any fiction books with an aspie main character?

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Sibyl
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27 Oct 2013, 9:13 pm

ExoticCritter wrote:
1.) The Time Quartet (best known for A Wrinkle in Time- which is the first book in the series) implies that two of its main characters (Meg and Charles Wallace) are on the spectrum. Both characters are appear odd, have trouble with other people, and have an above average intellect. It is mentioned several times that their twin siblings are "normal," and something is off with Meg and Charles Wallace. Charles Wallace learned to talk very late, barely talks at all, and is severely bullied. It also implies they were tested for autism in the first book (their parents gave them a series of tests that felt like games when they were little- some were IQ tests and some weren't). However, I believe they later sort of contradict this by saying Charales Wallace may be the start of a new species of something.


Wow! You're right, Exotic Critter! I read those books a long time ago, before I knew anything about Autism or Aspergers (I was undiagnosed (with Aspergers) until I was in my early sixties, because _nobody_ knew about them when I was a child). I loved the books, and I knew the characters were "like me", (I always knew that I was different), but I hadn't thought about A/A in that connection, hadn't thought about the books since my diagnosis! They were written before psychologists were diagnosing the Spectrum, so L'Engle must have known someone whom she was describing, or maybe even describing herself.

Thank you for making the connection for me!


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27 Oct 2013, 10:16 pm

Sibyl wrote:
ExoticCritter wrote:
1.) The Time Quartet (best known for A Wrinkle in Time- which is the first book in the series) implies that two of its main characters (Meg and Charles Wallace) are on the spectrum. Both characters are appear odd, have trouble with other people, and have an above average intellect. It is mentioned several times that their twin siblings are "normal," and something is off with Meg and Charles Wallace. Charles Wallace learned to talk very late, barely talks at all, and is severely bullied. It also implies they were tested for autism in the first book (their parents gave them a series of tests that felt like games when they were little- some were IQ tests and some weren't). However, I believe they later sort of contradict this by saying Charales Wallace may be the start of a new species of something.


Wow! You're right, Exotic Critter! I read those books a long time ago, before I knew anything about Autism or Aspergers (I was undiagnosed (with Aspergers) until I was in my early sixties, because _nobody_ knew about them when I was a child). I loved the books, and I knew the characters were "like me", (I always knew that I was different), but I hadn't thought about A/A in that connection, hadn't thought about the books since my diagnosis! They were written before psychologists were diagnosing the Spectrum, so L'Engle must have known someone whom she was describing, or maybe even describing herself.

Thank you for making the connection for me!
Your welcome. I really identified with these characters in elementary school when I read the series. I read part of the first book again after I was diagnosed in high school and realized they had the same thing as me.



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30 Oct 2013, 10:53 pm

"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Mark Haddon, of course! It is certainly a "modern classic" novel, it gets right to the point of what autism is all about and how logical autistics can be.



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31 Oct 2013, 6:53 pm

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy! How have more people not read this?? It states in the first book that she has Asperger's.



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31 Oct 2013, 10:33 pm

PowderHound wrote:
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy! How have more people not read this?? It states in the first book that she has Asperger's.


Thank you, PowerHound! I've been hearing good things about this trilogy for a while -- I read a lot of fiction, and apparently it fits in well with the things I do read, but the "main character with Asperger's" aspect is one that was never mentioned in the advertising. So now this book that people have been telling me I would like will get read! :D


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01 Nov 2013, 5:21 am

"The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox" by Maggie O'Farrell. It's never mentioned in the book that Esme has Aspergers, but it's pretty clear that the writer is hinting at it. I've read reviews and other readers think so too. It's all the more intriguing as it's about a female, so she's well away from the stereotype. I really enjoyed it.


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WorldsEdge
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01 Nov 2013, 5:51 am

Sibyl wrote:
PowderHound wrote:
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy! How have more people not read this?? It states in the first book that she has Asperger's.


Thank you, PowerHound! I've been hearing good things about this trilogy for a while -- I read a lot of fiction, and apparently it fits in well with the things I do read, but the "main character with Asperger's" aspect is one that was never mentioned in the advertising. So now this book that people have been telling me I would like will get read! :D


I liked the first book, but I found the rape scene at the beginning of the second book so disturbing I had to shut the audiobook off. One of the few times in my life I've ever done such a thing. I thought I had a high tolerance for stuff like this, but I guess Larson is such a good writer that he could render even me too squeamish to continue. (Though I've also wondered if the fact that I was listening to it played a role. Perhaps I'd have been okay with an actual book? But it was still quite raw.)

And speaking of deeply disturbing, I'd suggest that Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, Alex A Clockwork Orange and maybe Meursault in The Stranger would all qualify for being placed on the Spectrum. Not that I'd personally wish to associate with any member of this particular trio...but to suggest that no one on the Spectrum is ever a villain strikes me as ridiculous. And all three certainly seemed (to me, at any rate) to have some very strong ASD tendencies.


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01 Nov 2013, 2:24 pm

WorldsEdge wrote:
I liked the first book, but I found the rape scene at the beginning of the second book so disturbing I had to shut the audiobook off. One of the few times in my life I've ever done such a thing. I thought I had a high tolerance for stuff like this, but I guess Larson is such a good writer that he could render even me too squeamish to continue. (Though I've also wondered if the fact that I was listening to it played a role. Perhaps I'd have been okay with an actual book? But it was still quite raw.)


It's not a rape scene! I thought it was at first too, though. Larson really dramatizes it to show that Dr. Teleborian gets the same type of satisfaction out of torturing and asserting dominance over Salander as a rapist would by raping someone.