I don’t really have adequate words to describe this book. It’s about neurodiversity, the masks we wear as neurodiverse people, the way we are viewed/treated in society, and the things we can do to help ourselves in advocacy, authenticity, and self-care. It’s written and read by an autistic trans person with his own experience of unmasking in many different parts of life, and I think that’s what makes this book so authentic and real.
It wasn’t until my 40s that I came to understand that I was autistic. Because I communicate easily, enjoy social connections, and am sensory-seeking, I thought I couldn’t be neurospicy. Some years back, I began reading a romance series focused on autistic protagonists, and while said protagonists carried many of the symptoms often associated with media-typical autism, there was more to them as individuals. The author left notes about autism, especially about the way autism presents in AFAB individuals. It got me thinking hard about the subject, and though I dismissed the idea for awhile afterwards, I never forgot. Hearing about other autistics’ experiences, especially about communication patterns, helped me to understand better the truth. And as soon as I realized and accepted my own neurodiversity, so many things began to slot into place.
So much about Unmasking Autism made me feel very seen. I didn’t resonate with all the parts, because every individual’s experience is different. And because I’ve spent quite a number of years now analyzing my own behavior, traits, tendencies, and speech patterns, I didn’t learn a lot that I don’t already know. However, that’s not saying the read wasn’t worth it. Like I said, I felt very seen, very understood, and I’ve long believed that one of the fundamental joys of humanity is feeling connected with others on that deep level. For neurospicy folks, we often find ourselves on the outside looking in… until we find others like us. Learning and confirming and knowing there are others who communicate and exist the same as you? That’s priceless.
This was also a difficult read at times. Price addresses the realities of living in a world where so many of us are forced to mask, and where we believe we are inherently broken or wrong or incapable of being as good as. A few times, I had to stop the audiobook because a story was deeply unsettling in how exactly it mirrored a traumatic personal experience. Other times, I had to stop simply to give myself time to digest something I hadn’t considered, to do the unknotting inside me that related to the new information. But any difficulties were worth pushing through, and giving myself space/time to process. Normally, I struggle with reading a book for longer than three weeks – I get this urge to finish and then binge my way through the rest – but I let this one go as slow as I needed for it to be useful, rather than just finished.
I couldn’t say if this is a book that would help neurotypical people understand those of us on the neurospicy side. But if you’ve ever wondered if you might be on the spicy spectrum yourself, I think this is a really, really good resource. If you already know you’re one of us and struggle with unmasking, balancing safety and authenticity, learning to self-advocate, finding support communities and personal communities, and so much more – this book can help. Two thumbs up. I’d give five if I had the thumbs for it.
Performance: This audiobook was read by the author. Usually, I avoid books read by the author, but Price is a lecturer and I was told by another listener that his narration was great. And they were right – it’s a phenomenal performance that I was very engaged with the whole time. Again, no clue how the narration might come off to neurotypical folks – I only recently learned about the concept of “autism voice” and it took me ages to realize that autism voice sound perfectly normal to me because I also have it. Heh. So maybe Price does too. In any case, I thought he did great. And I’m looking forward to reading some of his later books on autism as he continues what appears to be a series of nonfiction works on the topic.
The Zen Leaf 