Journal Entry 1 by crazy-book-lady from Toronto, Ontario Canada on Sunday, November 13, 2005

2nd copy for release.

Highly recommended. 

Journal Entry 2 by crazy-book-lady from Toronto, Ontario Canada on Monday, March 20, 2006

Sent as an "extra" in a box of books going to Blackcats-Books. Hope the students enjoy it! 

Journal Entry 3 by Blackcats-Books from Herculaneum, Missouri USA on Wednesday, March 22, 2006

this book looks really interesting! thanks! 

Journal Entry 4 by Skylerdragon from Parkville, Missouri USA on Monday, June 12, 2006

This was a really great book. It wasn't as fantastic as I expected with all the Best Seller and BookCrossing hype, but it was really good. I enjoyed reading it because, although this is my first year to work with an autistic student, I could come across that later in life. I really think the author did a good job of putting me in the shoes of an autistic child. And the math. Oh the math! Arrrgh! The MATH! I hated math as a kid, and even now as a teacher. But reading this book gave me a new fun way to look at math. To an autistic, math must be sort of a game. Analyzing numbers, patterns and sequences in daily life certainly can be fun and may even be a nice diversion from the monotony of reality. I can think of a dozen times when I've counted the seconds it takes a traffic light to change, or the number of steps as I climbed them, or listened to the rhythm of the rain. An autistic does all this and more...at least the character in this book did.

I'm sharing this one with my students now.

I also gave one to my A+ Tutor Jacque, Donovan's sister. 

Journal Entry 5 by Blackcats-Books from Herculaneum, Missouri USA on Monday, June 12, 2006

Summary
I read this book almost a year ago, so I expect this review to be a bit shaky. An autistic boy finds a dead dog in the yard. Unable to focus on what is really happening in his life, including his parents divorce, he seeks a solution to this suburban mystery. On the way the author reveals the trappings of the autistic mind, including his aversion to certain shapes, colors and situations. The narrator's voice tells the story from a first person perstepctive through the eyes of the autistic.

Critique
What an original idea. Telling the story from the perspective of an autistic investigator is such a new twist. Readers will discover how the autistic mind works. Incongruities like time-loss, color aversions, and odd reactions are all part of this story. The narrator's autistic mind makes this story even more appealing.

Most mystery stories follow the same pattern. Crime is committed. A dozen possible suspects are introduced, all with very convincing motives. One red herring flops around in the story slapping the reader in the face several times with a fishy tale. Then as clues reveals themselves, a sudden watershed of reality flushes the reader and the story as relationships between characters clarify the actual events of the murder. This book is NOTHING like that!

The story will also surprise you in the end. When you realize what the crime is about and how the narrator solved it, you will suddenly discover a new kind of "lost" and "found" in the characters and events of a story. It's amazing how Haddon has captured such a real situation and painted it with such detail and accuracy. Though I have never been autistic, I have a clearer impression of what its like to be autistic. Only an incredible author could do something like that.

Activity
Inviting a medical or psychological Autism Specialist would be a fantastic way to preview, review, and discuss this book. It would be important for the specialist to have read the book so that discussion could be relative. Questions about thge accuracy in protraying an autistic mind would be the most obvious discussions, but a specialist might also have insights into other aspects of the story that readers wouldn't expect. Whether or not a specialist is called in this book is definitely a learning experience. I recommend it to EVERYONE. 

Journal Entry 6 by Blackcats-Books at Post Office -Controlled Release in Pevely, Missouri USA on Saturday, February 10, 2007

Released 5 yrs ago (2/10/2007 UTC) at Post Office -Controlled Release in Pevely, Missouri USA

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

I passed this one along. I know it will be appreciated! 

Journal Entry 7 by SkyeBlueReader from Downsville, Louisiana USA on Tuesday, August 14, 2007

I lost my internet service for a while so I am sorry I didn''t make a journal entry sooner. This was a really cool book! I have never read from such an interesting perspective. There was a boy in my school who was autistic, but he didnt talk about poo and things. He was pretty nice, but it was hard to talk to him sometimes.

I really loved this book and I am looking for someone else who wants to read it. 

Journal Entry 8 by halonhakkaaja from Kuopio, Pohjois-Savo Finland on Wednesday, September 12, 2007

What a wonderful surprise! Thanks a lot Skylerdragon for sending this. And thanks for the other things too. I'm really looking forward to read this book. 

