(no subject)

[rivka]

The stereotypical thing is to contrast people who stay up past their bedtimes watching a sports event with people who stay up past their bedtimes reading. No one talks about the trials of the poor unfortunate souls who find themselves staying up even later past their bedtimes because, after the ballgame was over, they had to finish reading Elizabeth Moon's The Speed of Dark.

Read it.

I don't care if you think her space operas are clumsy and her fantasies derivative. The Speed of Dark is an entirely different thing, worlds different in tone and quality than her previous novels. It's the story of a near-future world in which autism is curable via gene therapies during fetal development and the neonatal period. In the recent past, effective sensory integration therapy techniques were available, which improved the functioning of autistic individuals without altering the fundamental neural deficit. The protagonist of The Speed of Dark, Lou, is an intelligent, high-functioning autistic man who was born too early for the cure. He holds a job (thanks to supports) and lives independently, yet has to use clumsy memorized algorithms to work out, step by step, social phenomena that we process automatically.

His boss, frustrated by the special supports autistic employees require, puts heavy pressure on him to become one of the first human subjects testing a radical neurosurgery designed to make autistic people normal. The book, essentially, becomes a meditation on what it means to be "normal," how autistic people differ from "normal" people, and where the self really lies. It avoids the easy pitfalls; several autistic characters quote the " 'normal' is a dryer setting" line, but Moon doesn't flinch away from showing their struggles and the suffering they experience. And the autistic-eye view of life and society is fascinating.

Rivka-Bob says, check it out.

Comments

[filkerdave.livejournal.com]

You make me want to read this! Which, given the author, is saying something. (Given my current non-work reading right now is almost entirely studying French, German or aviation, I could use something lighter.)

I'll have to see if my library has it.

[wiredferret.livejournal.com]

Huh. That does sound interesting, and I have been unimpressed with her other stuff. Who's the publisher, do you know?

[rivka.livejournal.com]

It's published by Ballantine, and was marketed as a mainstream novel. It's probably not shelved in SF.

[patgreene.livejournal.com]

The Speed of Dark is indeed wonderful. As the mother of an HFA child, I found reading it intensely moving and sometimes very painful. But it was worth it.

The book also, I find raises questions about the pressure we put on others to be "normal" and how people react to those who fall outside that range.

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

I wanted to nominate it for a Hugo, but procrastinated past the deadline. I still love it.

[geekymary.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed the book as well. I inferred from the Foreword or About the Author that Elizabeth Moon is the mother of an autistic child. I may be mistaken about that. But it put the entire book, and especially the ending, in a different perspective for me.

[snippy]

Read it about a month ago; I really enjoyed it.

[jonquil.livejournal.com]

Yea! I am glad she rocked this one. Elizabeth is raising an autistic son, so she knows whereof she speaks.

[marykaykare.livejournal.com]

And it won the Nebula award too.

MKK

[annaoj.livejournal.com]

added to my library queue!

[johnpalmer.livejournal.com]

I had a discussion with Ilene Morgan once about this, and normality. It was about the old idea "what if ADHD was normal, and non-ADHD was the minority?" and I feel that, if this was the case, those few "weird geniuses" who could organize things quickly and easily would be heavily valued. They might still be seen as weird, hard to deal with, *SLOW* to work with!, etc., but there'd be a clear, recognized advantage.

She said she didn't feel that was the case with Aspergers. If everyone had AS, it wouldn't be a big deal. The biggest problem is the lack of understanding. (I keep wanting to extend that sentence, but I can't find any better words. Still, "lack of understanding" seems like a gross understatement.) That discussion made quite an impression on me. (How else could I remember it, several years later? :-) )

I think I'd like to read that book if I get a chance, and I'm probably heading to Amazon tonight, anyway.

[roozle.livejournal.com]

I completely agree, I couldn't put down The Speed of Dark either. Fortunately I wasn't reading it after the ballgame!

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Ah, thanks for reminding me.

I meant to seek this out. I was working the Nebulas this year, so I saw Elizabeth Moon win her Nebula for this. She was the only one of the winners who was present, and she was absolutely dear. I watched her in the lobby afterwards, twirling like a little girl, and thrilled with the win.

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Apropos of nothing other than the propagation of actual memes, I think it's now been about 15 years since I concluded a Westercon restaurant review with the phrase, "Ulrika-Bob sez, check it out!" I am pleased to catch an echo after all this time. Viva the collective unconscious.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Ulrika-Bob

Oh! So that's who you are. *blink*

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Count the heads Read the username backwards, baby! :)

[jinian.livejournal.com]

Heck, I think the space operas are fun; I'll definitely read this one. Have you read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time?

[selki.livejournal.com]

Speaking of your recommendations, I was meeting friends for dinner at the Inner Harbor last night, spotted Purple Orchid and dragged them over for a fabulous seafood dinner! And the vegetarian even liked the veggie sushi and entree. I followed your recommendation and tried and loved the excellent crab soup. Thanks for your write-up a few months ago.