The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism by Naoki Higashida is unlike other books I’ve read about autism. Written by a thirteen-year-old boy with autism, it’s not a study, theory, or guide, it’s a conversation. Higashida answers questions people often ask about his behavior and inner world and invites us to see life through his eyes.
His descriptions were effective; “When you see an object, it seems that you see it as a whole. But for me, the image comes together piece by piece.” He helps readers begin to understand how he processes the world differently. Later he writes, “When I’m jumping, it’s as if my feelings are going up into the sky.” What many might label as strange or distracting is, for him, a way to regulate emotion and find calm when words and sounds become too much.
Throughout the book, Higashida insists that autism does not mean a lack of emotion or thought. “We are more human than you think,” he says, and that hits hard. It’s sad to think he needs to clarify that. His explanations are tender and raw; “Please don’t think that because I can’t express myself, I don’t have feelings.” Each answer pulls back the curtain on behaviors often misunderstood as rebellion or indifference.
What makes this book powerful is its perspective. It doesn’t speak about autism; it speaks from autism. His insights are moving and poetic, reminding readers that communication can take many forms, and that empathy begins with listening differently. I’m glad I read it and I definitely recommend it to others who want to see the world through a child in the middle of learning to process and communicate their autism.
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