The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time

Rating:
Summary: Spectrum Sleuth
Review: Christopher John Francis Boone is a brilliant 15-year-old boy who has Asperger's Syndrome. Asperger's is a sensorineuro condition that is on the spectrum with autism and is often regarded as high functioning autism. Since Asperger's IS on the spectrum, there are behaviors and sensory responses that overlap. As with any condition, autism and Asperger's are as varied as there are individuals who have it.

Although Chris does not have language delays or other cognitive issues, he DOES present sensory and social difficulties. He cannot stand to have his food touching other foods on his plate; he is rigid about giving his EXACT age; ("I'm 15 and 3 months and 3 days"); he is gifted in mathematics and has a far reaching knowledge of prime numbers and mathematical properties; he has trouble interpeting nonverbal cues, e.g. facial expressions as well as verbal cues such as tones of voice. His social challenges are what he feels set him apart more than his natural intellectual and academic gifts.

Chris is also a problem solver. When a neighbor's beloved poodle is found killed and Chris finds the animal's remains, he vows to find the REAL killer. A neighbor places Chris at the top of her short list of suspects and the boy is later taken into custody. Agains the wishes and advice of parents and other concerned parties, Chris pulls the mask off of the real dog killer.

I love this book. I am so delighted to see a book told from the autism/Asperger's point of view. I am good and tired of stories like "Rain Man" that portray characters with autism as echolalic stereotypes who have concentrated areas of knowledge and no viable social skills. I want more stories like this; Chris is a delightful, appealing and VERY plausible character. Readers who are on the spectrum will certainly feel a literary bond to Chris. Readers who are closely involved with people on the spectrum most likely will be captivated by the appealing boy with the resourcefulness to think of novel approaches.

Hats off to this book!

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: Fantastically well-written. The language is very direct and even sparse but it sings when read aloud. Very original. Utterly engrossing. Hard to describe why this book is so darn appealing, but it is. It is also true literature. It is a novel of human relationships. This is why they say that if you want to understand human beings, you will get more out a novel than a self-help book. The hero of this book is a 15 year-old autistic boy, whom I am completely taken with. "Out of the mouths of babes." Bravo!

Rating:
Summary: Original and inspired - deservedly a Whitbread winner
Review: For sceptics who think this is a child's book, read it and then think again. "The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time" is everything the media hype says it is....and more. It is an inspirational and original book about an incident - the murder of a neighbour's dog - that has taken hold of an autistic child's mind and in the process unsettled some dark family secrets which have remained deeply buried within the hearts of the adult community.

The story is narrated by and told through the eyes of the child, so his perception and understanding of events as they unfold become our own. Mark Haddon's simulation of the autistic child's reality and sensibility is so touching, truthful and poignant I was completely blown away by its emotional resonance. The heartbreak one feels stems from the fact that the autistic child is incapable of interpreting simple messages in conversation. He responds to reality as he sees them, in the only way he knows how, and so misreads cues that should be straightforward to the non-autistic person.

Don't let the dog incident distract you. It may be the triggering event that sends everything unrevelling but hardly the story's centre which is firmly rooted in the more complex world of adults. I wonder if Christopher would have been better off wired like the rest of us. I doubt so. There is also surprising depth to Haddon's characterisation. Christopher's father is a saint, his mother much less sympathetic and more difficult to judge, like the Meryl Streep character in Kramer vs Kramer.

It's interesting that the book is marketed as both an adult's as well as a children's book. The adult and child reader will have different reactions to the book. Haddon has made an important contribution to contemporary literature. All we can do is read and be enriched by it.

