The Disability Book Archive

[ID: A book cover. The title “We’re Not Broken” is written down the centre of the cover in large colourful lettering. The subtitle “Changing the Autism Conversation” is below this in smaller black writing. The author’s name “Eric Garcia” is at the bottom of the cover in smaller, colourful capital letters. The background is white. /end]

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Content Warning:

• Ableism
• Bullying
• Child Abuse
• Police Brutality
• Panic Attacks
• Racism
• Physical Abuse
• Sexual Assault
• Suicidal Ideation

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Summary:

“This book is a message from autistic people to their parents, friends, teachers, coworkers and doctors showing what life is like on the spectrum. It’s also my love letter to autistic people. For too long, we have been forced to navigate a world where all the road signs are written in another language.”

With a reporter’s eye and an insider’s perspective, Eric Garcia shows what it’s like to be autistic across America.

Garcia began writing about autism because he was frustrated by the media’s coverage of the myths that the disorder is caused by vaccines, the narrow portrayals of autistic people as white men working in Silicon Valley. His own life as an autistic person didn’t look anything like that. He is Latino, a graduate of the University of North Carolina, and works as a journalist covering politics in Washington, DC. Garcia realized he needed to put into writing what so many autistic people have been saying for years—autism is a part of their identity, they don’t need to be fixed.

In We’re Not Broken, Garcia uses his own life as a springboard to discuss the social and policy gaps that exist in supporting those on the spectrum. From education to healthcare, he explores how autistic people wrestle with systems that were not built with them in mind. At the same time, he shares the experiences of all types of autistic people, from those with higher support needs, to autistic people of color, to those in the LGBTQ community. In doing so, Garcia gives his community a platform to articulate their own needs, rather than having others speak for them, which has been the standard for far too long

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Notes:

This book is available in paperback and hardback format.

There is an audiobook.

There is an ebook. There is a Kindle Edition.

Here is a link to Garcia’s website.

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Archivist Comments:

Opinions on this book are fairly mixed. Some people thought it was a good insight into Autism in America, some people thought the author tended to get a little off track with what he was saying. Some people have also said that, whilst they liked the book, they would have perhaps liked additional discussion of the subject matter that was not as US-centric.

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