As a mom of a recently diagnosed daughter with Autism, I found many explanations in the book helpful and enlightening.

However, there were many times the author talked about unmasking as if it was only a neurodiverse problem when really, I would venture to say most neurotypical people mask as well, only to a lesser extent and less in a physical manner. Most people choose to mask their true selves because of either fear or rejection, as vulnerability has high costs and it’s easier to be what people expect than be authentic with so much risk involved in being honest or transparent. “Cancel culture” is a great example of this. So while the advice and steps do apply to Autistics, they really apply to *any* person, and therefore didn’t feel like new information or altogether specific.

I also struggled a little with the scenarios being specific to a trans/gay lifestyle over autistic specific scenarios, and that most of the interviewees were LGBTQIA. I fully understand that since the author identifies as trans, much of his community will also be, but it felt like instead of just being an autistic focused book, it filtered the autistic experience to being someone who also had a different gender association which doesn’t apply to our situation. I was hoping for a more generic or balanced interpretation.