Rating:
Summary: A Math Teacher's Dream & an Awesome Book
Review: The fictional author of "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" was an autistic 15-year-old boy (named Christopher Boone) intent on solving the murder of a neighborhood dog. Since the boy approached life purely with logic and order, he was unable to face any situation with emotions or feelings. This unique viewpoint made for an absolutely original novel (rich with enchanting, honest, and intellectual prose) unlike any other I have ever encountered. Ironically, the complex plot that unraveled during Christopher's detecting might have been more invigorating than some of the best thrillers/mysteries I've read. Until I stumbled upon this book, I had my own manufactured comprehension of autism. My son Joshua attended Nursery School with an autistic child last year, and I observed some of that boy's behavioral traits. Although I also studied autism in my college psychology classes, and I did work briefly with an autistic child at a gifted camp, I really had few opportunities to interact with individuals afflicted with this unusual and often debilitating ailment. Mark Haddon's real-life experience with autistic children allowed him to craft this masterpiece by providing the perspective of a young autistic teenager, not by another author's observations of the exterior physical behaviors, but through the interior workings that composed the thought patterns of the boy's afflicted mind. In many ways, autism provided the perfect mind for detective work because emotions were never a factor during the investigation. However, in other ways, autism created roadblocks that could never be understood by people unaccustomed to this mind-blowing anomaly.

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How does the autistic mind work (paraphrased/enhanced/interpreted from Haddon's book)?

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Non-Autistic Joe:

It is Monday morning and Joe awakens to find it raining and cold outside. As Joe prepares breakfast, he feels a sense of angst because the weather has already predetermined his day's destiny. Backing out of the driveway, Joe initiates the windshield-wipers, turns on the car defrost and breathes out a moan of contention because he knows he is going to have a bad day.

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Autistic Christopher:

On the bus ride to school, Christopher starts counting consecutive automobiles. If he sees 4 yellow cars in a row, he knows he is going to have a black day. However, if he encounters 4 red cars in a row, he knows he will experience a good day yet if he sees 3 red cards in a row, he will have quite a good day. Five red cars in a row will provide Christopher with a super good day. Also, Christopher will never eat food that is yellow or brown.

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Explanation:

The non-autistic mind uses emotions and feelings to predict (along with order and logic). The autistic mind can only use order and logic to make decisions. Non-autistic people regard Christopher's way of predicting good and bad days as illogical even if it does follow some strange order. On the other hand, how does basing good and bad days on the weather end up being more logical than the decision to base good and bad days on the color of consecutive cars?

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Non-Autistic Joe:

Joe's bedroom reflects his personality yet he constantly changes furniture and wall hangings to reflect his current interests. When Joe goes on vacation, he finds it refreshing to encounter new situations, new places and new people. On a recent vacation to South Carolina, Joe sat out on the porch of a civil-war era Bed and Breakfast and reflected on the God given wonders of the world.

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Autistic Christopher:

Christopher's bedroom has never changed since he was an infant. If his Mom cleans the room and moves a poster one millimeter, Christopher is forced to crouch down on the floor and moan for the loss of order to his world. Christopher hates Paris because it contains too much stimuli in the form of new buildings, new people, posters, signs, etc. This overwhelming influx of stimuli drives him almost mad with pain and angst. Christopher?'s only recourse is to crouch into a fetal position and to moan or scream. Nothing about this new place can be credited to God because the autistic mind won't comprehend things that can't be seen. All entities must be tangible. The idea of God is problematical for the autistic mind.
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Autistic Phenomenon (Christopher likes maths):

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Perhaps my favorite component of Mark Haddon's book dealt with the numerous references to mathematical algorithms, formulas, logic and computations. I just might have to put this book on a required reading list for my high school math students. Autistic minds do tend to have certain strengths and anomalies despite perceived deficits. Many autistic individuals possess math brilliance, musical prowess or scientific expertise. Christopher was gifted in "maths" and the book played homage to this unique talent. As a math geek, I was thrilled by the book's inclusion of the Pythagorean Theorem, The Monty Hall Problem, Statistical Analysis, Mapping Algorithms, Game Theory, Relativity, Tessellations, Proofs and Mental Math Algorithms. I have never encountered so many math applications in a pleasure book before in my life.

