Fall Down 7 Times Get Up 8: A Young Man's Voice from the Silence of Autism [Hardcover]

From the author of the bestsellingThe Reason I Jump,an extraordinary self-portrait of a young adult with autism

“Essential reading for parents and teachers of those with autism who remain nonverbal.”—Temple Grandin

Naoki Higashida was only thirteen when he wroteThe Reason I Jump,a revelatory account of autism from the inside by a nonverbal Japanese child, which became an international success. Now, inFall Down 7 Times Get Up 8,he shares his thoughts and experiences as a young man living each day with severe autism. In short, powerful chapters, Higashida explores school memories, family relationships, the exhilaration of travel, and the difficulties of speech. He also allows readers to experience profound moments we take for granted, like the thought-steps necessary for him to register that it’s raining outside. Acutely aware of how strange his behavior can appear to others, he aims throughout to foster a better understanding of autism and to encourage society to see people with disabilities as people, not as problems.

With an introduction by the bestselling novelist David Mitchell,Fall Down 7 Times Get Up 8also includes a dreamlike short story Higashida wrote especially for the U.S. edition. Both moving and of practical use, this book opens a window into the mind of an inspiring young man who meets every challenge with tenacity and good humor. However often he falls down, he always gets back up.

Praise forFall Down 7 Times Get Up 8

“[Naoki Higashida’s] success as a writer now transcends his diagnosis. . . . His relative isolation—with words as his primary connection to the outside world—has allowed him to fully develop the powers of observation that are necessary for good writing, and he has developed rich, deep perspectives on ideas that many take for granted. . . . The diversity of Higashida’s writing, in both subject andló&