This New York Times Bestseller was written by a thirteen-year-old, autistic, Japanese boy, Naoki Higashida, and later translated into English by David Mitchell and KA Yoshida. The introduction by Mr. Mitchell really zones in on what makes this book so important: it isn’t from the viewpoint of a caretaker, or an autistic adult, or a professional; it is from a child who is living autism in real time.
The book is formatted in a series of questions with answers written by Naoki. The prose isn’t the treasure here–it is the insights. I have often wondered what people who have difficulties (or impossibilities) communicating are thinking and feeling, and perhaps this is the closest one can come to experiencing that.
This is not a middle grade or young adult book per se, but my recommendation age of 12+ is based on the fact that the author of the memoir was thriteen and that young readers in particular could benefit from seeing the world through another’s eyes. The Reason I Jump is a quick, unique, and worthwhile read.
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: 2 mild obscenities.
Violence/Gore: Fictional story that mentions a death from an accident.
Sex/Nudity: None
Mature Subject Matter:
Autism.
Alcohol / Drug Use:
None