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Summary:

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Most of you know that I write reviews for the sheer cathartic release it provides me. However, I must go out on a limb (by the way, you can't use metaphors with autistic individuals), and implore you to find this book and read it with gusto over the summer. You will find it rewarding, entertaining and educational. If any of you know anybody dealing with autistic relatives or friends, please tell them of this book. It offers enough insight to make it a must read for anybody dealing directly with autism. Additionally, Christopher's detective work uncovered more than the culprit of a dog homicide; it unleashed raw emotion mainly because the young author was unable to express any of his own. I was moved to tears of laughter and heartbreak while I remained glued to every single word on every single page of this 226-page masterpiece. This is my favorite book of all time. Bravo Mark Haddon!

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My Overwhelming Grade: A+++

Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully Crafted
Review: The story line of this novel would struggle to get to four stars on its own. This is a five star book because of the writing. Never have I read a book such as this where the writing was crafted so that it became such an integral part of the telling and the novel.

The plot is rather simple. Christopher, the narrator, is an autistic teenager. He finds a dog that has been murdered and decides to solve the crime. From there the novel moves into a family in crisis. Christopher is told his mother has died, only to find that is not the case. Eventually he travels on his own to London - quite a feat for him.

What separates this book from the norm, though is how the author uses his writing - the telling - of the story to assist in the telling. An example is in order.

At one point, Christopher is in atrain station in London. This is a boy who hates crowds, strange places, strangers, new details in his surroundings, etc. Not surprisingly, he is on the verge of panic while trying to stay sane, no less get out of the station somehow. While reading, I came to a point where I said to myself: "Whoa! Slow down! This is too much..." At that point I realized that that was a taste of what an autistic person goes through when he is unable to process all the stimulation he is getting. This is what I mean by the writing was an integral part of the telling of the story. It helped craft the story. The pace and manner put the reader in the autistic's mind for short moment. I do not know if there is a better way to create a better empathy with an autistic person. In this way this book is pure genius.

The novel also shows the pressures put on a family attempting to raise an autistic child. In this case, it pulls the family asunder, adding more conflict to the story line.

I strongly recommend this book. It gives a revealing view of autism as well as being entertaining. This is not a "cause" book, but one that reveals autism while it entertains.

Rating:
Summary: Intriguing Visit Inside the Autistic Mind and Look at Math
Review: This novel is one of the most unusual that I have ever read. I initially gauged its success by how well emotionally engaged I was by the story. For the first half, I was gripped . . . but the book tailed off from there. If I only looked at the book from that perspective, I would grade it a 3. But the book also contains interesting references to science and math that reminded me of John Paulos's books on how a mathematician looks at the world. Those parts I rated at a 5. So the two perspectives came out to a 4. But if you don't particularly like math or science, this will be an average novel for you before you are done.

The premise is simple. Fifteen-year-old Christopher John Francis Boone is autistic with many emotional complications (including not being able to read others' emotions) . . . and also has a brilliant mind for logic. Because of his fascinating experiences, his teacher, Siobhan encourages him to write a book . . . which is this one.

It's easy to think of Christopher as much younger than he is . . . with problems concerning strangers, others touching him, and wetting himself. But then the brilliant mind comes out, and you feel like you are in contact with a professor. The combination is fascinating in the first half of the book as Christopher tries to find out who stuck a pitchfork through the neighbor's dog. As a twist on The Hound of the Baskervilles, that part of the book is irresistible.

Once that mystery is solved, the book seems to veer off into less realistic and less emotionally compelling material. Christopher's character was no longer completely believable to me. The writing seemed more like an exercise by an author than Christopher's own as the "author" of this book.

I treasured though those parts of the book that help me understand how an autistic person might view the world. It reminded me of those jumbled letters and reversed numbers on cards that teachers show to simulate what dyslexia is like for those who are not dyslexic. Such journeys in another's footsteps are rewarding and I encourage you to seek them out.

Based on this first novel, I can only hope that we will read more about Christopher in the future. I suggest, though, that the knife be left behind.