Hello, Stranger

February 15, 2019
This illuminating memoir from artist Moran provides a window to better understand her reality as a person with autism and the historical experience of other individuals and families who grew up without the information about autism and spectrum disorders that we have now. With coauthor Williams, Moran shares experiences from her life before she was understood and diagnosed as autistic in her forties that are often sad and painful. For a time, she was institutionalized in a place where people were expected to heal, rather than being treated as already whole individuals. There's much hope in Moran sharing her story and helping others improve their understanding of autism and their relationships with people who are on the autism spectrum. She also sheds understanding on, for example, how she experiences noise and her attachment to or concern for inanimate objects. Moran's story is a must-have for public libraries. Readers should also seek out Ana Warner and Curt Warner's The Warner Boys (2018), for a memoir about autism told from parents' point of view.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)