Journal Entry 9 by halonhakkaaja from Kuopio, Pohjois-Savo Finland on Saturday, September 29, 2007

Great book! Thank's for sharing it. My husband will read it next and after that it'll continue it's travel.

***

Edit 13.2.2008

The book continues it's travel as a bookray (järjestys saattaa vielä muuttua, koska tarkoitus on laittaa saman paikkakunnan ihmiset peräkkäin):

1. Pikkis (Kuopio)
2. Valpuri (Kuopio)
3. Pellu (Lappeenranta)
4. Aspen72 (Turku)
5. Jaakko196 (Hki)
6. Hippolein (Hki)
7. AgdaAgulina 

Journal Entry 10 by Pikkis from Kuopio, Pohjois-Savo Finland on Friday, February 15, 2008

I got this book at the Kuopio bc-meeting and have the honour to start this bookray! Will be starting to read this book immediately :). Interesting cover, I´d say!!! 

Journal Entry 11 by Pikkis from Kuopio, Pohjois-Savo Finland on Saturday, March 01, 2008

This book was really a fantastic reading-experience! At the same time a captivating, but distressing story about a very special and intelligent boy called Christopher. Many times I felt sorrow and concern for him, but also admired his strenght and determination. The only thing in this book that I didn´t like so much were the mathematical issues, they went totally over my head!!! But not understanding them didn´t disturb the reading and they really made me admire the intelligence of the author!
Thanks halonhakkkaaja for offering this book to me! A kind of book that I´d like to have in my own bookshelf, but as this is a bookray-book, it will go to Valpuri next. 

Journal Entry 12 by Valpuri from Wakefield, West Yorkshire United Kingdom on Sunday, March 02, 2008

The book was waiting for me when I came home tonight, thanks to Pikkis. This really seems to be a very interesting book, so thank you all for sharing it! I'll start reading this right after the one I'm reading at the moment. 

Journal Entry 13 by Valpuri from Wakefield, West Yorkshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Thanks to halonhakkaaja for giving us the opportunity to read this book, and to crazy-book-lady for registering it! Very fascinating book, and surely one which I will remember a long time. It was surprisingly easy to get into Christopher's world and understand his way of thinking. Probably there is a small autistic part lurking inside my brain. A small note from another reader: Some matemathical equations and their explanations suggested that the author himself is not autistic ;-)

The book will travel to Pellu during this week. 

Journal Entry 14 by Pellu from St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg (Federal City) Russia on Saturday, April 12, 2008

I'm looking forward to read this book. I know two men who have autism spectrum disorder, so the theme is familiar to me and that's why I got interested about this bookray. Thanks for sharing the book. I start reading soon after I have finished my schoolwork. 

Journal Entry 15 by Pellu from St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg (Federal City) Russia on Sunday, May 11, 2008

I liked the plot and things that Christopher had to go through were told in very exiting way even thought some of them were just ordinary things like using train. Text style in the book really reminded me about some texts written by an autistic man I know. One thing that I didn’t like in the book was all those lists. Somehow they felt boring. They were there to describe how autistic mind works, like those mathematical things too, but I surprisingly I liked those mathematical parts.

I will send the book to Aspen72 as soon as I get her address. 

Journal Entry 16 by AspenYard from Turku, Varsinais-Suomi Finland on Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Book arrived today. Thanks to all! 

Journal Entry 17 by AspenYard from Turku, Varsinais-Suomi Finland on Saturday, June 14, 2008

Journal Entry 18 by VariC from Schöneberg, Berlin Germany on Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Arrived today, thanks! Looks very interesting from all the previous comments. 

Journal Entry 19 by VariC from Schöneberg, Berlin Germany on Monday, July 07, 2008

I couldn't help it: the setup of this book brought to mind Leonie Swann's Glennkill. Both have a murder with the long murder weapon sticking out of the victim and the detective is very different from the other people, and the reader doesn't really expect a traditional murder mystery based on that. Of course, the similarities don't run very deep or long. After all, Glennkill is humor and this one is more serious.

Getting into Christopher's mind was pretty easy. A bit of mind twisting was needed in the beginning to enter his mind, but then the rest was almost like reading a “normal” narrative. He's a very logical and methodical person, so understanding his thinking and motivation came very easily to me.

