A compelling continuation of Williams's determined struggle to
break free from autism. Perhaps even more than her best-selling
Nobody Nowhere (1992), this journal reveals the vision and courage
of the author. It picks up where the earlier volume left off, with
the completion of the first manuscript and its submission to a
publisher. Then, Williams was heading back home from London to
Australia, newly aware of a self. But with the bite of the apple of
awareness, she was more emotionally vulnerable than ever,
unprotected by the ritualistic noises and movements typical of
autism and determined not to call on the false selves that helped
her function in the world "out there." With the help of an
educational psychologist and a couple who began as her landlords
and ended as loving counselors, and with the help also of
colleagues and her students, she fought to move beyond the still
detached world in which she lived. She had no comprehension of what
other people were feeling, since she could not admit feeling
herself. Sensitive to noise, bright lights and supersensitive to
touch, she was sometimes overwhelmed by sensation, at which time
the "meaning dropped out of words." She heard, but did not
comprehend, only hoping that a speaker's words would be stored
somewhere in her memory so she could retrieve and understand them
later. College, teaching, and a worldwide book tour added pressure,
but Williams's amazing determination enabled her to break through
bouts of the "Big Black Nothingness" - a void of sensation and
experience - to feel anger, pain, and pleasure. Descriptions of
feelings at times take on the fuzzy terms of New Agespeak, but
discovering as an adult what most of us experience from birth must
overwhelm the power of metaphor. A poignant sequel to Williams's
ongoing adventure, her experiences here more closely shadowing the
emotional struggles of non-autistic adults. (Kirkus Reviews)
This is the second volume of Donna Williams' autobiography in which
she recounts the story of her struggle with autism. Taking up the
thread where "Nobody Nowhere: The Remarkable Autobiography of an
Autistic Girl" left off, this volume tells of her ongoing battle to
overcome the compulsions and obsessions of autism, and her
increasingly successful efforts to lead a normal life. The third
volume, "Like Colour to the Blind: Soul Searching and Soul Finding"
continues the story.
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