' Composed by a writer still with one foot in childhood & whose autism was at least as challenging & life-defining as our son's THE REASON I JUMP was a revelatory godsend. Reading it felt as if for the first time our own son was talking to us about what was happening inside his head.' Written by Naoki Higishida when he was only thirteen this remarkable book explains the often baffling behaviour of autistic children & shows the way they think & feel
- such as about the people around them time & beauty noise & themselves. Naoki abundantly proves that autistic people do possess imagination humour & empathy but also makes clear with great poignancy how badly they need our compassion patience & understanding. David Mitchell & his wife have translated Naoki's book so that it might help others dealing with autism & generally illuminate a little-understood condition. Like The Diving Bell & the Butterfly it gives us an exceptional chance to enter the mind of another & see the world from a strange & fascinating perspective. The book also features eleven original illustrations inspired by Naoki's words by the artistic duo Kai & Sunny.