Celebrating Autistic Adults
The autistic community is a beautifully diverse community made up of people from all walks of life, including people of all ages. Despite this, conversations about autism often focus exclusively on children. Autistic adults frequently face barriers to accessing vital support because they are only for minors. It also means they are rarely consulted about things that directly affect them, like policies, laws and advocacy campaigns. Their experiences and opinions are ignored or outright dismissed.
I want to celebrate the adult members of the autistic community. In an effort to amplify their voices, all of the books included in this post have at least one autistic author. Below you'll find biographies, resources for both neurodivergent and neurotypical people and fiction featuring autistic characters.
Biographies
Autistic people share their life stories, including how being autistic shapes their experiences and identities.
Sensory : life on the spectrum : an autistic comic anthology edited by Rebecca Ollerton
From artist and curator Bex Ollerton comes an anthology featuring comics from thirty autistic creators about their experiences of living in a world that doesn't always understand or accept them.
Ten steps to Nanette : a memoir situation by Hannah Gadsby
Gadsby takes us through the moments in her life that led to the creation of Nanette, her popular standup comedy show. She traces her growth as a gay woman from Tasmania–where homosexuality was illegal until 1997–to her ever-evolving relationship with comedy, to her struggle with late-in-life diagnoses of autism and ADHD, and finally to Nanette.
Typed words, loud voices edited by Amy Sequenzia and Elizabeth J. Grace
Essays written by a coalition of writers who talk by typing rather than speaking aloud.
Book for Autistic Folks, by Autistic Folks
Words of wisdom from fellow members of the autistic community.
Unmasking autism : discovering the new faces of neurodiversity by Devon Price
For every visibly autistic person you meet, countless “masked” autistic people pass as neurotypical. Dr. Devon Price takes a deep dive into the spectrum of autistic experiences and the phenomenon of masked autism, giving individuals the tools to safely uncover their true selves while broadening society’s narrow understanding of neurodiversity.
The autism relationships handbook : how to thrive in friendships, dating, and love by Joe Biel and Faith G. Harper
Dr. Faith G. Harper joins autistic author Joe Biel to offer hard-won guidance on a wide range of topics about friendships, dating, and romance. The pair also wrote The autism FAQ : everything you wanted to know about diagnosis & autistic life.
The autism-friendly guide to self-employment by Robyn Steward
Successfully self-employed autistic author Robyn Steward shares her insights about the valuable skills and unique visions self-employed autistic people bring to the job market. This book will teach you how to bring these strengths into the world of self-employment. Also check out Robyn's The autism-friendly guide to periods.
Books for Neurotypical People
If you've got an autistic friend or family member, or just want to learn more, these books provide excellent insight into what it's like to be autistic and how you can support the community.
We're not broken : changing the autism conversation by Eric Garcia
From education to healthcare, autistic journalist Eric Garcia explores how autistic people wrestle with systems that were not built with them in mind. He shares the experiences of all types of autistic people, from those with higher support needs to autistic people of colour, to those in the 2SLGBTQ+ community. In doing so, Garcia gives his community a platform to articulate their own needs, rather than having others speak for them.
Sincerely, your autistic child : what people on the autism spectrum wish their parents knew about growing up, acceptance, and identity edited by Emily Paige Ballou, Sharon daVanport and Morénike Giwa Onaiwu
A diverse collection of autistic voices that highlights how parents can avoid common mistakes and misconceptions, and make their children feel genuinely accepted, valued, and celebrated for who they are.
The #ActuallyAutistic guide to advocacy : step-by-step advice on how to ally and speak up with autistic people and the autism community by Jennifer Brunton and Jenna Gensic
An in-depth look at the key elements of respectful, inclusive advocacy and allyship. The advice and strategies laid out in this guide center on the wisdom and experiences of Autistic people and enable the reader to confidently speak up with insight and understanding.
Fiction
From science fiction to romance, enjoy these fictional stories featuring autistic main characters.
The Outside by Ada Hoffman
Autistic scientist Yasira Shien developed an energy drive that could change the future of humanity. But when she activates it, reality warps, destroying the space station and everyone inside. The super-intelligent AI Gods declare her work heretical. Instead of executing her, they offer mercy if she'll help them hunt down her mysterious mentor. Now Yasira must choose who to trust: the Gods or the rebel scientist whose mathematics could turn her world, literally, inside out.
The Winter Knight by Jes Battis
The knights of the round table are alive in Vancouver. When one winds up dead, Hildie, a Valkyrie, is assigned to the case. On her list of suspects is Wayne, an autistic college student and the reincarnation of Sir Gawain. After finding himself at the scene of the crime, Wayne is pulled deeper into his medieval family history while trying to navigate a new relationship. The Winter Knight is an urban fairy tale with queer and trans heroes that asks what it means to be a myth and who gets to star in these tales.
Two wrongs make a right by Chloe Liese
There's much ado about everything when an autistic artist and an anxious doctor become allies and fake a relationship to fool their meddling friends in this swoony, inclusive reimagining of Shakespeare's play Much Ado About Nothing.
An unkindness of ghosts by Rivers Solomon
Aster lives in the low deck slums of the HSS Matilda, a space vessel organized much like the antebellum South. For generations, Matilda has ferried the last of humanity to a mythical Promised Land. On its way, the ship's leaders have imposed harsh moral restrictions and deep indignities on dark-skinned sharecroppers like Aster. Embroiled in a grudge with a brutal overseer, Aster learns there may be a way to improve her lot...if she's willing to sow the seeds of civil war.
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