Martian in the Playground

Author: Clare Sainsbury
Publisher: SAGE Publications
ISBN: 1849200009
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 145

Book Description
`This deceptively little book contains more truth and provides more insight into what it is like to have Asperger's Syndrome than many a weighty tome on the subject. It offers a view from the inside, but it is not yet another autobiography. Admirably and refreshingly, the author has refrained from giving an account solely based on her own experiences. Instead she sets out observations from 25 different suffers, giving often astonishing and sometimes harrowing glimpses of what actually happens to a child with Asperger's Syndrome in the classroom, in the playground, in the lunch queue and at home' - The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry This award-winning book illuminates what it means to be a person who has Aspergers Syndrome by providing a window into a unique and particular world. Drawing on her own experience of schooling, and that of a network of friends and correspondents who share her way of thinking and responding, Clare Sainsbury reminds us of the potential for harm which education holds for those who do not fit. This book holds insights that take us beyond the standard guidance on how to manage autistic spectrum disorder. It challenges the way we might handle obsessional behaviour. It invites us to celebrate the pure passion of the intellect, which such obsessions can represent, and to recognise the delight which can be experienced by children who love to collect. It reminds us that many of the autistic mannerisms we might try to suppress actually help the child to think. This revised edition includes an additional introduction and extensive summary of research in the field of Asperger's Syndrome, both by Tony Attwood.

There's Nothing to Do on Mars

Author: Chris Gall
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 0316069221
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 114

Book Description
When Davey Martin's family moves to Mars, he discovers that there's nothing to do--at least until he and his robot dog Polaris learn to seize the spirit of adventure. It's not until they've zipped around the planet on his flying scooter--climbing Martian "trees," digging up "fossils," dancing in Martian rain dances--that they discover a treasure that finally piques Davey's interest--a source of water on the red planet! Chris Gall's new picture book plays on the themes (and ironies) of a complaint parents have heard from their children a thousand times: "There's nothing to do!" The book also offers a deeper lesson to our stationary, convenience-driven society: If you're creative and look carefully, you'll be amazed at what you find!

An Anthropologist on Mars

Author: Oliver Sacks
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0345805887
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 465

Book Description
From the bestselling author of The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat • Fascinating portraits of neurological disorder in which men, women, and one extraordinary child emerge as brilliantly adaptive personalities, whose conditions have not so much debilitated them as ushered them into another reality. Here are seven detailed narratives of neurological patients, including a surgeon consumed by the compulsive tics of Tourette's syndrome unless he is operating; an artist who loses all sense of color in a car accident, but finds a new sensibility and creative power in black and white; and an autistic professor who cannot decipher the simplest social exchange between humans, but has built a career out of her intuitive understanding of animal behavior. Sacks combines the well honed mind of an academician with the verve of a true storyteller.

The Imprinted Brain

Author: Christopher Badcock
Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
ISBN: 1846429501
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 260

Book Description
The Imprinted Brain sets out a radical new theory of the mind and mental illness based on the recent discovery of genomic imprinting. Imprinted genes are those from one parent that, in that parent's interest, are expressed in an offspring rather than the diametrically opposed genes from the other parent. For example, a higher birth weight may represent the dominance of the father's genes in leading to a healthy child, whereas a lower birth weight is beneficial to the mother's immediate wellbeing, and the imprint of the mother's genes will result in a smaller baby. According to this view, a win for the father's genes may result in autism, whereas one for the mother's may result in psychosis. A state of equilibrium - normality - is the most likely outcome, with a no-win situation of balanced expression. Imprinted genes typically produce symptoms that are opposites of each other, and the author uses psychiatric case material to show how many of the symptoms of psychosis can be shown to be the mental mirror-images of those of autism. Combining psychiatry with insights from modern genetics and cognitive science, Christopher Badcock explains the fascinating imprinted brain theory to the reader in a thorough but accessible way. This new theory casts some intriguing new light on other topics as diverse as the nature of genius, the appeal of detective fiction, and the successes - and failures - of psychoanalysis. This thought-provoking book is a must-read for anyone with an interest in autism, psychiatry, cognitive science or psychology in general.

Imagining Mars

Author: Robert Crossley
Publisher: Wesleyan University Press
ISBN: 0819571059
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 386

Book Description
Mars in the human imagination from the invention of the telescope to the present For centuries, the planet Mars has captivated astronomers and inspired writers of all genres. Whether imagined as the symbol of the bloody god of war, the cradle of an alien species, or a possible new home for human civilization, our closest planetary neighbor has played a central role in how we think about ourselves in the universe. From Galileo to Kim Stanley Robinson, Robert Crossley traces the history of our fascination with the red planet as it has evolved in literature both fictional and scientific. Crossley focuses specifically on the interplay between scientific discovery and literary invention, exploring how writers throughout the ages have tried to assimilate or resist new planetary knowledge. Covering texts from the 1600s to the present, from the obscure to the classic, Crossley shows how writing about Mars has reflected the desires and social controversies of each era. This astute and elegant study is perfect for science fiction fans and readers of popular science.

