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By Stephen Shore.
Jessica Kingsley Publishing
£13.95
ISBN 0 9672514 8 6

Stephen Shore views autism not as a disorder, but as "a way of being". Diagnosed as autistic when he was two, he was four before he could speak. Nevertheless, his intellectual development took off. He graduated from high school, gained two bachelor's degrees and a master's degree in business management. Now 40 years old, Shore is working on his doctorate.

In this autobiography he explores experiences of autism - painful memories of early schooling, terrors of his middle school, the rewards of college, problems in holding down a job and 10 years of marriage. He narrates his life story through three voices. His first voice is that of diarist and his second voice a reflection on life events. With his third voice he supplements his story from research.

His lack of social skills betrayed him. In his first job he could not grasp what was expected of him and when fired from that job could not understand what had caused his employer to dismiss him. His next employers were more tolerant but he only found real satisfaction when he was accepted by Boston University on its doctoral programme. This painful but exhilarating story reveals how much more there is to learn about autism.

Oliver Russell is a consultant psychiatrist.