Monday, January 31, 2011

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

My brother-in-law, Michael, recommended this book to me.  I was a little skeptical at first.  The narrator is a teenage autistic boy.  The chapters are numbered via prime numbers rather than the normal 1, 2, 3, 4.
However, it's quirkiness offers an exquisite look into the mind of an autistic person.  At the same time it offers a compelling picture of families dealing with special-needs children and all of the stress that entails. 
The narrative is sharp and (at times) biting.  It is also witty, heart-warming, and heart-wrenching.  The story reads quickly.  I finished the whole book in less than a week, and that's really fast for me.
I highly recommend this book.  Everyone ought to read it, but for people who live or work near special needs individuals, this is a must-read.
The Josh rating: JJJJ.

3 comments:

LeLe Geib said...

I teach high school special education. My students LOVE this book, as do I. There is another book out there a smidge similar called "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" - I think you'd like it. I forget the author, but it was fascinating!!!

Nora Hezus said...

This is a great book, I really enjoyed reading and I appreciated the different narrative style.
It's interesting to see what happens and what the reader knows and the character doesn't.

lit said...

very good book, i read this before