Fiction Including Autism


Ann Bauer.
A Wild Ride Up the Cupboards (Scribner, forthcoming). ISBN: 0743269497 (hardcover, 288 pages, due September 2005). [autism,fiction]
Simon Beckett.
Owning Jacob (Hodder and Stoughton, 1998). ISBN: 0340685948 (hardcover, 343 pages); ISBN: 0340685956 (paperback, 343 pages, 1999). [autism,fiction]
Melina Gerosa Bellows.
Wish (NAL Trade, forthcoming). ISBN: 0451216539 (paperback, 304 pages, due 10/4/2005). [fiction,autism,aspergers]
David Bischoff.
Grounded (Pocket Books, 1993). Part of the series Star Trek: The Next Generation. Number 25 in the series. Has autistic character and treats the person as someone needing treatment. ISBN: 0671797476 (paperback). [autism,fiction]
Elizabeth Burns.
Tilt (Sourcebooks Landmark, 2003). ISBN: 1402200412 (hardcover, 256 pages); ISBN: 0425195929 (paperback, 304 pages, Berkley Publishing Group, 2004); ISBN: 1574905775 (hardcover, large print, Thomas T. Beeler, due May, 2005). [autism,fiction]
Diane L. Carey & Todd C. Hamilton, illustrator.
Cadet Kirk (Minstrel Books, 1996). Part of the series Star Trek Starfleet Academy. Third of the series. I was told that the first three books of the Starfleet Academy series include an autistic character. ISBN: 0671000772 (paperback). [autism,fiction]
Carmen Carter.
The Children of Hamlin (Pocket Books, 1988). Part of the series Star Trek: The Next Generation. Reader describes children as autistic. ISBN: 0671735551 . [autism,fiction]
Barbara D'Amato.
Death of a Thousand Cuts (Forge Books, 2004). Mystery, includes autism and Freudian psychology as themes. ISBN: 0765303450 (hardcover, 352 pages). [autism,fiction]
Anita Desai.
Clear Light of Day (London: Heinemann, 1980). Story of two sisters. One character, their brother, is autistic. ISBN: 0434186333 (hardcover, 183 pages); ISBN: 0140108599 (paperback, reprint edition, Penguin USA, 1990); ISBN: 0618074511 (paperback, Houghton Mifflin, 2000). [autism,fiction]
Philip K. Dick.
Martian Timeslip. Science Fiction book that includes a young autistic character. A reader says Dick gained his knowledge when he babysat a ten year old with autism. ISBN: 0679761675 (paperback, 262 pages, reissue edition, Vintage Books, 1995). [autism,fiction]
David Eddings.
The Belgrad (Ballantine Books, 1997). Reader describes one character as autistic. I think the character persists in the series and in a followup series The Malloreon. ISBN: 0345418875 . [autism,fiction]
Jennifer Elder.
Different Like Me: My Book of Autism Heroes (Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2005). For ages 9-12. ISBN: 1843108151 (hardcover, 48 pages). [autism,fiction]
Mary Essinger.
Wounded Bird of Paradise (Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2004). ISBN: 1843102560 (paperback, 142 pages). [fiction,autism,aspergers]
William Faulkner.
The Sound And The Fury (1929). Faulkner's first major novel. One character, Benji, appears to be autistic. ISBN: 0075536668 (paperback, McGraw Hill College, 1946). [autism,fiction]
Barbara Fischkin.
Confidential Sources (Delta, 2006). http://barbarafischkin.com/ ISBN: 0385338007 (paperback, 352 pages, ISBN-13: 978-0385338004). [autism,fiction]
Alan Fisk.
Cupid and the Silent Goddess (Twenty First Century Publishers, 2003). A fictional character of the story, Angelina, is autistic. ISBN: 1904433081 (paperback, 216 pages, ISBN-13: 978-1904433088). [fiction,autism]
Eli Gottlieb.
The Boy Who Went Away (St. Martins Pr., 1997). Main character is an adolescent boy with an autistic brother. ISBN: 0312150709 (hardcover, 208 pages); ISBN: 0553379275 (paperback, 240 pages, Bantam, 1998). [autism,fiction]
Mark Haddon.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Doubleday, 2003). The novel's main character is a 15-year-old autistic boy. ISBN: 1400032717 (paperback, 240 pages, Vintage, 2004); ISBN: 0385512104 (hardcover, 226 pages, Doubleday, 2003); ISBN: 0385509456 (hardcover, 240 pages); ISBN: 0385659792 (hardcover, 240 pages, Doubleday Canada Ltd, 2003); ISBN: 1402555989 (audio cassette, Recorded Books, 2003); ISBN: 1402568851 (audio CD, Recorded Books, 2003). [autism,fiction]
Dafydd Ab Hugh.
