Overview

Finalist for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction An extraordinary narrative history of autism: the riveting story of parents fighting for their children 's civil rights; of doctors struggling to define autism; of ingenuity, self-advocacy, and profound social change. Nearly seventy-five years ago, Donald Triplett of Forest, Mississippi, became the first child diagnosed with autism. Beginning with his family's odyssey, In a Different Key tells the extraordinary story of this often misunderstood condition, and of the civil rights battles waged by the families of those who have it. Unfolding over decades, it is a beautifully rendered history of ordinary people determined to secure a place in the world for those with autism--by liberating children from dank institutions, campaigning for their right to go to school, challenging expert opinion on what it means to have autism, and persuading society to accept those who are different. It is the story of women like Ruth Sullivan, who rebelled against a medical establishment that blamed cold and rejecting refrigerator mothers for causing autism; and of fathers who pushed scientists to dig harder for treatments. Many others played starring roles too: doctors like Leo Kanner, who pioneered our understanding of autism; lawyers like Tom Gilhool, who took the families' battle for education to the courtroom; scientists who sparred over how to treat autism; and those with autism, like Temple Grandin, Alex Plank, and Ari Ne'eman, who explained their inner worlds and championed the philosophy of neurodiversity. This is also a story of fierce controversies--from the question of whether there is truly an autism epidemic, and whether vaccines played a part in it; to scandals involving facilitated communication, one of many treatments that have proved to be blind alleys; to stark disagreements about whether scientists should pursue a cure for autism. There are dark turns too: we learn about experimenters feeding LSD to children with autism, or shocking them with electricity to change their behavior; and the authors reveal compelling evidence that Hans Asperger, discoverer of the syndrome named after him, participated in the Nazi program that consigned disabled children to death. By turns intimate and panoramic, In a Different Key takes us on a journey from an era when families were shamed and children were condemned to institutions to one in which a cadre of people with autism push not simply for inclusion, but for a new understanding of autism: as difference rather than disability.

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In this absorbing book, John Donvan and Caren Zucker provide a comprehensive history of autism: identifying records that point toward the existence of the condition long before it was named; unpacking the evolution of the diagnosis; chronicling the history of blame attached to it; and narrating its explosion as one of the most common syndromes among children today. Fast-paced and far-reaching, this book contextualizes the arguments that autism is a horrifying epidemic with at those that say it is a valuable aspect of human diversity. This is an important missing piece to the conversation about autism; no one trying to make sense of the spectrum should do so without reading this book. ANDREW SOLOMON, author of Far from the Tree

In this compelling, well-researched book, the authors weave together the heroic search by parents for treatment and services for their children with the personal stories of a fascinating cast of characters. An invaluable guide for those dealing with autism and an inspiring affirmation of every individual s contribution to 'the fabric of humanity.' KIRKUS (starred) Sweeping in scope but with intimate personal stories, this is a deeply moving book about the history, science, and human drama of autism. It's also something larger: a fascinating exploration of a social movement that grappled with the mysteries of mind, behavior, and the relationship between parents and children. WALTER ISAACSON, author of The Innovators and Steve Jobs Donvan and Zucker s generous yet sharp-eyed portraits of men, women, and children most of them unknown until now make it stunningly clear that we all have a stake in the story of autism. We come to understand that weare all wired differently, and that how we treat those who are different than most is a telling measure of who we truly are. This is the kind of history that not only informs but enlarges the spirit. SUSAN CAIN, author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking In this long-awaited work, Donvan and Zucker sensitively and accurately portray the emergence of understanding of this thing we now call autism, a story that goes back hundreds of years. They make a compelling case for autistic traits gift and disability alike being part of the human condition. In the words of child psychiatry pioneer Leo Kanner, autism was always there, even before the diagnosis was invented. In a Different Key also provides a fresh take on the issue of neurodiversity in all its complexity. JOHN ELDER ROBISON, author of Look Me in the Eye and Switched On In this absorbing book, John Donvan and Caren Zucker provide a comprehensive history of autism: identifying records that point toward the existence of the condition long before it was named; unpacking the evolution of the diagnosis; chronicling the history of blame attached to it; and narrating its explosion as one of the most common syndromes among children today. Fast-paced and far-reaching, this book contextualizes the arguments that autism is a horrifying epidemic with those that say it is a valuable aspect of human diversity. This is an important missing piece to the conversation about autism; no one trying to make sense of the spectrum should do so without reading this book. ANDREW SOLOMON, author of Far from the Tree InaDifferent Key transports the reader back to the earlier days of autism. It is essential reading for anyone who is interested in how society treats those who are different. TEMPLE GRANDIN, author of Thinking in Pictures and The Autistic Brain In a Different Key is filled withgripping personal historiesthat powerfully illustratethe mistakes and malpractices in the diagnosis and treatment of autism; the courage and resilience of those who fought for better treatment and deeper understanding; and the sheer variability of people who are given the autism label and too often lumped together as disabled. A fascinating and revealing read, even forthosewith no personal connection to the topic. STEPHANIE COONTZ, author of The Way We Never Were: American Families and the Nostalgia Trap Bravo to Donvan and brava to Zucker. Comically/tragically, autism's history is as emotionally dysfunctional and as beautiful as it gets. Finally, we all have an exhaustive reckoning. MICHAEL JOHN CARLEY, founder, GRASP; author of Asperger's From the Inside Out Donvan and Zucker delve deep into both the scienceand the politics of autism across time. They tell the story of the extreme treatments that have been tried, such as administering LSD or electric shocks in the 60s, to normalize these children. They uncover the tragic mercy killing of a teenager with autism by his father, and explore the MMR vaccine-causes-autism theory, named by TIME magazine as top of the list of great science frauds. This book will make a remarkable contribution to the history of autism. SIMON BARON-COHEN, author of The Essential Difference ;Director, Autism Research Centre, Cambridge University This one volume captures the textured and sometimes turbulent story of autism in all of its facets: as a scholarly and scientific endeavor, as a political and legal enterprise, as a social movement. Most especially it embeds these developments within stories of people whose lives defined and shaped the course of autism. In a Different Key is authoritative and utterly absorbing. JUDITH FAVELL, past president, Developmental Disabilities Division, American Psychological Association From the Hardcover edition.

Author Information

JOHN DONVAN is a multiple Emmy Award-winning correspondent for ABC and the moderator of the Intelligence Squared U.S. debate series. Find him on Twitter at @johndonvan. CAREN ZUCKER is a Peabody award-winning television news producer, a twenty-five-year veteran of ABC News, and producer and co-writer of the six-part PBS series Autism Now.

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