The next BOOK OF THE MONTH (for September & October) is “A Room Called Earth” by Australian writer, director, and actor, Madeleine Ryan.
SYNOPSIS: “As a full moon rises over Melbourne, Australia, a young woman gets ready for a party. She is autistic, yet within her mind, she is whoever she wants to be. And what appears to be an ordinary night out is-through the prism of her singular perspective-extraordinary. As the evening unfolds, each encounter reveals the vast discrepancies between what she is thinking and feeling, and what she is able to say. And there’s so much she’d like to say. So when she meets a man and a genuine connection occurs, ir’s nothing short of a miracle. However, it isn’t until she invites him home that we come to appreciate the humanity beneath the labels we cling to, and we can grasp the pleasure of wht it means to be alive.”
“The debut novel from the inimitable Madeleine Ryan, A Room Called Earth is a humuorous and heartwarming adventure inside the mind of an autistic woman. This hypersaturated celebration of love and acceptance, from a writer who herself is autistic, is a testament to moving through life without fear, and to opening ourselves up to a new way of relating to each other.”
This book actually just came this month and is unlike anything I’ve read before because…the writer is autistic.
In an interview with NPR (National Public Radio) Madeleine Ryan talks about herself and the book. She tells us what’s important to recognize when reading the book.
“And that would be autism … I’m autistic,” she says, “and I was diagnosed as autistic when I was writing the book. So it was a very intimate adventure, writing this book, in lots of ways.”
She also talks about how the book helped her navigate her new diagnosis of autism:
“And, you know, I was like … this is in the first person. So I’m inside her mind. And if I’m kind of harnessing the way that I process feelings and thoughts and experiences, and if I’m applying that here to help bring her to life, does that mean that she’s autistic? I just felt this big, warm “yes.” And it was such a relief too, and it felt like she’d chosen me. And in a sense, from that point on, she really helped me to embrace autism.”
The book takes you through a simple act of going out to a party in a deeper way. It takes you on a journey through the characters mind and opens up so many perspectives of this world for you to see. It helps us understand how the mind works a little bit more…especially for someone who is on the autism spectrum.
It’s truly a phenomenal book and by far one of my favorites. I recommend it to anyone!
FULL NPR INTERVIEW: https://www.npr.org/2020/08/15/902617618/giving-autism-some-love-in-a-room-called-earth
Fake Smile 