Sharing my autistic reading list
Leading up to (and since) my formal autism diagnosis, I read plenty of books about autism.
I recently realized I’ve read next to no fiction featuring autistic characters. Book lover that I am, I decided to change that, so I am sharing a few standouts below. I’ve done my best to provide options for different age ranges and genre interests.
MIDDLE GRADE FICTION: A KIND OF SPARK by Elle Mcnicoll
An 11-year-old autistic girl named Addie enters a new school year only to be rejected by her “best friend” and bullied by her teacher. During one of her classes, Addie learns about the women in her Scottish village who were wrongly accused of witchcraft and executed, and she can’t let it go. She sees herself in these women who were punished for being strange or different. Addie soon embarks on a campaign to push the local council to memorialize the accused witches. This book is certainly a tear-jerker and brought back memories of my young self, but it’s also hopeful and inspiring.
YA FANTASY: THE GILDED WOLVES by Roshani Chokshi
The first book in a trilogy, The Gilded Wolves combines history, heroism and heists. Think Ocean’s 11 in 1889 France — with alchemy! This story has a diverse cast of characters, and in my opinion, the book’s
main flaw is that the principal protagonist is the least interesting among them. That said, a Jewish autistic woman named Zofia is part of the ensemble. Although she sometimes feels like an outsider, she is very much a part of the group, and the others value her both personally and professionally. (Due to the time, Zofia isn’t explicitly referred to as autistic in the text, but Chokshi has confirmed the character choice.)
ADULT ROMANCE: ACT YOUR AGE, EVE BROWN by Talia Hibbert
Eve Brown can’t decide what she wants to do with her life. When her parents scold her over her latest screw-up, Eve sets out to prove herself and ends up working at a bed-andbreakfast
run by the uptight Jacob Wayne. The rivalry between Eve and Jacob soon turns into reluctant mutual respect, then something more. Jacob happens to be autistic and, through Eve’s relationship with him, she starts to question the possibility for herself. This book is charming, spicy and fun. I read it in one day. Bonus: the author is also autistic. Although Eve Brown is the third in Hibbert’s Brown Sisters series, it can be read as a stand-alone.
ADULT SCIENCE-FICTION: AN UNKINDNESS OF GHOSTS by Rivers Solomon
Like most Black passengers onboard the Matilda, Aster is mainly confined to the lower
decks of the generational ship and treated as little more than a slave. Earth has long ago met its demise, and the Matilda will supposedly reach a “promised land”: a habitable planet. As Aster seeks to unravel the mysteries left behind by her late mother, she soon learns the truth comes at great personal cost. Solomon seamlessly explores neurodivergence, gender, queerness and race in this unique setting.
Rebecca Dingwell is a freelance writer and editor based in Halifax, N.S. A self-proclaimed nerd and horse girl, she is learning to navigate her life through new eyes after being diagnosed as autistic. Rebecca is also working on a memoir chronicling her family’s life after her father’s ALS diagnosis.