An extraordinary memoir about the cutting-edge brain therapy that
dramatically changed the life and mind of John Elder Robison, the New
York Times bestselling author of Look Me in the Eye
**
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST**
Imagine spending the first forty years of your life in darkness, blind
to the emotions and social signals of other people. Then imagine that
someone suddenly switches the lights on.
It has long been assumed that people living with autism are born with
the diminished ability to read the emotions of others, even as they feel
emotion deeply. But what if we've been wrong all this time? What if that
"missing" emotional insight was there all along, locked away and
inaccessible in the mind?
In 2007 John Elder Robison wrote the international bestseller Look Me
in the Eye, a memoir about growing up with Asperger's syndrome. Amid
the blaze of publicity that followed, he received a unique invitation:
Would John like to take part in a study led by one of the world's
foremost neuroscientists, who would use an experimental new brain
therapy known as TMS, or transcranial magnetic stimulation, in an effort
to understand and then address the issues at the heart of autism?
Switched On is the extraordinary story of what happened next.
Having spent forty years as a social outcast, misreading others'
emotions or missing them completely, John is suddenly able to sense a
powerful range of feelings in other people. However, this newfound
insight brings unforeseen problems and serious questions. As the
emotional ground shifts beneath his feet, John struggles with the very
real possibility that choosing to diminish his disability might also
mean sacrificing his unique gifts and even some of his closest
relationships. Switched On is a real-life Flowers for Algernon, a
fascinating and intimate window into what it means to be neurologically
different, and what happens when the world as you know it is upended
overnight.
Praise for Switched On
"An eye-opening book with a radical message . . . The transformations
[Robison] undergoes throughout the book are astonishing--as foreign
and overwhelming as if he woke up one morning with the visual range of a
bee or the auditory prowess of a bat."--The New York Times
"Astonishing, brave . . . reads like a medical thriller and keeps you
wondering what will happen next . . . [Robison] takes readers for a
ride through the thorny thickets of neuroscience and leaves us wanting
more."--The Washington Post
"Fascinating for its insights into Asperger's and research, this
engrossing record will make readers reexamine their preconceptions about
this syndrome and the future of brain manipulation."--Booklist
"Like books by Andrew Solomon and Oliver Sacks, Switched On offers an
opportunity to consider mental processes through a combination of
powerful narrative and informative medical context."--BookPage
"A mind-blowing book that will force you to ask deep questions about
what is important in life. Would normalizing the brains of those who
think differently reduce their motivation for great
achievement?"--Temple Grandin, author of The Autistic Brain
"At the heart of Switched On are fundamental questions of who we are,
of where our identity resides, of difference and disability and free
will, which are brought into sharp focus by Robison's lived
experience."--Graeme Simsion, author of The Rosie Effect
