Wednesday, June 08, 2005
The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon
I stretched this book out as long as I could but I finally couldn't resist reading it through to the end. The Speed of Dark is a novel about autism. Well, it could be called that but it could also be called a story about humanity, what makes each person who s/he is, and what role medical intervention and technical advances have in our lives.
Lou Arrendale is a successful man with autism. He and his autistic coworkers do specific pattern work what their autism makes them very suited for. Their workplace includes adaptions and compensations that help them to balance their rhythyms. A new manager decides that he can save money and improve output by using a new experimental process to cure the autists.
Lou has a good life outside of work. He has a circle of friends who revolve around fencing, a group of internet aquaintances, and another circle of coworker friends. He is interested in a woman in his fencing group but isn't sure about how to romantically approach her. He knows the restrictions that he has socially and has routines and plans for dealing with them.
The pressure at work to take the cure comes at the same time as someone starts to attack Lou escalating from attacks on his car to attempted murder. Lou finds that he can take control of his life and that he must advocate for himself. He also finds that he has good supportive friends who do not see him as less than human or in need of curing.
Great book.
Lou Arrendale is a successful man with autism. He and his autistic coworkers do specific pattern work what their autism makes them very suited for. Their workplace includes adaptions and compensations that help them to balance their rhythyms. A new manager decides that he can save money and improve output by using a new experimental process to cure the autists.
Lou has a good life outside of work. He has a circle of friends who revolve around fencing, a group of internet aquaintances, and another circle of coworker friends. He is interested in a woman in his fencing group but isn't sure about how to romantically approach her. He knows the restrictions that he has socially and has routines and plans for dealing with them.
The pressure at work to take the cure comes at the same time as someone starts to attack Lou escalating from attacks on his car to attempted murder. Lou finds that he can take control of his life and that he must advocate for himself. He also finds that he has good supportive friends who do not see him as less than human or in need of curing.
Great book.
# posted by JJ @ 6:23 PM 
