See It Feelingly

Reviews / Votes

"Impassioned and persuasive. . . . A fresh and absorbing examination of autism." (Kirkus Reviews) "This idealistic argument for the social value of literature and for the diversity of autism as a condition is a rewarding endeavor. . . ." (Publishers Weekly) "This is a powerful book - one that really must be experienced. It is a book that unlocks doors to the many rooms of autism and is likely to surprise the thinking of anyone who steps into them. It carries within it the possibilities of new perspectives on literary work, a greater understanding of autistic neurology, and the chance to meet some remarkable individuals. Read it." - Michael Northen (Wordgathering) "Savarese has produced a masterpiece, simultaneously dense and accessible. His voice moves freely-alternating among lyrical, narrative, and instructive-never losing the flow, never dipping into pedantry, never soaring too far toward the abstract for the reader to follow. Not only is this collection of essays brimming with the most important information and ideas about autism, it is a collaboration of rare beauty." - Maxfield Sparrow (Thinking Person's Guide to Autism) "Savarese shows that literature-with its imagery, inclusivity, and rich detail-is a natural tent pole for a truly neurodiverse community, one populated by autists and neurotypicals alike. . . . The radical possibility this book ultimately offers is that the gap that has for so long existed between nonverbal autists and neurotypicals can be bridged through literature. Literature is, as Whitman said of himself, large, and contains multitudes." - Ittai Orr (Synapsis) "Readers will find this book to be a work of art as Ralph Savarese not only exhibits an understanding of the beauty of teaching but also of the language of the autistic mind. Savarese's literary creation demystifies the limits of the autistic mind by following five autistic adults through their interpretation of and response to classic literature. . . . Highly recommended. Advanced undergraduates and above; professionals and general readers." - D. Pellegrino (Choice) "The sense of critical self-reflection is crucial to this enterprise, and is evident throughout the book. Thankfully, this never veers into self-indulgence; as such, [Savarese's] ethnographic work in this area is an exemplar to all those who study 'others,' as outsiders with situated knowledge." - Alison Wilde (Disability & Society) "To imagine an autistic rhetoric or an autistic literature is to struggle, audaciously, against a legacy of neurotypical people failing to imagine autism as anything other than lack. That struggle is joined . . . by Ralph [James] Savarese, whose See It Feelingly gives us five extraordinary examples of autistic readers' responses to literature. It's like Norman Holland's classic work of reader-response criticism, 5 Readers Reading . . . except with autism." - Michael Berube (Public Books) "Powered by his enthusiasm for connecting with autistics and for representing the fullness of their humanity, See It Feelingly is that rare book in English studies that succeeds as creative nonfiction: a memoir of teaching non-traditional learners that makes a provocative claim for the primacy of the senses in reading literature." - Dawn Coleman (Leviathan) "Savarese incorporates storytelling, memoir, and poetry into See It Feelingly, which you will read feelingly, from the opening line." - Deborah Jenson (American Literature) "... See it Feelingly is a wonderful addition to contemporary work being done in critical autism studies and accessible education." - Jennifer Marchisotto (Disabilities Studies Quarterly)