Salem K.

Horrifying and Gripping till the end!

Revisado: 11-09-24

The characters felt real, sincere, and when tragedy befell them I worried for their safety. And the the plot kept me guessing till the very end- I couldn’t predict how it resolved!

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Narratively Satisfying End!

Revisado: 11-06-24

The book had me gripped from the start. The protagonist is smart and charming, her situation is truly nerve wracking, and her only allies are in just as much, if not more, danger. This story isn’t just entertaining, it feels intentional too- well crafted.

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Eye Opening and Validating

Revisado: 10-25-23

This book was amazing. Dr. Devon Price has such a pleasant voice to listen to. They spoke plainly in a way I found easy to follow as they help the reader, or in our case the listener, understand autism better.
In a gentle but firm and unwavering manner, Dr. Price tells the listener to throw out harmful neurotypical views on autism and instead listen to other autistic people. They remind the listener, or teach them, in my case, that too many neurotypical people place their own convenience or doxastic comfort above the happiness and healthiness of their neurodivergent counterparts. Or, to say it plainly: too many people insist on believing and enforcing the belief that there is a universal or even mandated Normal, that Normal is good and right, and that doing anything outside that Normal, even if it harms no one and makes the ‘abnormal’ person happy, is bad and wrong. Unmasking Autism is about rejecting the frivolous Normal and doing what makes you happy, as well as fighting for a world where everyone can do so.
If you disagree with the belief that we should all fight for a world where everyone can unmask safely and happily, I beg you to listen to the WHOLE book before tossing it aside. Hold off your objections to whether anyone is being oppressed or wronged until you’ve listened to all Dr. Price has to say about how it actually feels to be an autist in a world that was not built for you, but rather was built to grind you into a palatable fraction of who you really are.
Dr. Price’s intersectional perspective reminds them, and therefore allows them to remind us as the listeners, that autism (and indeed, life in general) does not look the same for everyone. They explain this with academic evidence as well as anecdotal stories shared with them from other neurodivergent people. There’s even a small but weighty and meaningful emphasis on how neurodivergence in different demographics is viewed by neurotypical society, and I appreciate that when they speak about the difficulties and even dangers of unmasking one’s autism when one is, say black, for instance, they use examples given to them by black autistic people.
This book really opened up the door for me to question myself and the world I live in, and I truly believe I am better for it. It helped me learn to love a part of myself I and my family have been first ignorant and then resistant to for most of my life. I highly encourage everyone, regardless of whether or not you think you’re neurodivergent or know anyone who is, to read/listen to it.
To that point, I want to recommend that you ignore, or at least set aside until you finish the book, any angry one star reviews complaining about how the book is too ‘woke’ or ‘indulgent in victim mentality’. It’s literally the author saying ‘hey autism and some other neurodivergent conditions aren’t something one needs to fix or hide in order to make neurotypical people happy, and we should fight for a world where no one is forced to do so.’ It’s about unabashedly being one’s autistic self. And yes, in order to achieve a world where people can be themselves happily and safely, a lot of social injustices must be corrected and left behind. This will always grind the gears of those unwilling to ask themselves whether they’re a part of the system that’s hurting others and whether they’re okay with that or not. Please, for yourself, and the rest of your teammates in this game of life, ie; literally everyone on the planet, PLEASE give this book a listen with an open mind and open heart.
Also, the definition of doxastic is ‘of or pertaining to belief.’

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esto le resultó útil a 4 personas

A beautiful, painful whirlwind of emotions

Revisado: 06-12-23

I fell in love with the movie, and when I found out it was a book I immediately started listening. The narrator KILLS this performance, putting the characters’ feelings into his voice in an immersive way. He nails the anger, the grief, the despair, the fatigue, the hope, the determination- it’s wonderful. When his voice broke with real feelings I fell in love with him as a narrator.
The story itself was wonderful as well. It is a different story from the movie, but I don’t begrudge either for that. I wish I could have a visual adaptation of this book that told the same story, but not to replace the movie we already have.
If you are or ever feel like any kind of outsider you might strongly relate to the protagonist. I certainly did. Every time tragedy befell him, it felt worse than the last, and several times I found myself crying. The way the book is written is just gripping. Feelings and places and happenings are described so perfectly I can see and feel them. The story is a long slog, but it’s SUPPOSED to be. The protagonist goes through one pain after another, until he’s begging for the end, but it doesn’t stop there. The hurts keep coming, forcing him to keep moving. When the book finally ends, it’s a massive relief. I loved every second of it.

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esto le resultó útil a 3 personas

Just as good as the first time!

Revisado: 06-30-19

I love this book, the style of the author, even the voice of the reader- it’s been a while since my first listen but I enjoyed myself just as much if not more than the first time- even knowing what would happen, Clarice Starling’s story is just as gripping and urgent as before, and I’d recommend this book to anyone who loves a good fbi story.

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Loved it so much!

Revisado: 05-12-17

The ending was a little fanciful, almost like a fanfiction, but with how strong and captivating the rest of the story was, I can overlook that! I loved the story, and I loved the performance! And oh my gosh, the best part is hearing all the little bits that sounded familiar to me- I came into this book after having fallen in love with NBC's Hannibal after all, and nothing was more exciting than going 'Oh so THATS where that came from!' Loved it loved it loved it, and I'm sure anyone else who loved the show or other books would love it too!

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