Balance of Power (Pocket Books, 1995). Part of the series Star Trek: The Next Generation. Number 33 in the series. Reader describes one character as autistic. ISBN: 0671520032 (paperback). [autism,fiction]
Stephen King.
The Regulators. Written under the name "Richard Bachman". Includes an autistic character: a boy named Seth. His mind is invaded by an evil presence that he needs to outsmart. ISBN: 0525941908 (hardcover, E. P. Dutton, 1996); ISBN: 0451191013 (paperback, 489 pages, Signet, 1997); ISBN: 0613096207 (paperback, Econo-Clad, 1999); ISBN: 0786208449 (hardcover, large print, 584 pages, Thorndike Press, 1996); ISBN: 0140863222 (cassette, Penguin, 1996). [autism,fiction]
Dean Koontz.
By the Light of the Moon (Bantam, 2002). ISBN: 0553801430 (hardcover, 448 pages); ISBN: 0553582763 (paperback, 496 pages, Bantam, 2003); ISBN: 0747266824 (paperback, Gardner Books, 2003); ISBN: 0553502719 (unabridged cassette, Random House, 2002); ISBN: 0736689206 (unabridged CD, Books on Tape, 2002). [autism,fiction]
Helen Landalf.
The Secret Night World of Cats (Smith & Kraus, 1997). Ages 3-6, or older people. Illustrated by Bernard Rimland's son, Mark, who is autistic. Helen Landalf is Bernard Rimland's daughter. ISBN: 1575251175 (hardcover, 32 pages). [general,fiction]
Kathryn Lasky.
Home Free (New York: Macmillan, 1985). 245 pages. Story involves conservation as well as strange hidden powers. ISBN: 0027516504 (hardcover, 245 pages, Four Winds Press, New York, 1985); ISBN: 0440200385 . [autism,fiction,adolescent]
Harper Lee.
To Kill a Mockingbird (1960). Pulitzer Prize winning novel of 1961. The character of Boo Radley seems to have some autistic characteristics. ISBN: 0060194995 (hardcover, 323 pages, 1999); ISBN: 0446310786 (paperback, 281 pages, Warner, 1988); ISBN: 157270036X (cassette, unabridged, Audio partners, 1997); ISBN: 0060933275 (paperback, large print, 407 pages, Harperperennial, 1999). [autism,fiction]
Margot Livesey.
Banishing Verona (Henry Holt, 2004). One of the major characters, Zeke, has been described as having Asperger's Syndrome. ISBN: 0805074627 (hardcover, 336 pages); ISBN: 0312425201 (paperback, 368 pages, Picador, 2005). [autism,aspergers,fiction]
Cammie McGovern.
Eye Contact (Viking Adult, 2006). Story includes autistic boy who is witness to a crime. ISBN: 0670037656 (hardcover, 304 pages); ISBN: 1598870475 (unabridged audio CD, HighBridge, 2006); ISBN: 1585477699 (large print hardcover, Central Point Large Print, due 7/2006). [autism,fiction]
Elizabeth McGregor.
A Road Through the Mountains (Bantom, 2004). ISBN: 0553803581 (hardcover, 336 pages); ISBN: 0553586718 (paperback, 352 pages, Bantom, 2005). [autism,aspergers,fiction]
Mike McQuay.
The Nexus (1989). Science fiction. ISBN: 055328178X . [autism,fiction]
Sue Miller.
Family Pictures (Harper & Row, 1990). 389 pages. An engrossing novel spanning forty years in the life of a large family that is deeply bonded by the stranger in their midst - an autistic child. The story simulates the mind, catches the imagination and touches the heart on virtually every page. By Sue Miller, author of New York Times bestseller, The Good Mother. ISBN: 0060163976 ; ISBN: 0061099252 (paperback, 1996); ISBN: 0060929987 (paperback, 431 pages, 1999). [autism,fiction]
Elizabeth Moon.
