This book gives an interesting look into an autistic person's world. Ideally I would give it 3.5 stars rather than 4 because at times I do feel Temple Grandin's views are a reflection of her age and her family upbringing more than being influenced by her autism (e.g. her negative view of computer games).

This book is the closest anything has come to convincing me to be vegetarian. The slaughter descriptions are very vivid and I know I would not be able to cope with watching such a thing, which makes me feel guilty about being willing to eat the products of such practice.

Really fascinating book to read. Since I do not have autism I was not as interested in some of the content in the middle, but the beginning and ending were more than worth the 'lull' in the middle. Temple Grandin's writing style is clear and concise, but also perfectly unique in a way that I can't describe. If reading NeuroTribes is getting a chance to peer in a window on the world of Autism, Temple Grandin's book opens the door and invites the reader in. Both informative and relaxing, this book was deeply enjoyable.

I absolutely loved "Thinking in Pictures" by Temple Grandin!
Even though some of the terminology is a bit outdated (the first edition is from the 1990s, after all), it's still an excellent resource for autistic people who want to understand more about themselves and for everyone who is friends or family or in any capacity involved with autistics.
I was particularly intrigued by the way the author connects her first-hand experience with autism and her extensive knowledge of animal behaviour to help the reader understand more about both these often little-known areas.
I can highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about autism, but I would likely advise not to make this your very first reading about the subject: you'll probably enjoy "Thinking in Picture" more if you already have some prior knowledge about autism.

This was such an insightful experience. I knew next to nothing about autism. Now I feel I've learned so much. Temple does a great job of making it clear that autism is different for every person, that her experience is her own. You really get a deep dive into how one person with autism's brain works. I think what she calls "normal people" often assume that those with autism and other conditions want to be rid of those aspects that make them different. We also assume that conditions like autism mean a person is not capable of living a happy, fulfilling, intelligent life. Clearly, nothing could be further from the truth. My takeaway is that autism is a different way of experiencing the world; it doesn't make someone "less than" in any regard. And I have a newfound respect for and desire not to judge those with autism, wherever they may fall on the spectrum.

It's not poetry but very readable, a simple yet thorough description of autism, life experiences and educated guesses about how the wiring of the brain has a cause and effect on its operations which can be reasonably catalogued and documented. The suggestions to reach the brain despite the wiring distortions for sensory perceptions were eye opening and educating. Very interesting.

I want to give this more stars because of the miracle of it existing at all, but I am trying to rate it based on content and literary appeal. Temple Grandin is amazing. Her mind works in ways that none of us can fathom, yet she is able to communicate it to us in a way that gives us insight beyond anything we could have imagined. I'm sorry to say that I found the book repetitious at times. Perhaps that is an editing problem more than the authors problem. Also, the style of writing made me want to skip around a bit.

In the end, I am very glad to have read this book. I would recommend it for anyone wanting to know more about autism and its effect on the human mind.

This is an invaluable read!

As a disclaimer: I am diagnosed with ASD, this is my own personal experience and doesn’t speak to all people with autism

Reading this book requires a rather large pinch of salt considering it was originally written almost 3 decades ago in a time when the largest cultural perception of autism was Rain Man and Asperger’s was still a diagnosis that could be given. That being said I think a lot of the book gets stuff right. I appreciate Grandin’s advocacy for autistic students, especially when it comes to encouraging their interests instead of suppressing them. As someone who was diagnosed later in life than most I benefitted from being in regular classes during my formative years. I also had some really excellent teachers point me in the right direction and encourage my academic talents.
I also really liked the chapter on how historical figures with autistic traits were able to use their skills. That was really encouraging and enlightening.

Where I started feeling iffy about what Grandin was saying came with with her statements about causes of autism, both genetic and the idea that an external factor could cause it. While she didn’t say that vaccines were linked with autism she did not outright deny it and in the 2008 update no further information was corrected. I did not see this part as particularly helpful to any of the demographics for this book.

I was also not super stoked about the use of functioning labels. Yes I am aware that in the 90’s and 2000’s those labels were still very much used but it does seem to downplay the very real struggles that people with autism deal with. I would have been labeled ‘high functioning’ by a psychologist had I been diagnosed in the 2000’s, but with that label comes the idea that I don’t need help. Functioning labels are heavily intertwined with the capitalist idea that for a life to have value it must be monetarily exploitable and with that comes the implication that ‘lower functioning’ individuals are less valuable than the ‘higher functioning’ ones. It’s high time we as a community move past this idea.

I would love a 2024 update, especially with the recent increase of awareness about women with autism. As someone who managed to fall through the cracks until college it could be very helpful for our modern understanding of the disorder.