Curated by: Kayla Thompson, Adult Services, Cape Girardeau Public Library
April is Autism Awareness Month. Below are a few titles that inform, educate, and highlight different autism experiences.
Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert (Fiction): Though I haven’t read this particular title of Hibbert’s, I have read her novel Get a Life, Chloe Brown (the first in her Brown Sister’s novels). Hilbert is a wonderful storyteller and her characters all highlight an array of different abilities and disabilities. In this third installment romance, we get to see two characters fall in love despite their differences and struggles.
The Bride Test by Helen Hoang (Fiction): If you have been following any of my recommendations, then you have probably seen Helen Hoang mentioned before. She is a wonderfully talented author who also happens to be on the spectrum. Her romances are heartfelt, funny, and hot hot HOT!
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Foer (Fiction): This is one that I have not read, but there is a movie adaptation with Tom Hanks…so I feel like it must be good (i love Tom Hanks). Be aware though that this one might be emotional. It follows 9-year-old Oskar Schell as he navigates the world and his place in it after losing his dad during 9/11.
Uniquely Human by Dr. Barry M. Prizant (Nonfiction): I have also not personally read this one, but I thought our list should include at least one nonfiction book centering around the subject. Prizant’s book, originally written in 2015, was recently updated and expanded on in 2022. Uniquely Human has won at least one award for “Outstanding Literary Work in Autism” and has seen favorable reviews in Booklist, Kirkus, and the Library Journal publications.
