This book is about 8 of the authors special interests:
- LEGO
- Dinosaurs, genealogy and maps
- Video games
- Music
- Warhammer 40000
- Minecraft
- Marvel Cinematic Universe
- The Titanic
Pete Wharmby is a former band player, teacher and now a writer, speaker and autism advocate. He has written another book titled 'Un-typical' but this is my favourite of the two. This book is about his special interests. He describes what he likes about them, how he interacts with them, how they have influenced his life and how they relate to autism. He explains how spending time on those special interests has helped his mental health through his life, including through difficult times and various life changes.
The writing style is straightforward and I found it clear and easy to follow, with humorous notes here and there.
I enjoyed learning about the topics covered in this book, some of which I knew a bit about through my own hobbies or through interest of friends and relatives. The passion he has for all these special interests really comes through in his writing. I usually love listening to people when they share something that they are deeply passionate about even when I am not myself interested in the topic, especially if I can understand why they are so passionate about it. This felt a bit like having a new friend that I could take with me on any of my commutes.
I think the way he uses details about his special interest to segway into small explanations about various aspect of being autistic and other related difficulties (dyslexia) is a very clever way of informing the reader without it feeling like a lecture. I tend to be drawn to non fiction book where seemingly unrelated topics end up being all linked to each other. There is something always satisfying for me when I can suddenly understand how a wide system works and I think this book does that in regards to his various special interests and autism.
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