An autism parenting memoir, To Siri with Love, that was published in August, is now subject to calls for boycott in the autistic community for its representations of autism. A reaction by “Justin Spectrum” to autism-parenting books underscores the value of autistic perspectives when building a library’s collection.
“Justin Spectrum” is the pseudonym for a youth services librarian who is on the autism spectrum.
Writing as a guest blogger for the Association of Library Services to Children, “Justin Spectrum” identifies “systemic issues” with the way that books like To Siri with Love are reviewed.
“To my knowledge, no autistic person was invited to review this book for a major source. This is unfortunate, because I have yet to hear of an autistic person who read this book and did not find it to be problematic.”
(For Psychology Today, John Elder Robison offers an in-depth examination of the ableist assumptions in autism-parenting memoirs like To Siri: “[I]t’s hard to read a passage like, ‘I can’t imagine any girl being attracted to my son,’ and not feel bad if you identify with the child. Yet I’ve seen words like those in a dozen parent memoirs and I know it’s a widespread fear. We read those lines, and recall the low expectations and negative talk when we grew up, and it makes us sad.”
Robison draws a clear distinction between parents expressing such fears and concerns to other parents in private and to being given the platform of a mainstream-published book to express these beliefs. “Reading the words in a popular book gives them a different meaning and creates the potential for harm.”)
“Justin Spectrum” does not advocate a boycott, but he argues, “The issues with this book should have been flagged in the review process. This book is not what most public libraries would call an essential purchase; it is not a bestseller, and is not critically acclaimed. Had any reviews, in trade publications or national newspapers, raised concerns about the content, perhaps fewer librarians would have felt inclined to buy it.”
Why is this important? Well, library staff don’t have the luxury of reading every book ahead of time. Librarians often rely on professional reviews to determine which books to purchase for the library, and these reviews often privilege certain viewpoints at the expense of others.
And while “Justin Spectrum” focuses upon the parenting-book section in a library, I have encountered damaging viewpoints in other areas as well: for example, in job-search resources that deny us self-agency. Instead of being directly addressed to the person who is on the spectrum, these resources presume their audience to be parents or a therapeutic caregiver who is working with an autistic person to get him or her into the workforce.
Having someone on staff at a library who is on the spectrum herself, could help identify what questions ought to be asked when considering these types of book.
Cynthia, I loved what you wrote. Thank you for sharing it. My son is autistic and it wasn’t until having a close family member on the spectrum that I began to learn how little neurodiversity is appreciated in our culture. I agree that libraries—indeed, all organizations and industries—need to adopt hiring practices that reflect neurodiversity. I hope that by the time my son is grown (in about fifteen years) he’ll find a more appreciative environment.
ReplyDeleteThank you, AnnMarie. I hope that by raising awareness, I can help foster an attitude of welcome ... not only for myself and other autistics who are now in the workforce, but for people like your son who will inherit what we create and will help in turn to shape it.
DeleteI appreciate the call for books about a particular group of people to be reviewed by others in that group; however, if the audience for this book is parents raising autistic children, I don't see the "danger" in expressing a fear these parents may have. To label the expression of a fear as a danger leans toward the danger of squashing freedom of expression, one of the tenets of the ALA Bill of Rights:
ReplyDelete"I. Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.
II. Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval."
Does the rest of the book offer hope and creative ways to raise an autistic child? If so, let's not judge so harshly and write off an entire book because of one vulnerable statement.
Thank you, JRodriguez, for highlighting libraries' importance to people's interest, information and enlightenment.
DeleteAs a Library professional, I too support the tenets of the ALA Bill of Rights and the "Freedom to Read," which expresses the sentiment that, "It is in the public interest for publishers and librarians to make available the widest diversity of views and expressions, including those that are unorthodox, unpopular, or considered dangerous by the majority," and that "Publishers, librarians, and booksellers do not need to endorse every idea or presentation they make available."
(http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/freedomreadstatement)
That being said, no library has the budget to purchase every single book that is published, and librarians use professional judgement to select books for the library -- believing that these books will, indeed, serve the needs of their community.
"Justin Spectrum" is making the case that "To Siri" was not "an essential purchase" for a library's collection, and that if librarians had access to the viewpoints of actually autistic reviewers, they may have chosen differently when evaluating the book's value. I share that belief, and believe that library staffing should incorporate neurodiversity.
What this blog post discusses is important. Parents don't experience the same things as their children, irregardless of if the child is on the spectrum. I am a librarian with Turner Syndrome and have seen similar issues related to how parents experience their child's condition and how women with Turner's experience their own lives. I believe both experiences are important and valid.
ReplyDeleteParents can certainly read parenting memoirs, but I sincerely hope they also read about the experiences of the adults their children will become.
Thank you, Pamela; you are absolutely correct that parents experience a child's condition differently than how a person with that condition experiences her own life. To get a complete picture, they'd be wise to seek out the viewpoints of, as you say, "the adults their children will become."
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