This book takes about ninety minutes to read, and it will stretch your vision of what it is to be human.” -Andrew Solomon, The Times (U.K.) “Amazing times a million.” -Whoopi Goldberg, People “This is an intimate book, one that brings readers right into an autistic mind.” - Chicago Tribune (Editor’s Choice) Naoki’s book, in its beauty, truthfulness, and simplicity, is a gift to be shared. “It is no exaggeration to say that The Reason I Jump allowed me to round a corner in our relationship.” This translation was a labor of love by David and his wife, KA Yoshida, so they’d be able to share that feeling with friends, the wider autism community, and beyond. In his introduction, bestselling novelist David Mitchell writes that Naoki’s words allowed him to feel, for the first time, as if his own autistic child was explaining what was happening in his mind. His insights-into the mystery of words, the wonders of laughter, and the elusiveness of memory-are so startling, so strange, and so powerful that you will never look at the world the same way again.

Questions such as: “Why do people with autism talk so loudly and weirdly?” “Why do you line up your toy cars and blocks?” “Why don’t you make eye contact when you’re talking?” and “What’s the reason you jump?” (Naoki’s answer: “When I’m jumping, it’s as if my feelings are going upward to the sky.”) With disarming honesty and a generous heart, Naoki shares his unique point of view on not only autism but life itself. Using an alphabet grid to painstakingly construct words, sentences, and thoughts that he is unable to speak out loud, Naoki answers even the most delicate questions that people want to know. Parents and family members who never thought they could get inside the head of their autistic loved one at last have a way to break through to the curious, subtle, and complex life within. Written by Naoki Higashida, a very smart, very self-aware, and very charming thirteen-year-old boy with autism, it is a one-of-a-kind memoir that demonstrates how an autistic mind thinks, feels, perceives, and responds in ways few of us can imagine. You’ve never read a book like The Reason I Jump.

BookishįINALIST FOR THE BOOKS FOR A BETTER LIFE FIRST BOOK AWARD.NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY It’s truly moving, eye-opening, incredibly vivid.”-Jon Stewart, The Daily Show

“One of the most remarkable books I’ve ever read.

David mitchell the reason i jump