Be Different: Adventures of a Free-Range Aspergian With Practical Advice for Aspergians, Misfits, Families & Teachers (24 page)
Authors: John Elder Robison
Tags: #Self-Help
A few of the moms I’d like to acknowledge are Kyra Anderson, Drama Mama, Maria Polino, Kim Stagliano, Pam Victor, and Jess Wilson. These moms—and others I have not been able to name—continually amaze me with
their energetic and tireless advocacy for their kids and kids in general. They have certainly given me the impression that moms of today perform at a higher level than the moms of my own childhood, though I’m sure those older moms would disagree.
Thanks to Mark Roithmayr, Peter Bell, Marc Sirkin, Geri Dawson, and the rest of the staff of Autism Speaks, for naming me to the organization’s Science Board and thereby exposing me to some of the best minds in the world of autism science, therapy, and medicine.
I’d like to recognize all my geek friends and dads, folks like Bob Jeffway, Dave Rifken, Neil Fennessey, Rich Chedester, and all the rest who listen to my bizarre stories and come back with tales of their own.
My parents (including my stepmother, Judy) deserve mention for raising and partly civilizing me. My father died, but my mother and Judy are still with me.
I’d like to thank my ex-wife Mary for sharing the early part of my life and raising Cubby with me, and my ex-wife Martha, who still likes me enough to help with ideas and proofreading. I’m heartbroken that we failed to stay married but eternally grateful that we remain friends.
No acknowledgment for the recent past would be complete without a mention of the people who stood by Martha and me these past few years. I particularly want to thank Paul Picknelly and Bill Wagner. So much banking and business is impersonal, but those two friends put the numbers aside and reached out a helping hand without a moment’s hesitation in our time of need. If the tables were
ever turned, I would be proud to do the very same for them. I also owe a great debt of gratitude to Rick and Elaine Palmer, Gene Cassidy, Rick Colson, and all my other friends who were there for us. We would not be where we are today without all of you.
I’d like to recognize Ann Dawson, who was with me for part of this journey but chose a different path halfway through.
On a brighter note, I owe thanks also to my friend Jan Anderson, who talked through many of the ideas in this book and who continues to work with me setting up professional development programs in schools.
And I mustn’t forget the crew at Robison Service—I depend on all of them to keep the company running when I am away. That’s happened more and more in recent years, and I am so proud everyone at the company has risen to the challenge.
Thanks to David Lavin, Sally Itterly, and the rest of the folks at the Lavin Agency for their efforts to keep me out there speaking before colleges and organizations. Without that, I would not be exposed to the ideas that turn into stories.
Finally, I’d like to recognize Rachel Klayman, who began the editorial process at Crown, and Mary Choteborsky, who finished it. Then there is the rest of the team … Crown head Maya Mavjee; Tina Constable, who remains my publisher; Whitney Cookman, who made another fine book jacket; Lauren Dong, who returned to design the interior layout; Linnea Knollmueller, from production;
Robert Siek, from production editorial; Stephanie Chan, my assistant editor; Adam Goldberger, the copy editor; Linda Kaplan and Courtney Snyder, in foreign rights; Orli Moscowitz, at Random House Audio; Sarah Breivogel, in publicity; and everyone else at Random House who worked to make my books the successes they are today.
Back in my hometown, I want to thank the staff of Collective Copies of Amherst for their tireless work producing many intermediate copies of this book as I’ve created it. Even though the book was written electronically on a Mac, I still feel the need for real printed copies that I can refer to and mark up as I go along.
Then there’s my younger brother, Augusten Burroughs. I would never have learned the art of storytelling if I had not had him as my very own captive audience long ago when we were children. Neither of us would be where we are now if not for Christopher Schelling, our friend and literary agent.
Last of all is a special thanks to Maripat Jordan for listening to my stories and understanding.
Woof.
John Elder Robison
December 2010
JOHN ELDER ROBISON grew up in the 1960s, before the diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome existed. Today he has claimed his spot on the autism spectrum; he blogs for
Psychology Today
and is an adjunct professor at Elms College in Chicopee, Massachusetts. John serves on the Science Board of Autism Speaks, and review boards and committees of the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Mental Health, where he considers research to improve the lives of autistic people and their families. He is also currently involved in autism research and programs at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Mass General Hospital, two teaching hospitals of the Harvard Medical School.
When he’s not writing, speaking, or involved in studies, John can be found at Robison Service, the automobile company he founded twenty-five years ago. Robison Service has established a reputation as a leading independent restorer and customizer of BMW, Mercedes, Land Rover,
Porsche, Rolls-Royce, and Bentley automobiles. Visit John’s company at
www.robisonservice.com
.
John lives in western Massachusetts among family, friends, animals, and machines.
Find John online at