True Stories for Autism Acceptance Month

Sarah Kurchak, who grew up in a small town in Ontario, always seemed to know that she was different from the people around her. To fit in, she adopted behaviors so she could perform being like everyone else, but these coping mechanisms caused her significant challenges. When she was finally diagnosed with autism at 27, she realized that these same coping mechanisms contributed to her anxiety and depression. In this memoir she challenges stereotypes and ideas about autism and shares what she believes will help “make the lives of autistic people healthier, happier and more fulfilling.”

Journalist Eric Garcia started to write more about what it’s like being autistic in America after growing frustrated with the way the media wrote about autistic people. In the book, he uses his own experiences as an autistic person to look at the social and policy gaps that exist when trying to support autistic people. He also shared the stories of a range of autistic people, including people of color and those in the LGBTQ community.

At 35 years old, Jennifer O’Toole was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome which, for the first time, helped her life make sense. In this book she writes about “the constant struggle between carefully crafted persona and authentic existence” while specifically calling out the experiences of women with an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis. In addition to autism, she writes about everything from body image to self-esteem and more.

In this book, activist Holly Robinson Peete partners with her twins, R.J. Peete and Ryan Elizabeth Peete, to share stories about what it is like to be an autistic teen. Through this family perspective, they’re able to share what it’s like to have autism (R.J.), support an autistic sibling (Ryan Elizabeth) or support an autistic child (Holly). The book covers everything from family vacations, playdates, body changes, high school drama, and more.