"The Curious Incident of the Dog"
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| Thu, 09-15-2005 - 2:14am |
My dad gave us an audio CD of the book called, "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Mark Haddon. The narrator is a 15 boy with Asperger's (it's fiction). I've just listened to the first of five CDs, and I'm really enjoying it. The character does not remind me very much of my 7 year old with AS, but he does remind me a LOT of an adult I once knew (an adult who had a fairly successful career in the U.S. Air Force, I might add.)
I'm wondering if anyone else has read or listened to it. I'm glad I've got the CD, because the actor who narrates is doing a great job. Even though I haven't listened to the whole thing, I'm going to go ahead and recommend it.
Does anyone else here know this book?
Evelyn
BTW, I just looked at the cover and saw that it says he has "Asperger's" but all the reviews I've read use the word "Autistic". If the character reminds you of anyone you know, I wonder if it is someone dx with AS, PDD-NOS, or "autism".

Well, I have read it and loved it. Actually bought copies for my inlaws, Mike's teachers and friends last year. My FIL read it in one day and said finally something helped him understand Mike like nothing else ever had. Then my MIL read it and same thing.
My inlaws are staunch religous people. The book has some parts (like cussing) that I thought would be an issue. The book meant so much to them in understanding thier grandsons and even Cait to a degree that they not only never mentioned those parts they buy copies for thier friends.
That made me look at the book again. I didn't think it was that much like Mike because as far as I know he doesn't determine his day on what color car he saw. Buy in many ways my FIL was right because of just how the character thinks. The way he goes through things logically. The train incident was very very revealing to my inlaws for when Mike shuts down or becomes awful in public.
BTW, the author claims he never intended the main char to be autistic. In fact I read in a interview with him that it never says in the book that he is autistic. That was put on the cover and such afterwards. He used to work with special needs folks a while back and had some background but didn't know HFA very well at all. He had worked with lower functioning. He just needed the right kind of character to tell this story and this is the character he developed.
Amazing huh. Sometimes it is hard not to believe in devine intervention.
Renee
Hi - I read the book & the character/narrator has
Dh and I read it a year or so ago and really liked it. We considered letting Jesse (then 11 or 12) read it but decided against it. We gave it to MIL to read prior to when she took DS on a trip (just the 2 of them) to the UK this summer. She also called it "divine intervention"!
We thought it particularily important as on one of our previous trips to London, DS was 8 and wandered off in a large train station. I guess it helped us to feel better knowing she'd read it because we were pretty darn worried about this trip - but at least the book gave her some insite into how DS thinks and acts.
Trip turned out wonderfully, and MIL learned to appreciate a whole different side of DS!
Jackie
Pat
Happiness is a conscious choice, not an automatic response. --
I read this on a London -> NY flight and cried and cried. I totally freaked out the lady sitting next to me, who fnally plucked up the courage to tredpidiously ask "Is that a good book?" I explained about my kids and she relaxed a bit. I think she thought I was a complete lunatic.
So much in his book reminded me of Peter -particularly the tactile defensiveness, the overstimulation and being so distant from the parents (didn't call them mom or dad).
Yep, I recommend it.
-Paula
visit my blog at www.onesickmother.com
I would agree. He was high functioning but significantly impaired. It speaks of how smart his is in "maths" and he is supposidly writing the story, but at the same time attends a special school and has an aide. He does sound a lot like my Mike afterall.
Renee
My mother read this book. She like it and said it did in certain places remind her of Jake. However, she said that they used the F word way too much and she was going to go through the book and white them out before she let Jake read it. LOL I was going to read it but never got around to it...
Liza
There is a cleaned up kids version but even the story line is not for kids. If you want a fictional book for Jake there are many other options. I don't want to give away the story, but it isn't just the frequent use of the "F" word that would keep me from letting a child read it.
It is a mystery and meant as a novel for adults first and foremost. It's relation to autism is a way cool added bonus.
Other novels with autistic chars are Dean Koontz, "By the Light of the Moon" (lower functioning classic kanners) and Elizabeth Moon "Speed of Dark". Haven't read the second one yet but I hear it is a scifi about autistic adults IF there were a sudden cure for autism.
Renee
Pat
Happiness is a conscious choice, not an automatic response. --
hey, on the other side of the Atlantic we call it "Maths" -short for mathematics (note plural). in fact we think "math" makes no sense.
You only learn one kind?
..and it's a lorry. not a truck.
-Paula
visit my blog at www.onesickmother.com