On the Spectrum (Daniel Bowman) -- Academy of Parish Book of the Year - Review and Conversation
Book of the Year
I am reposting a review I originally posted in October of 2021 of a book honored by the Academy of Parish Clergy as its Book of the Year for 2022 (Books published in 2021). I chair the committee that selected this book authored by Daniel Bowman, Jr. In years past, before COVID, the award would be given at our annual conference. COVID made that impossible, so for the past three years, we've done this on Zoom and shared it as a Facebook Simulcast. Below you will find my original review and our conversation with Daniel (as well as the announcement of the other honored books).
*********************
In
recent years we have heard quite a bit about autism. It became the cause célèbre
of anti-vaxxers who blamed the rise in diagnoses of autism on increased
vaccinations. Most reports on autism suggested that it is a disorder that needs
a cure. When people think of autism, they often think of one particular
form—Tourette’s Syndrome—or they think of the movie Rain Man. What if,
however, autism isn’t what we thought? I will confess that I know little about
it, even though I have clergy friends and colleagues who self-identify as
autistic. With as much conversation that is out there in the larger society,
with much misinformation being promulgated, it would seem that now is the time
to start paying attention and learning the facts.
I
hadn’t intended to explore or reflect on autism until I received an advanced
reader's copy of Daniel Bowman's book On the Spectrum. Even then I
simply put it on my review stack. Since it was sent to me in my position as a
journal editor, I could easily pass it on to another reviewer. I thought
seriously of asking one of my clergy colleagues who is autistic to review it.
Then, before I reached out and made that contact, I saw a note from a clergy
colleague and writer whom I respect, who recommended it. With Katherine’s recommendation
in mind, I decided to open the book to see what I might find. I must say that I
am glad I decided to read the book. I quickly realized that I know very little
about autism. While I knew that autism existed on a spectrum with different
degrees of effects, beyond that, I knew very little. As I read Bowman’s book, I
realized that this is a book that needs to be read by everyone, and not just
autistic persons or the family members of autistic persons.
Books
come in different forms. There are clinical and scientific books that are
important and helpful to a point. Then there are the memoirs, most of which are
written by parents of autistic children sharing the challenges of parenting an
autistic child. Very few if any books on autism have been written by autistic
adults, sharing their stories. That is until Daniel Bowman wrote On the Spectrum,
which allows us to hear a first-person telling of the story of autism from
the perspective of one who was diagnosed as autistic.
Bowman
is a college professor who teaches creative writing and the arts at Taylor
University in Upland, Indiana. He also codirects the university’s “Making
Literature Conference.” The key here is that Bowman is not a math and science whiz,
he’s a professor in the humanities. That might be surprising to some. As I noted he is one of the few autistic
persons who has written a memoir about living as an adult who is autistic. As I
also noted above, most books on autism are either written by scientists and
clinicians or parents of autistic children who share the challenges of raising
a child who is autistic. He hopes that by writing this book he can pave a way
for others to share their stories.
When it
comes to autism, language and nomenclature are important. Bowman writes that there
is disagreement within the autistic community as to whether we should speak of
a person living with autism or speak of a person as being autistic. The former
suggests the possibility that autism is a disorder that can be overcome/cured.
That is, it suggests that autism is an abnormality. By choosing to identify as
an autistic person, Bowman tells us that this is his identity. This is who he
is. What differentiates him as a neurodiverse person from a neurotypical person
is the different operating systems with which we live. Think of the difference
between Apple and Microsoft.
The
book contains twenty-five essays that explore different elements of life. Some
of these essays speak directly to autism while in others it is not the central
focus but is present. He prefaces the book with a chapter he titles “Prelude:
You Always Hurt the Ones You Love: Crisis, Diagnosis, Hope. It is in this
introduction that Bowman sets a context for us as the reader. He gives us a
basic overview of his life story and his journey toward diagnosis and making
sense of that diagnosis. As for the twenty-five essays, he breaks them into seven
sections.
The
first section is titled Foundations. As the title of the section suggests, the
essays in this section offer definitions and set the tone for what is to come. In
the essay titled “Why You Should Read This Book (and How),” an essay directed
to folks who are neurotypical, Bowman emphasizes the importance of hearing from
autistic writers. Too often those who are not autistic speak for those who are autistic.
He makes it clear that neurodiverse persons can speak for themselves. He writes
as well that “every essay in the book is thoroughly autistic!” So, he warns
against “skipping ahead to the ‘more autistic’ parts of the book. So, what he
does is invite us to “inhabit the whole story—and see the autistic heart, mind,
body, and spirit at work in both the profound and the mundane” (p. 5). Here the key to the conversation is the
distinction between neurodiversity and being neurotypical (I had never thought
of myself as neurotypical, and yet I am. That is my operating system).
