Look Me in the Eye: A Discussion
Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 09:06:45 PM PDT
This is a diary for anyone who has read Look Me in the Eye by John Elder Robison and wishes to discuss it. It is spontaneous and informal.
In the beginning, when Robison recounts his early childhood, I found myself very sympathetic. He tries hard to connect with other children and does not understand why he can't. Robison makes it clear throughout the book that, however it may have looked from the outside, he wanted to connect and wanted friends. He did not "prefer to play by himself," he had no choice.
John grows into a far less likable teenager. Angry and rebellious, he begins playing outrageous and dangerous pranks. While Robison makes it clear that he is motivated by how hurt he is by the daily rejections he has endured, his pranks generally seem to be targeting the world at large, not the individuals who have treated him cruelly. Moreover, an arrogance emerges at this point in the story that makes Robison appear unsympathetic and unlikable.
As he grows up, Robison learns to fake normalcy. As he does, he again becomes a bearable character to the reader. No, he doesn't care how you daughter who he has met only once is doing. However, he has learned that it is polite to pretend that he does.
When Robison discusses his son and both his wives, he is particularly endearing. A chapter dedicated to the difficulty of being married to one of three sisters--how can he be absolutely certain that he got the best one?--had me in stitches. Robison knows how to love. He is not antisocial.
For some reason, I found myself bothered by the fact that he refuses (or is unable to) call people in his life by their own names. He simply must name everyone himself. While I could accept his insistence that he has great difficulty calling other people by their given or preferred names, what I had difficulty accepting was the fact that he seems to feel that expecting others to accommodate this is perfectly reasonable. Primarily I still agree with myself, but this wise assertion does give me pause:
With me, though, there is no external sign that I am conversationally handicapped. So folks hear some conversational misstep and say, "What an arrogant jerk!" I look forward to the day when my handicap will afford me the same respect accorded to a guy in a wheelchair. And if the respect comes with a preferred parking space, I won't turn it down.
