Product Description
Have you ever been called a freak or a geek? Have you ever felt like one? Luke Jackson is 13 years old and has Asperger Syndrome. Over the years Luke has learned to laugh at such names but there are other aspects of life which are more difficult. Adolescence and the teenage years are a minefield of emotions, transitions and decisions and when a child has Asperger Syndrome, the result is often explosive.
Luke has three sisters and one brother in various stages of their adolescent and teenage years but he is acutely aware of just how different he is and how little information is available for adolescents like himself.
Drawing from his own experiences and gaining information from his teenage brother and sisters, he wrote this enlightening, honest and witty book in an attempt to address difficult topics such as bullying, friendships, when and how to tell others about AS, school problems, dating, relationships and morality.
Luke writes briefly about his younger autistic and AD/HD brothers, providing amusing insights into the antics of his younger years and advice for parents, carers and teachers of younger AS children. However, his main reason for writing was because "so many books are written about us, but none are written directly to adolescents with Asperger Syndrome. I thought I would write one in the hope that we could all learn together."

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 5.0 based on 54 reviews)

Enlightening and Helpful

Luke Jackson, the thirteen-year-old author of this book, says he wrote it because "so many books are written about us, but none are written directly to adolescents with Asperger Syndrome. I thought I would write one in the hope that we could all learn together." And he does an amazing job of appealing to his peers in a colloquial manner. Jackson's style is almost precocious at times, but effective. He tackles many topics, includinging sensory perception, physiology, and sleep, listing some helpful tips. For example, Jackson suggests to look at people's mouths when they're talking, which is close enough to making eye contact.The section on physiology discussed, among other things, the GF/CF diet.

Next Jackson writes about language difficulties, dealing with slang and idioms, and suggests to parents that they write out steps to complete a task and give clear and specific instructions. The next chapters cover school problems and bullying, with some tips for dealing with bullies, stressing that it's important to tell someone. Jackson then mentions Taekwondo for self-defense, as well as the many other benefits it provides. The following three chapters deal with friendships, dating, and morals and principles. The "morals and principles" chapter also is beneficial in that it stresses not to let people entice you to do something that is wrong, that you don't need friends like that.

The end of the book has a nice positive note about AS people being amazing in their own ways, even if not savants (after a discussion about the movie Rainman). It is certainly amazing for a thirteen-year-old to write such an organized, insightful book. I found it to be very helpful, including the appendices on idioms (with definitions of being "on cloud nine" and "don't cry over spilled milk") and references for further information (books, websites, and organizations). All in all, a worthwhile book for parents and kids alike.

August 31, 2008

Luke, the Great

I read it, my Dad read it in 2 days. Very practical, humorous.When my son, with Asperger's, gets a little older, I will give this book to him. I want to meet Luke Jackson. What a great personality!
July 27, 2008

Packed full of useful help!

This book is a keeper. Luke speaks from experience and shares his experience and suggestions for kids with aspergers, parents, friends and physicians on how a an AS kid can handle real-life situations by sharing what has worked for him. This book is an easy read and would be good for teens and adults to read whether they have AS themselves or are related to or know someone who does.
June 15, 2008

highly recommend to parents of Asperger Syndrome kids

This was a great resource for us as parents of an Asperger son to get an idea of how the adolescent with Asperger thinks and relates to others. It will eventually be a great book to let our son read. The adolescent author of this book feels very strongly that all Asperger children should be told what they have (by name) so that they won't feel like something is wrong with them, but will come to understand that they are the way they are because of Aspergers.
May 24, 2008

Excellent

This book is intended for a person with Asperger's however, it can also be used by a child being bullied.
March 02, 2008

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