The Boy Who Felt Too Much

Starred review from October 1, 2019

Autism diagnoses have risen dramatically in the last decade, and researchers are hard at work looking for its causation. Enter the subject of journalist Wagner's new book, Henry Markram, the neuroscientist behind the Blue Brain Project, which aims to build a supercomputer model of the brain, inspired and driven by Henry's son, Kai, who has autism. Kai's disability made Markram question everything he knew about the brain, and this questioning later shook the autism research world when Markram introduced his Intense World Syndrome theory, upending the prevailing worldview that individuals with autism lack empathy. Instead, postulates Markram, they feel too much. VERDICT Wagner does an exceptional job of mixing biography with complex yet accessible neuroscience. Essential for parents, educators, physicians, and specialists working with children of all ages.--Virginia Johnson, John Curtis P.L., Hanover, MA

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