The Reason I Jump

The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism

By: Naoki Higashida

Narrated by: Tom Picasso

Length: 2 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

You've never listened to a book like The Reason I Jump. Written by Naoki Higashida, a very smart, very self-aware, and very charming thirteen-year-old boy with autism, it is a one-of-a-kind memoir that demonstrates how an autistic mind thinks, feels, perceives, and responds in ways few of us can imagine. Parents and family members who never thought they could get inside the head of their autistic loved one at last have a way to break through to the curious, subtle, and complex life within. Using an alphabet grid to painstakingly construct words, sentences, and thoughts that he is unable to speak out loud, Naoki answers even the most delicate questions that people want to know. Questions such as: "Why do people with autism talk so loudly and weirdly?" "Why do you line up your toy cars and blocks?" "Why don't you make eye contact when you're talking?" and "What's the reason you jump?" (Naoki's answer: "When I'm jumping, it's as if my feelings are going upward to the sky.")

With disarming honesty and a generous heart, Naoki shares his unique point of view on not only autism but life itself. His insights - into the mystery of words, the wonders of laughter, and the elusiveness of memory - are so startling, so strange, and so powerful that you will never look at the world the same way again.

©2007 Naoki Higashida (P)2013 Recorded Books

Good insight

I enjoyed getting into the mind of autism. What an insight into the neuro diverse world

Captivating!!!!

Mom of 29yo I see you better now I Love you. YM you’re doing well

Interested books about autism!

I loved the format of this books being a question answer format. It was so interesting to hear the perspective of a child with autism explaining some of the things that autistic people struggle with and how the brain functions!

True insite

I now understand my son more now. Thank you for using your abilities to write such a helpful guide for us parents.

Cracking the code

As a neuroscience nurse with an autistic grandson, I appreciate the insights revealed by young Naoki Higashida. It is most affirming to recognize that within the limitations of verbal and emotional expression, there is intelligence, humor and creativity trying to assert itself. What I found most heartbreaking is the realization that these children feel the burden of their families’ sorrow, frustration, and disappointment, imposing a daunting sense of responsibility to keep the family happy. (Research has shown that this is a common phenomenon among children with any chronic or terminal diagnosis, but I had not thought of it in this context).

While there must be a caveat that the experiences of Naoki may not have universal applicability for those on the spectrum, the revelations of the internal struggles to control emotions and behavior do suggest approaches that families can employ to understand and develop the abilities hidden inside their autistic loved ones. In this respect it is different from books written by those discussing the autistic experience from the caregiver’s POV. What I would love to see now is an update now that Naoki is a young adult, because one of the mysteries we would love to solve is how normal growth and development stages (such as adolescence with all of its hormonal upheavals wreaking havoc with emotional control) affect the behavior and expression of the autistic person as they mature. Anything to better prepare our loved one for his own future.

Only True Insight

There are many experts such as scholars, doctors and parents that will tell you about Autism, but unless you climbed Mount Everest, no tour guide behind a desk can tell you the experience of climbing. This is the same thing for Autism and many other disabilities. No one can tell you what it's like to have a disorder unless you have it.

"The Reason I Jump" is a journey of a 13 year old boy that has Autism. It is written in a way to be informable like a FAQ from an adolescent that has this disability. Unless you go directly to the source for an answer, all other opinions are less irrelevant because they are hypothetical answers to the questions.

I have to thank Naoki Higashida for writing his experience on what it's like to be Autistic. His voice has more power than any behavior specialist on Autism. I'm not dismissing the experts on all disabilities, but whenever someone explains about a disorder, they are just assuming the condition.

Besides explaining his condition in his book, he tells a great story beyond his Autism. He is a profound writer, just being 13 when he wrote this book.

Extraordinary Book

An extraordinary book. Thank you for writing it. I very much appreciate the story at the end.

It's okay

A fine enough book - but I can't help constrasting it with Wonder, by R.J. Palacio - a truly touching story. Also, there's Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. A real classic.

Both are some of the best books I've read. Both are fiction. This book, The Reason I Jump, isn't. So it's a different "beast". What I'm getting at though, is that for some reason it didn't touch me as much as I'd hoped.

Really good until the last two chapters

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Yes, the last chapter really totally took the subject of autism out of the contexts of this book. Really disappointing, if indeed written by a thirteen year old who wanted to add a religious aspect to his feelings then maybe, but it just made me feel totally annoyed

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

It totally had nothing to do with Autism. As an Atheist, this was something that totally was added for effect. (whether it was done for effect or for emotion) it totally turned me off

Which scene was your favorite?

I enjoyed all of the book up until the last two chapters. It talked about autism, from the point of the person who has autism. (As a person gets older, with the help of teachers and family with lots of patients some one with autism can learn) I recently read "600 hours with Edward" developmentally disabled adult with OCD. Even though he was high functioning adult with Asperger syndrome, and OCD. and it was fiction, I got a lot out of it and I think others would as well

Could you see The Reason I Jump being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No, It would be too demanding, maybe a movie if they left the last two chapters out.

Any additional comments?

When writing about a disorder, especially from the patients point of view, I had no clue of this persons views on religion, and why they put it in the last two chapters was beyond me. Other than that, avoid the last two chapters and enjoy this book it's well read and truly expresses what it's like to be a prisoner of autism

Great book

Great book, that helps to understand some of our question about autism mind. A gifted child, telling is the truth