Raising Cubby: A Father and Son's Adventures with Asperger's, Trains, Tractors, and High Explosives
384Raising Cubby: A Father and Son's Adventures with Asperger's, Trains, Tractors, and High Explosives
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Overview
John Robison was not your typical dad. Diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome at the age of forty, he approached fatherhood as a series of logic puzzles and practical jokes. Instead of a speech about the birds and the bees, he told his son, Cubby, that he'd bought him at the Kid Store—and that the salesman had cheated him by promising Cubby would “do all chores.” While other parents played catch with their kids, John taught Cubby to drive the family's antique Rolls-Royce. Still, Cubby seemed to be turning out pretty well, at least until school authorities decided that he was dumb and stubborn—the very same thing John had been told as a child. Did Cubby have Asperger’s too? The answer was unclear.
One thing was clear, though: By the time he turned seventeen, Cubby had become a brilliant and curious chemist—smart enough to make military-grade explosives and bring federal agents calling. With Cubby facing a felony trial—and up to sixty years in prison—both father and son were forced to take stock of their lives, finally accepting that being “on the spectrum” is both a challenge and a unique gift.
Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9780307884848 |
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Publisher: | Crown/Archetype |
Publication date: | 03/12/2013 |
Pages: | 384 |
Sales rank: | 1,139,890 |
Product dimensions: | 6.54(w) x 9.32(h) x 1.28(d) |
About the Author
Table of Contents
1 Every Parent's Worst Nightmare 1
2 From Dropout to Executive 6
3 An Incipient Bear Cub 17
4 Names 23
5 Hatching Time 26
6 A Proud, Scared Dad 31
7 The King of Everything 36
8 Two-Wheel Drive 42
9 Tell Me What You Want 47
10 The Aerial Child 52
11 Monsters 55
12 Child Support 58
13 The Best Kid in the Store 61
14 Wondrous Dada 68
15 Tuck-in Time 73
16 Role Models 81
17 Elves 87
18 The Oxbow Incident 94
19 The Old Boy 100
20 The Power of Wizards 106
21 Becoming Owners 111
22 Cubby Versus the School 119
23 Reading 129
24 An Official Geek 133
25 Divorce 139
26 Dreaming Cubby 144
27 Child Protection 149
28 Bulldozing Off 152
29 The Strolling of the Heifers 156
30 From Stockholder to Chairman 161
31 Gymnastics 165
32 Geologists 170
33 Learning to Drive 176
34 Power Generation 183
35 Boom! 191
36 Amherst 198
37 Pine Demons 208
38 A New Nest 214
39 In the High School Groove 219
40 A Different Animal 226
41 Nicole 231
42 Declaration of Independence 239
43 Blowing Up 246
44 A Visit from the ATF 256
45 The Raid Begins 268
46 The Locus of the Investigation 273
47 The Circus Must Go On 283
48 The DA 292
49 Arraignment 301
50 Asperger's and Cubby 304
51 In Limbo 308
52 The Trial Begins 313
53 The Crime of Inquisitiveness 320
54 Defending Cubby 329
55 The Verdict 339
Epilogue 342
Author's Note 355
Acknowledgments 357
Closing the Circle 361
What People are Saying About This
“How does a man who lacks a sense of empathy and an ability to read nonverbal cues learn to be a father? And how does a man with Asperger’s learn to recognize the same symptoms in his own child? (A key element in the book is Robison’s son’s own diagnosis, and Robison’s reaction to his having missed seeing the signs for as long as he had.) In many ways, this is a traditional father-and-son memoir, but the added element of Asperger’s gives the story a stronger emotional core: when Robison and his wife separated, for example, he realized he had been misreading a lot of what had been going on between them. It’s a story of a man learning to be a parent, yes, but it’s also—and perhaps more importantly—the story of a man discovering, as an adult, who he really is.”
—Booklist
"John Elder Robison is one of my autism super heroes because he bravely brings humor and humility to the heart and soul of the taboo and unexpected corners of life lived with autism. His new book, Raising Cubby, is more than a memoir about a father and son bound by their Asperger syndrome. It’s a story that reminds us how precious and precarious the parent child relationship is and how beautiful our lives can be when we are share that ride together. Raising Cubby is Robison’s best work yet.”
—Liane Holliday-Willey, coauthor of Pretending To Be Normal: Living with Asperger Syndrome
“John Robison's skill as a master storyteller is nowhere more evident than in his third book, Raising Cubby. This heartwarming memoir takes us on the colorful journey of John and his son, Jack (aka Cubby), as they learn about the world together. At turns funny and poignant, it is, above all, the story of the powerful love of a father for his son. Told in the immensely entertaining and engaging style of John Elder Robison, it should be on everyone’s must-read list.”
—Lori S. Shery, President and Founder, ASPEN®
"Funny and moving...A warmhearted, appealing account by a masterful storyteller."
Kirkus Reviews
"Robison's third book starts with a banghis description of the 'malicious explosion' created by his teenage Cubby that has the boy, who has Asperger's syndrome, looking at 60 years in prison, is as disconcerting as it is captivating....With the ensuing investigation and trial, Cubby and the author are drawn into a crazy world that threatens to tear apart their already delicate lives."
Publishers Weekly