Authors with Autism Share Own Voices through Neurodivergent Characters

Kris Hickey is a youth services manager at the Whetstone branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library and a mother of a child with autism. She has read a lot of books by authors who have autism and write about autistic characters. Hickey has been with the library for 15 years.

Hickey says these books discuss the ideas and struggles that can come with being neurodivergent. They explore what it is like to be in a society that makes you feel as though your way of thinking and acting is considered different from the norm. Writing can be a wonderful way to express these feelings. Hickey also said she felt touched by many of these authors and their work due to the raw experience that they share.

 Hickey explains there is a difference between books written about neurodivergent characters and books written by neurodivergent people. “The previous books were about how people with autism affected others,” Hickey said, “And the books written by people with autism are how the world impacts them.”

Hickey reviewed nine books in this genre and highlighted a couple of her favorites.

Two of the books were written by India Holton, an international bestselling author based out of New Zealand. The two books she shared were The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels and The Secret Service of Tree and Treason. Holton’s books are typically romantic comedies set in an alternative Victorian era, fantasy world. Holton feels that writing books with this theme in mind gives her the freedom to explore ideas, tropes and characters in a way that contemporary novels would not. Holton says her writing is fueled by two things, “tea and thunderstorms.”

Another book in this genre is titled Good Different by author Meg Eden Kuyatt. The book follows a young girl named Selah who discusses the different things that make her unique and what things make her comfortable and not so comfortable. All the various aspects that help Selah discover that her differences do not mean she is damaged.

One of Hickey’s favorite quotes from Good Different made her pause and reflect.  “Pretending to be normal is tiring. As soon as mom pulls into the driveway, I get inside, I change. Take off my normal person mask, put on my headphones, play my favorite pop songs on repeat. I watched my favorite episode of Riders of Berk, recite along with the characters, laugh at all my favorite parts. I squeezed my stress ball, I pluck the hairs that grow between my eyebrows, flap my hands. I don't care if it looks weird, because no one is watching. I have to recharge at least enough to do it all again tomorrow.” Hickey felt it was “profound” to hear about her experience in her body. Not everyone can understand the struggle of feeling you have to pretend to be someone you aren’t.

A book written by Sally J Pla, The Someday Birds is about a 12-year-old boy named Charlie who is on the autism spectrum, who is obsessed with birds and is on a journey to find his war-injured father. Pla has a son with autism and authored this book to find a connection with him and his journey. While Pla wrote this book, she felt that she connected with the character in more than just a parental way, she felt as though there was a personal connection. She discovered she was also on the autism spectrum and was really writing for her inner child all along.

If you would like to try reading a book from this genre, here are some recommendations to get you started.

• Cassandra In Reverse – Holly Smale
• Dear Mothman – Robin Gow
• Good Different – Meg Eden Kayatt
• The Electricity of Every Living Thing – Katherine May
• The Kiss Quotient – Helen Hoang
• The Secret Service of Tea and Treason – India Holton
• The Someday Birds – Sally J Pla
• The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels – India Holton
• Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times – Katherine May