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Sea_of_Saiyan
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21 Feb 2009, 10:22 pm

Hello,

I was wondering if anyone here read the novel Oryx and Crake (by Margaret Atwood) and whether or not it a) is worth reading or b) accurately depicts Asperger's.

Please don't post any huge spoilers like the ending.

Thanks,

~S_O_S



LosFrida
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21 Feb 2009, 10:33 pm

I read Oryx and Crake (loved it) but it's been a number of years. Will have to reread get back to you :)


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SleepyDragon
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21 Feb 2009, 11:53 pm

Jimmy, the protagonist of the novel, attends a school at which the majority are the gifted, intelligent children of gifted, intelligent parents. There is no attempt to define, explicitly, what it means to be Asperger's, or to paint a detailed portrait of anyone who is, beyond what is necessary to serve the narrative. Doing so would not have served the narrative in any case, in my view; it is Jimmy's very normality which makes him the odd one out in this situation. I found this an immensely satisfying reversal from the usual scenario where the so-called "normal" people are the dominant ones.

Oryx and Crake is an excellent book, and I warmly recommend it.



Sea_of_Saiyan
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26 Feb 2009, 3:51 pm

Thank you for your replies! :D

I've checked it out and started reading it. The book is a bit disgusting so far, but I very much enjoy it.



MrMisanthrope
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26 Feb 2009, 3:59 pm

SleepyDragon wrote:
Jimmy, the protagonist of the novel, attends a school at which the majority are the gifted, intelligent children of gifted, intelligent parents. There is no attempt to define, explicitly, what it means to be Asperger's, or to paint a detailed portrait of anyone who is, beyond what is necessary to serve the narrative. Doing so would not have served the narrative in any case, in my view; it is Jimmy's very normality which makes him the odd one out in this situation. I found this an immensely satisfying reversal from the usual scenario where the so-called "normal" people are the dominant ones.

Oryx and Crake is an excellent book, and I warmly recommend it.

Jimmy's friend however, went to "Asperger's U" (that's what the students called it) where social conformance was held, by the students, to be immaterial or even counterproductive to their educational goals...


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poopylungstuffing
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03 Mar 2009, 1:48 pm

Funny...I first read the book before I knew what Asperger's was and that whole aspect of it went completely over my head.



MrMisanthrope
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03 Mar 2009, 4:57 pm

poopylungstuffing wrote:
Funny...I first read the book before I knew what Asperger's was and that whole aspect of it went completely over my head.


It caught my eye immediately... and this was well before my Dx.

Here is how Wiki describes it:

Quote:
Crake attends a university referred to as Asperger's U, referring to the university's high population of incredibly intelligent, socially awkward people, which might suggest that his idea was not the product of insanity or something 'wrong' with him, but rather the knowledge that everything else around him was wrong


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