Augusten Burroughs isn't the only story teller in the Robison clan. His brother, John Elder, wrote his memoir with prompting from Augusten, and I must say I was enthralled. I've never read any of Burroughs' stuff, but I saw a bit of the movie Running with Scissors. After reading this, I'm excited to grab a couple of his memoirs.
John Elder grew up with machines as friends, and little clue as to why none of his peers wanted to befriend him. As he grew older, his parents got odder and meaner (his dad an alcoholic, his mom sinking into mental illness), and it seems he was given free reign to experiment with tools to his heart's content. The voracity of his brain showed early on, it seemed only his social skills were somewhat lacking.
At 16, he dropped out of school and left his parents' home, and ended up getting his GED. He moved in with a band of his called Fat and worked on their sound for a while before deciding that living with ten people was a bit too much for him. At some point soon after, he met the guitarist for KISS and began designing and implementing tricks for his guitars. Smoking guitars, exploding guitars, you name it, he could create it. This too began to wear on him after a while and he began the pursuit of finding a real job with steady income. This led him to engineering at Milton Bradley, where he designed and created several toys. After leaving this line of work and setting up his own business working on and restoring luxury cars, Robison met a therapist who he became good friends with, and who ultimately diagnosed him with Asperger's at the age of 40.
This book was incredibly fascinating, although at times a bit difficult to follow, because it did seem to jump from place to place and back again, but if you read each chapter as a short story it is a lot easier. At times straightforward, and at times showcasing the vulnerability he felt as a youth, this book is not to be missed. I laughed out loud at the chapter talking about his wife, and his mind using logic to wonder whether he got the best mate out of the three sisters.
John Elder grew up with machines as friends, and little clue as to why none of his peers wanted to befriend him. As he grew older, his parents got odder and meaner (his dad an alcoholic, his mom sinking into mental illness), and it seems he was given free reign to experiment with tools to his heart's content. The voracity of his brain showed early on, it seemed only his social skills were somewhat lacking.
At 16, he dropped out of school and left his parents' home, and ended up getting his GED. He moved in with a band of his called Fat and worked on their sound for a while before deciding that living with ten people was a bit too much for him. At some point soon after, he met the guitarist for KISS and began designing and implementing tricks for his guitars. Smoking guitars, exploding guitars, you name it, he could create it. This too began to wear on him after a while and he began the pursuit of finding a real job with steady income. This led him to engineering at Milton Bradley, where he designed and created several toys. After leaving this line of work and setting up his own business working on and restoring luxury cars, Robison met a therapist who he became good friends with, and who ultimately diagnosed him with Asperger's at the age of 40.
This book was incredibly fascinating, although at times a bit difficult to follow, because it did seem to jump from place to place and back again, but if you read each chapter as a short story it is a lot easier. At times straightforward, and at times showcasing the vulnerability he felt as a youth, this book is not to be missed. I laughed out loud at the chapter talking about his wife, and his mind using logic to wonder whether he got the best mate out of the three sisters.
Posted by Ashley
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