The Speed of Dark (Ballantine, 2003). ISBN: 0345447557 (hardcover, 352 pages); ISBN: 0345447549 (paperback, 368 pages); ISBN: 0786252146 (large print hardcover, 513 pages, Thorndike Press, 2003). [autism,aspergers,fiction]
Tanis Morran.
A Place Within the Sphere (Trafford publishing, 2000). http://www.trafford.com/robots/00-0091.html ISBN: 1552124266 (paperback, 194 pages). [autism,fiction]
Tito Mukhopadhyay.
The Gold of the Sunbeams (Arcade Publishing, 2005). The author is autistic. ISBN: 1559707771 (hardcover, 224 pages, ISBN-13: 978-1559707770). [autism,aspergers,fiction]
Patrick O'Brien.
The Commodore (HarperCollins, 1994). A character, Brigid Maturin, daughter of one of the main characters, Stephen Maturin, is apparently autistic. The novel is part of O'Brien's series of 20 Aubrey/Maturin novels, and Brigid appears or is mentioned in others as well. ISBN: 0393037606 (hardcover, 282 pages, Norton 1995); ISBN: 0393314596 (paperback, 282 pages, Norton 1996). [autism,fiction]
Joyce Carol Oates.
I Lock My Door Upon Myself (Ecco Press, 1990). Reader: the main character is obviously autistic. ISBN: 0880012609 (hardcover, 98 pages); ISBN: 0452267080 (paperback Plume Books, 1991). [autism,fiction]
C. Eric Ott.
Jamie's Watch (C. Eric Ott, 2003). The author is the father of an autistic son. ISBN: 0976492709 (paperback, 160 pages). [autism,fiction]
Ryne Douglas Pearson.
Simple Simon (William Morrow, 1996). Thriller about 16-year-old autistic genius who breaks a secret code, then must be protected. Film version (with younger protagonist) out in 1998, titled Mercury Rising. ISBN: 0688142966 (hardcover, 256 pages); ISBN: 0380725746 (paperback, 326 pages, Avon, 1997). [autism,fiction]
Marjorie Reynolds.
The Civil Wars of Jonah Moran (Berkley Pub Group, 2001). ISBN: 042517834X (paperback, 327 pages). [autism,aspergers,fiction]
Tom Robbins.
Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas. One of the main characters talks about his autism, reporting benefits from Dolphin Therapy he received when he was young. ISBN: 0553377876 (paperback, 386 pages, Bantam, 1995); ISBN: 0787103829 (audio cassette, Dove, 1995). [autism,fiction]
Nancy Taylor Rosenberg.
California Angel (New York: Signet, 1995). Paperback. Plot: a woman is haunted by dreamlike memories of children she believes she somehow saved. The question is whether she is an angel or a kidnapper and murderer. A character at the beginning of the story is an autistic boy named Raymond Gonzolas whose recovery is triggered by the main character. ISBN: 0451186281 ; ISBN: 0451191773 (paperback, 400 pages, Signet, 1996); ISBN: 0613133315 (hardcover, Econoclad Books, 1999); ISBN: 0453009255 (audio cassette, Penguin Audiobooks, 1995). [autism,fiction]
Richard Russo.
Nobody's Fool (Random House, 1993). This is the book that was made into a 1994 movie with Paul Newman. According to a reader, the book (but not the movie) included a character with autistic symptoms caused by abuse. Another reader identified no such character. ISBN: 0394577787 (hardcover); ISBN: 0679753338 (paperback, 549 pages, Vintage, 1994). [autism,fiction]
Al Sarrantonio.
The Boy With Penny Eyes. Main character sounds autistic. It is a horror novel. ISBN: 0812525604 . [autism,fiction]
John Vornholt & Todd Cameron Hamilton, illustrator.
Aftershock (Minstrel Books, 1996). Part of the series Star Trek Starfleet Academy. Ages 9-12. Second of the series. I was told that the first three books of the Starfleet Academy series include an autistic character. ISBN: 0671000799 (paperback). [autism,fiction]
Amy Maida Wadsworth.
Faraway Child (Covenant, 2005). ISBN: 159156817X (paperback, 200 pages). [autism,fiction]
Dorothy Zietz.
Until Tomorrow: A Family Lives with Autism (1988). Reader: poorly written and unconvincing. [autism,fiction]

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