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Book Review: Stephen Shore’s “Beyond The Wall”

by Ellen

Cover of "Beyond The Wall"

You may be familiar with Stephen Shore. He’s an author, public speaker and member of the Autism Society of America’s Board of Directors. He’s also an adult on the spectrum. He gave the closing speech at the recent Easter Seals Training Conference. It was very engaging, with a modest humor.

Shore is good at explaining what autism is like to a “neurotypical” like me. I could start to imagine what his world might be like. Maybe autism is one extreme of a continuum of human experience. Perhaps it is, as Shore says, simply “a different way of being.”

Shore’s autobiography, Beyond the Wall, should be required reading by anyone involved with people with autism, including young adults with ASD. It’s sprinkled with comments from Shore, his mother, his wife and others, allowing the reader to see the story from different perspectives. Written with a touch of humor and ample doses of reality, it puts autism in an understandable framework. Through his life’s journey, Shore shows the importance of interdependence … as you see that the ability to communicate and engage with others is what ultimately results in his many accomplishments.

Stephen Shore speaks at the 2007 Easter Seals Training Conference

Shore’s stories about making friends, dating, and employment can be very helpful to others as they approach important milestones. His open sharing of growing up with some of the “pitfalls” of autism — and successfully navigating them — is one of his book’s most important features.


 

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  1. Maurice Snell Says:

    June 6th, 2007 at 8:55 pm

    Ellen, once again, I thank you (and Stephen) for sending me a copy of “Beyond the Wall” through the mail. I had the opportunity to read it and I find it very interesting. He had similar issues that I encountered growing up, which makes us very special and distinguished people. I know I didn’t meet him in person at the Easter Seals Training Conference (and I wanted to), but I was fortunate to run into him again at the Autism One conference and I finally met him. I told him in person that I find what he does interesting and beneficial to many people in this country, and a great role model to many people that know someone who is autistic.

    As always, I encourage him to keep up the good work and I hope to run into him again!