Pretending to be Normal: Living with Asperger's Syndrome Paperback – May 1, 1999

This book is wonderful because, as someone with AS, it is absolutely a huge weight off my shoulders to know I'm not the weird freak I sometimes feel like. One of the biggest issues those with AS face is loneliness. We have social issues, but that doesn't mean we don't FEEL left out or alone. Reading this Autobiography is like reading my own. That is incredibly freeing and empowering. It makes me feel like there's no reason I can't be successful and happy and above all accepted. There are others out there like me!For those giving bad reviews-"She is not diagnosed" FALSE.From the Wiki page: "She was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome in 1999."Also, even if she wasn't diagnosed, that doesn't mean crap. Doctors IGNORE females with AS all the time. It is a huge problem. The lack of a diagnosis doesn't mean the issue doesn't exist or is not valid or that the problems before the diagnosis weren't real. That doesn't even make sense.Also, for those saying this sugar coats it. FALSE.It shows that it isn't a death sentence. That AS is just a difference, not a disease. It doesn't HAVE to mean someone is "disabled". What's wrong with embracing your differences and learning to appreciate the good things about your situation? I think that is the right way of going about it. I guess I could curl up in a corner and cry about how hard it is for me to make friends, and I could teach my son to do the same. But what good is that? Instead I'd rather appreciate the few wonderful people I have in my life who love my quirkiness and brilliance. I also would rather learn from and accept my shortcomings that stem from AS, rather than dwell on them and try to change my core as a person."It looks back at childhood problems and turns them into a fairy tale". Not so.For years, my weird childhood filled with odd or failed social attempts and loneliness used to haunt me. After I realized I had AS and got my diagnosis (to confirm what I already full well knew), I was able to look back and say, "Aha! I am not a broken person. I am just different. And there are others different in the same way. I am not some sort of freak!" It allowed me to HEAL and progress as an adult. And that is why this story is so important. It can show others to do the same.I am extremely thankful for this story. Thank you, Ms. Holliday-Willey.

I am new to AS with a stepson that was diagnosised four years ago. It is an incrediblely different world that the AS person lives in. I read other books that talked about AS but this one was truly helpful with the examples given in how life was for the author. It is one thing to read a textbook on the subject but a whole different thing to it from the view of an AS person. I highly recommend this book for anyone dealing with the condition. More people need to understand these individuals and learn to be supportive to help them along. I have talked to some people that I share my experiences with and some of the reactions are that AS is just a made up condition to allow people an excuse to be rude. They don't understand that these people live in a difficult world and aren't trying to be different just to see what they can get away with. It is books like this that really explain the difficulties AS people have on a daily basis and what they do need is understanding. My stepson is 19 years old and will soon go out into the world and face the same predjudices that people that don't understand share.His father and I worry about what life is going to be like for him when he is out on his own. We do know that it will not be easy. However, it is books like this that give inspiration to a positive and functional life. With the right support mechanisms in place, I know my stepson has the best chance of success.

In this book the author describes her life as someone who grew up "different". I understand that with what we know about Aspergers today the book may be somewhat out of date. And it's probably difficult to comprehend how those of us with the disorder grew up "normally". Back in the old days everyone was thrown together in a classroom and expected to learn - the fact that there was no diagnosis for some of our "strange" behaviors led us all to think there was something wrong but not knowing what IT was. The author does a good job of explaining this and then has to learn to cope with her daughters issues as well. It's more of a "novel" than a how-to book so if that's what you are looking for I think this book is worthwhile. If all you want is "how to" then you might want to look elsewhere. Overall I'm glad that I read it and it gave me some new insights.

Liane Holliday brings you into the inner world of the Asperger Syndrome mind. Through out this book, she provides through her eloquent writing, the exact thought process of the Aspie child, adolescent and adult. It is absolutely eye opening, jaw dropping stuff. My heart filled with compassion, uderstanding, and my head filled with extreme knowledge. After raising an undiagnosed Aspie son, and the same son is now an adult, I am filled with pure understanding thanks to Liane. I "saw" my son in practically every page of this book. Thank you Liane for a superb book. I think my son and I are now headed to a full, loving, fun relationship, (instead of the dysfunctional one we are now in), Thanks to you!!

I enjoyed this book far more than a lot of other books I've read, written by female Aspies in that the author wasn't constantly trying to push evidence of her Aspieness down your throat. She may have exaggerated a little at times and embellished some events but it wasn't unbearable and she also offers some good advice and helpful references.I could actually relate to a lot of the problems/experiences she encountered and some of her behaviours/preferences were similar to mine... except, she's quite a bit more feisty than I am :)All in all, it's a good read. I recommend it to anyone who wants to catch a glimpse into one of the many ways Aspergers can weave its way through a persons being.