The Illustrated Man

Author: Ray Bradbury
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1451678185
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 308

Book Description
Eighteen science fiction stories deal with love, madness, and death on Mars, Venus, and in space.

The Boy from Mars

Author: Simon James
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781406383157
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 32

Book Description
The heart-warming story of a little boy who misses his mum from award-winning author-illustrator Simon James. The day that Stanley's mum had to go away, he decided to go to Mars. In his place, a not-very-well-behaved Martian arrived. He looked just like Stanley, but he wouldn't eat his vegetables, he wouldn't clean his teeth and he certainly didn't play nicely in the playground. Dad's not sure what Mum will think when she gets back. Will the martian still be there, or will the real Stanley get back in time? Simon James's gentle watercolour illustrations add depth and warmth to this charming story of Stanley who misses his mum. From award-winning author-illustrator Simon James, whose books for Walker include Dear Greenpeace and Rex. A charming and funny story that also subtly explores family relationships

Girl in Landscape

Author: Jonathan Lethem
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0307791777
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 289

Book Description
Girl in Landscape is a daring exploration of the violent nature of sexual awakening, a meditation on language and perception, and an homage to the great American tradition of the Western. • "Jonathan Lethem's imagination [is]...marvelously fertile." --Newsday The heroine is young Pella Marsh, whose mother dies just before her family flees a post-apocalyptic Brooklyn for the frontier of a recently discovered planet. Hating her ineffectual father, and troubled by a powerful attraction to a virile but dangerous loner who holds sway over the little colony, Pella sets out on a course of discovery that will have tragic and irrevocable consequences for the humans in the community and the ancient inhabitants, known only as archbuilders. Girl in Landscape finds Jonathan Lethem twisting forms and literary conventions to create a dazzling, completely unconventional tale.

Strange as This Weather Has Been

Author: Ann Pancake
Publisher: Catapult
ISBN: 1582439915
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 271

Book Description
A West Virginia family struggles amid the booms and busts of the Appalachian coal industry in this “powerful, sure-footed, and haunting” novel with echoes of John Steinbeck (New York Times Book Review). Set in present day West Virginia, this debut novel tells the story of a coal mining family—a couple and their four children—living through the latest mining boom and dealing with the mountaintop removal and strip mining that is ruining what is left of their hometown. As the mine turns the mountains “to slag and wastewater,” workers struggle with layoffs and children find adventure in the blasted moonscape craters. Strange as This Weather Has Been follows several members of the family, with a particular focus on fifteen–year–old Bant and her mother, Lace. Working at a motel, Bant becomes involved with a young miner while her mother contemplates joining the fight against the mining companies. As domestic conflicts escalate at home, the children are pushed more and more frequently outside among junk from the floods and felled trees in the hollows—the only nature they have ever known. But Bant has other memories and is as curious and strong–willed as her mother, and ultimately comes to discover the very real threat of destruction that looms as much in the landscape as it does at home.

Standing Down Falling Up

Author: Nita Jackson
Publisher: SAGE Publications Limited
ISBN: 9781873942987
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 134

Book Description
`The author enables parents and professionals to see inside an Asperger mind. Interwoven into the text is some sound advice about the best ways of helping individuals with the syndrome. This includes some helpful 'recommendations for teaching' Asperger students, with an attached list of 'things teachers should know'. Throughout, there are poignant reminders of the author's vulnerability and the cruelty of some of her acquaintances'- British Journal of Learning for Support `This book will be relevant to teachers, those working within FE and HE and professionals working in the field of mental health' - Educational Psychology in Practice `This book is easy to read and one to recommend to colleagues, parents and possibly some young people with Asperger's Syndrome' - Support for Learning `Nita's personal account of living with Asperger's Syndrome is an enlightening read. Each chapter gives a revealing insight into her personal experience and challenges of day-to-day life - Contact a Family This book is a fascinating account of Nita Jackson's experience of Aspergers Syndrome. If you have already read Clare Sainsbury's Martian in the Playground, don't expect a similar publication. Nita offers a personal account of her unique world: " is she size 10 or 16? " where does she come from? " will she be up or down today? The book contains personal descriptions of how Aspergers Syndrome affects the author's day-to-day life and the people around her. Nita shows off her intensely creative talent in her poetry and diary entries, which are used throughout the book. At times, this is an uncomfortable read. However, it is an essential text if you want to understand how the world looks from Nita's perspective.