The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism

It is a unique book written by thirteen-year-old autistic kid Naoki Higashida, who is exceptionally intelligent, self-aware, and charming. It shows how an autistic mind thinks, feels, observes, and behaves in ways that few of us can comprehend. Finally, there is a method for parents and other family members to see into the mind of their loved one with autism, and discover the nuanced, complicated, and interesting life that lives inside.

Naoki responds to even the most sensitive inquiries from individuals by laboriously creating words, phrases, and ideas that he is unable to articulate aloud using an alphabet grid. Queries like "Why do people with autism talk so loudly and strangely" are common. "Why do you arrange your blocks and toy cars in a queue?" "When you speak, why don't you look me in the eye?" as well as "Why do you jump?" (Naoki's response: "It feels like my feelings are reaching the sky when I jump.") Naoki gives his own perspective on autism and life in general with an open and kind heart. You won't be able to look at the world the same way again after reading his insights into the enigma of words, the pleasures of laughing, and the elusiveness of memory.