From the
section on foundations, we move to a section titled “Place.” Here again, it’s
important to understand this is a collection of essays, which are, as he says,
fully autistic even if autism isn’t front and center. So in this section, we
explore the place—where he lives and breathes. We explore culture making in the
context of, for example, an effort to create a county arts center in his
community. He shares how difficult it was for him to enter into this work
because his operating system makes working with others at times difficult. He also writes about riding his bike and how
that fits into his life as an autistic person.
The
next section speaks to “Community, Worship, and Service.” The essays here don’t
simply speak to church life, but the church is an important component of this
section. It’s important to remember that this is a book written not only from
an autistic perspective but a faith one as well. It speaks to the challenges of
being in community when social interaction is difficult. Indeed, when service
is a challenge. One thing he shares is the challenge of spontaneity. He needs a heads up before entering into an
experience, thus for him, the formality of the Episcopal Church is extremely
helpful. The point is that the way an autistic person worships and serves might
be different from a neuro-typical person.
From church life, we move to his vocational life. Here he
shares about his life as a writer, including his attraction to poetry. He
writes about the "Insidious Nature of Bad Christian Stories." He has
a problem with bad writing, such as the kitsch that often is offered in the
form of Christian novels. He writes that “Bad storytelling is bad theology, forwarding
an immature view of God, self, and neighbor. And in my case as a creative
writing professor, failing to call out bad storytelling is also bad teaching”
(p. 111). This section speaks to the role that autism plays in his life, but as
you can see it is a broader conversation, but from a particular perspective
informed by his identity.
The
next section takes up questions of family and identity. He talks about his family
name and what it means. He invites us to explore our own identity, including
ancestry. In the course of this conversation, he shares how his diagnosis
helped him learn what makes him tick. So, he writes “I came to know that the
constellation of traits I displayed had a name: autism—and that taking on the
name autistic, while scary, could also be redemptive. In the end, it’s about
being my true self” (p. 148). In the section that follows he includes three
interviews that speak to his life as an autistic person. He notes that these
interviews were not oral, but involved questions to which he could write
answers. He does this to show the importance of speaking to what it means to be
autistic. He sees his own calling as involving sharing his perspective, his
voice so that others might come to understand their own identity. This takes a
lot of courage but is so important.
Bowman
concludes the book with a section titled “New Directions.” He speaks to how
autism is represented in plays, books, novels, and films. He addresses the fact
that too often these portrayals are developed by non-autistic persons. They
attempt to speak on what they have not experienced, and even if well-meaning
often get the message wrong. So, Bowman is calling here for those who wish to
share the story of autism and neurodiversity to include those who are
neurodiverse. Yes, some cannot communicate, but that is only one portion of the
spectrum. There are many like Bowman who are fully capable of speaking for
themselves.
Bowman
writes with great passion about his own journey of discovery and what it means
for him to be autistic. He recognizes that it would be much easier to be a
neurotypical person, but that is not who he is. Thus, he has to find his own
pathway. He writes the book in part for people like me so we can know what it
means to be autistic in all its diversity—not all autistic persons are great
with math (i.e., Temple Grandin and Rain Man). Some, like Bowman, are
gifted artists and writers, though the way they write will be different
(different operating systems). He also writes with the intent to be a mentor to
others who are autistic, helping them to discover their own gifts and way of
living.
As I
read Daniel Bowman's On the Spectrum and considered the definitions and descriptions, I began to
better understand what it means to be autistic. It also gave me greater insight
into how my autistic friends live their lives. I also began to realize that I
may have other friends and family members who are autistic, and they may not
know it (and at least I do not). What a gift this book is to the church and the
larger world. It is important that autistic people tell their own stories,
rather than letting neurotypical people (like me) define them and their
stories. While autism is part of every essay, it is not always the focal point.
That is part of the point of the book. Autism needn't be at the front of the
conversation in every case for us to learn about it. So, take and read. Thanks
must go to Katherine for raising the book to the forefront of my attention! I
hope I have done the same for you.
************
In this update to my original review, I want to thank Brazos Press for nominating this book to the Academy of Parish Clergy Book of the Year awards. While I've provided a summary of the book, I'd like to offer another way of accessing the message. Below you will find the video from our Zoom conversation and announcement of the Book of the Year and Top 10 Books. The first part of the video announces the APC Top 10 List. Then, we spend the majority of the hour in conversation with Dan Bowman. It is quite insightful.
Comments