Maybe it's also because understanding Christopher was so easy that the book didn't really feel that special to me. It was interesting, sure, and I had no trouble reading it, yet some spark was missing, something that would lift this book above others.

Other previous readings that came to mind were Flowers for Algernon and Greg Egan's short story “Reasons to Be Cheerful”. This book is of course more realistic than either of these science fiction stories, but using the “outsider” as the viewpoint character is common to all, and the SF stories get some mileage out of having technology to change the characters to become more “normal”.

I wonder if the red cover was chosen specifically because it's what Christopher likes?

Will take it with me tomorrow to the meetup, so hippolein will get it if he shows up. 

Journal Entry 20 by hippolein from Helsinki, Uusimaa Finland on Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Got this book from Jaakko196/VarC at the meeting tonight.
Surprise, surprise, I never realised that I had already one copy at home waiting for me to be read (seems I got one from somewhere else as a surprise).

So, thanks very much halonhakkaaja for making a ray with this book, it will go probably on Friday to the Helsinki address of AgdaAgulina as that is anyway here in the neighborhood ;-)


Managed to read the other copy of the book, wanted to add my thoughts about it here too:
"The story was surprisingly good, not at all what you would have expected from the title at all. The view from the boy's perspective gives you something to think about, as it is clear that - though not in a so distinct way - every human being does have a different view on life and on things that happen.
The story is written in a way that you just have to continue, to know how it is going to end, and then you still keep a feeling that you wanted to read more.
With a "special-need-person" (as Christopher would call it) living at home, it gives the whole story a different colour and an extra touch."
 

Journal Entry 21 by hippolein at to the next participant, A Bookray -- Controlled Releases on Friday, July 25, 2008

Released 3 yrs ago (7/25/2008 UTC) at to the next participant, A Bookray -- Controlled Releases

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Congratulations on getting this ray so early, now I had the possibility to bring it myself. Hope you'll arrive sometimes safely in Helsinki yourself, with all the books that are waiting now ;-)
 

Journal Entry 22 by AgdaAgulina from Helsinki, Uusimaa Finland on Monday, July 28, 2008

More books waiting for me! Wonderful! Yes, this arrived suprisingly early, but as always, the bookrings seems to come all at once. Looking forward to read this... and special thanks for hippolein for being a great postman! 

Journal Entry 23 by AgdaAgulina from Helsinki, Uusimaa Finland on Tuesday, February 10, 2009

This was amazing book! For some reason I didn't expect anything of this sort, and was very fast caught with the story - and the writing!! This was much faster read than I thought, and kept me from doing other things... and it very strongly affected my way of thinking for several days, many of Christopher's taughts are still bothering my mind. I also liked very much the cuts to the un-fictions, those fairies I know very well and was happy to find them in this book again. And all that logic... Beside Christopher, I also liked his father very much. Very human to me.

Now there are several friends of mine who would like to read this (even if some of them don't know it yet). And the book is already on it's next reader...

 

Journal Entry 24 by misterpip on Monday, February 16, 2009

Great read! The narrative perspective of Christopher was really unique, and like many other book-crossers here have said, contagious- I found myself thinking like him, noticing everything more acutely, becoming easily overwhelmed by all I noticed. It also highlighted for me my inherent differences of perspective from his, something not many books do so easily- make you aware of your own behaviour.

Beyond all of that behavioural psychology was a very engaging plot which grew much deeper than it seemed at first, an excellent trick on the reader. Not as simple a book as it seems, considering how easy and fun it is to read. I loved the anecdotes too, his little diversions into math or names.

What didn't I like about it? It was over too quickly? Some of the characters were quite shallow to me, considering their importance in the plot, but I think that must have been intentional in order to highlight the boy's endearing but ultimately completely selfish outlook.

Remarkable book. Thanks to all! 

Journal Entry 25 by AnonymousFinder on Sunday, July 05, 2009

The back cover text made me put this book back down. At second attemp I just started reading it and finished it the next day.Heavy story but the author has managed well to add humor in good taste.

CAUGHT IN LEUVEN BELGIUM 

Journal Entry 26 by AnonymousFinder at Helsinki, Uusimaa Finland on Friday, October 22, 2010

easy reading english
touching and caching story 

Journal Entry 27 by AnonymousFinder at Tallinn, Harjumaa Estonia on Friday, October 22, 2010

really touching
who are we?