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

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY
NPR - The Wall Street Journal - Bloomberg Business - Bookish

FINALIST FOR THE BOOKS FOR A BETTER LIFE FIRST BOOK AWARD - NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Youve never read a book like The Reason I Jump. Written by Naoki Higashida, a very smart, very self-aware, and very charming thirteen-year-old boy with autism, it is a one-of-a-kind memoir that demonstrates how an autistic mind thinks, feels, perceives, and responds in ways few of us can imagine. Parents and family members who never thought they could get inside the head of their autistic loved one at last have a way to break through to the curious, subtle, and complex life within.

Using an alphabet grid to painstakingly construct words, sentences, and thoughts that he is unable to speak out loud, Naoki answers even the most delicate questions that people want to know. Questions such as: Why do people with autism talk so loudly and weirdly? Why do you line up your toy cars and blocks? Why dont you make eye contact when youre talking? and Whats the reason you jump? (Naokis answer: When Im jumping, its as if my feelings are going upward to the sky.) With disarming honesty and a generous heart, Naoki shares his unique point of view on not only autism but life itself. His insights--into the mystery of words, the wonders of laughter, and the elusiveness of memory--are so startling, so strange, and so powerful that you will never look at the world the same way again.

In his introduction, bestselling novelist David Mitchell writes that Naokis words allowed him to feel, for the first time, as if his own autistic child was explaining what was happening in his mind. It is no exaggeration to say that The Reason I Jump allowed me to round a corner in our relationship. This translation was a labor of love by David and his wife, KA Yoshida, so theyd be able to share that feeling with friends, the wider autism community, and beyond. Naokis book, in its beauty, truthfulness, and simplicity, is a gift to be shared.

Praise for The Reason I Jump

This is an intimate book, one that brings readers right into an autistic mind.--Chicago Tribune (Editors Choice)

Amazing times a million.--Whoopi Goldberg, People

The Reason I Jump is a Rosetta stone. . . . This book takes about ninety minutes to read, and it will stretch your vision of what it is to be human.--Andrew Solomon, The Times (U.K.)

Extraordinary, moving, and jeweled with epiphanies.--The Boston Globe