around a lot of acronyms when describing Jason's autism. In most cases, the acronyms were explained, but I'm pretty sure SPED and IEP were never explicitly defined. I'm a stickler for clarity, so I wish the text spelled out Special Education and Individualized Education Program.

Also, I was a bit distracted by a number of typos in the edition I read. Every now and then, a word was dropped, e.g., "I don't why it is." (p. 142). Or, words were transposed, e.g., "I want to you know." (p. 192)