I assumed that most people who read this book wanted to know if anyone with aspergers found the book an accurate representation. I certainly did. While reading this book, I felt a connection that I knew only a few readers would also feel. Caitlyn was me as a fifth grader. At that time, I remember stuffed-animaling (I just called it "making things blurry") and playing with candy (Easter M&Ms to be exact. They looked like animals, so I would pretend they were and set them up in a barn.) and not looking people in the eye. I also never colored my pictures, but it was because I couldn't color inside the lines. I absolutely hated gym class (still do, but not that strongly) and recess was fun but too loud. And I was also glad that the kid with autism (which is not the same as aspergers) was in a different classroom because I always heard her screaming across the room. I don't think anyone besides my mom knew I had aspergers, or understood it. They just thought I was weird.
I also recalled some sad memories of my own while reading one of the ending chapters, in which Caitlyn deals with people constantly teasing her and she doesn't understand it. The book explores my childhood to the point that I felt as though, instead of making up a character, Kathryn Erksine followed me around when I was in fifth grade. I loved that the book was able to hanfle three subjects (aspergers, school-shooting, dead family member) however, I didn't like the ending nor the author talking mostly about the school-shooting topic in the end. But I still recommend this book to those who have not read it.
By the way, I never found my aspergers to be a "problem" or "disability." Because of it, I was never interested in popularity or status, and I have my career as an artist and writer ahead of me. The only thing that I don't like about it is that it took me so long to understand people, but I've mostly Got It by now. :)
