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ninetalevixen 's review for:
The Spectrum Girl's Survival Guide: How to Grow Up Awesome and Autistic
by Siena Castellon
I received an advance review copy from Jessica Kingsley Publishers through Netgalley; all opinions are my own and honest.
I appreciate the intent behind this book, I love that this exists in the world, and in fact I was moved to actual tears because certain passages made me feel so seen and valid and included. Over the years I've grappled with imposter syndrome in relation to my own diagnosis because I'm generally "high-functioning" — though I agree with Castellon, "high-" and "low-functioning" are labels that really do more harm than good — but there are also a million little things that only another autistic girl would ever notice, let alone understand. (This is why #ownvoices representation matters!)
There are several sections devoted to self-esteem and reminding the reader that they're not alone, even though it can feel that way; at times they border on cheesy, but on the whole they seem genuine. I do have some concerns, though: Castellon often uses phrases like "I'm sure you've had a similar experience," which undermines the acknowledgment that autism is a spectrum condition and individual presentations vary greatly, and (ironically) may make readers feel excluded if they haven't had a similar experience. Additionally, some of the "advice" in the mental health sections are very close to "positive thinking will cure your depression," which is inaccurate and unhelpful.
I think this could have used a lot more editing and input from others (both experts and peers); it tackles an extremely wide range of topics, and the author doesn't seem qualified to give advice on all of them.
While I liked the inclusion of the author's personal anecdotes and preferences — making the tone more akin to a chat between peers than a well-meaning lecture from some kind of authority figure — some of the advice is overly simplistic, is phrased in a borderline patronizing way (considering the target audience is the author's peers: teens and preteens), and/or is presented as the single best way to solve a problem when, again, everyone's experience is different. The comics are cute and I love the diverse characters, but I found the dialogue and advice overly simplistic.
The author's privilege also shows in a lot of the tips: not every reader will be able to get/use a laptop to circumvent handwriting issues, or have access to therapy, or switch schools when the bullying gets really bad but administration won't address it. (Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for Castellon that these things worked for her. But it's naive and oblivious to present them as relatively fast-and-easy one-size-fits-all solutions.)
I appreciated the intersectional intentions in the section about LGBTQ+ identity, but since the author self-identifies as a (straight?) cis girl, honestly I was annoyed by the advice about these topics, such as coming out. While I can appreciate the desire to create a widely inclusive resource, it's not really credible advice. If LGBTQ+ autistic teens were consulted in the writing of this section (which would've been a good place to start), they don't seem to be acknowledged; if they weren't, I honestly think it would've been better to omit this section, or at least replace the advice with better-researched resources for the reader to look into. And the presentation of this section that might alienate some readers, because it's addressed primarily to MTF trans people — although this is marketed for autistic girls, it's hardly a stretch to imagine closeted/questioning/nonbinary young people picking it up (or being gifted a copy); and although the LGBTQ+ community is more widely accepted now than it used to be, being queer and autistic still isn't easy.
As a supplement to other available resources — I second Castellon's recommendation of the Smart Girl's Guide series, which were invaluable during my formative years — this book definitely fills in a specific gap. But I would caution against relying on it as a primary guide.
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CONVERSION: 8.9 / 15 = 3 stars
Prose: 5 / 10
Intellectual Engagement: 4 / 10
Credibility: 5 / 10
Organization / Structure: 7 / 10
Emotional Impact / Interest: 5 / 5
Rereadability: 3 / 5
Memorability: 3 / 5
I appreciate the intent behind this book, I love that this exists in the world, and in fact I was moved to actual tears because certain passages made me feel so seen and valid and included. Over the years I've grappled with imposter syndrome in relation to my own diagnosis because I'm generally "high-functioning" — though I agree with Castellon, "high-" and "low-functioning" are labels that really do more harm than good — but there are also a million little things that only another autistic girl would ever notice, let alone understand. (This is why #ownvoices representation matters!)
There are several sections devoted to self-esteem and reminding the reader that they're not alone, even though it can feel that way; at times they border on cheesy, but on the whole they seem genuine. I do have some concerns, though: Castellon often uses phrases like "I'm sure you've had a similar experience," which undermines the acknowledgment that autism is a spectrum condition and individual presentations vary greatly, and (ironically) may make readers feel excluded if they haven't had a similar experience. Additionally, some of the "advice" in the mental health sections are very close to "positive thinking will cure your depression," which is inaccurate and unhelpful.
I think this could have used a lot more editing and input from others (both experts and peers); it tackles an extremely wide range of topics, and the author doesn't seem qualified to give advice on all of them.
While I liked the inclusion of the author's personal anecdotes and preferences — making the tone more akin to a chat between peers than a well-meaning lecture from some kind of authority figure — some of the advice is overly simplistic, is phrased in a borderline patronizing way (considering the target audience is the author's peers: teens and preteens), and/or is presented as the single best way to solve a problem when, again, everyone's experience is different. The comics are cute and I love the diverse characters, but I found the dialogue and advice overly simplistic.
The author's privilege also shows in a lot of the tips: not every reader will be able to get/use a laptop to circumvent handwriting issues, or have access to therapy, or switch schools when the bullying gets really bad but administration won't address it. (Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for Castellon that these things worked for her. But it's naive and oblivious to present them as relatively fast-and-easy one-size-fits-all solutions.)
I appreciated the intersectional intentions in the section about LGBTQ+ identity, but since the author self-identifies as a (straight?) cis girl, honestly I was annoyed by the advice about these topics, such as coming out. While I can appreciate the desire to create a widely inclusive resource, it's not really credible advice. If LGBTQ+ autistic teens were consulted in the writing of this section (which would've been a good place to start), they don't seem to be acknowledged; if they weren't, I honestly think it would've been better to omit this section, or at least replace the advice with better-researched resources for the reader to look into. And the presentation of this section that might alienate some readers, because it's addressed primarily to MTF trans people — although this is marketed for autistic girls, it's hardly a stretch to imagine closeted/questioning/nonbinary young people picking it up (or being gifted a copy); and although the LGBTQ+ community is more widely accepted now than it used to be, being queer and autistic still isn't easy.
As a supplement to other available resources — I second Castellon's recommendation of the Smart Girl's Guide series, which were invaluable during my formative years — this book definitely fills in a specific gap. But I would caution against relying on it as a primary guide.
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CONVERSION: 8.9 / 15 = 3 stars
Prose: 5 / 10
Intellectual Engagement: 4 / 10
Credibility: 5 / 10
Organization / Structure: 7 / 10
Emotional Impact / Interest: 5 / 5
Rereadability: 3 / 5
Memorability: 3 / 5