The Reason I Jump: One Boy's Voice from the Silence of Autism

日本、歐美暢銷書排行榜第一名，引發熱烈討論
「這本書對我而言簡直就是天賜的啟示，彷彿透過直樹的話，我兒子第一次告訴我們，他腦袋裡發生了什麼事。」

2013主流媒體年度選書：NPR‧華爾街日報‧彭博商業週刊‧Bookish.com
2013入圍美好生活選書獎

你為什麼要一直跳起來呢？
跳起來的動作讓我想要變成一隻鳥，多麼希望能夠拍動翅膀，飛到遙遠的地方去！

自閉兒的家人朋友從來不敢妄想能夠了解自閉兒在想什麼，但這本書讓這個願望得以實現。雖然東田直樹很難說出一句完整的話，但是能夠透過字母盤或是電腦鍵盤，慢慢拼湊出心中真正想表達的話，解答了許多人對於自閉兒的疑惑。

‧你為什麼要一遍又一遍問重複的問題呢？
問問題是我拾起記憶的方法，如果問得太頻繁，也請稍微容忍一下。
‧你說話時為什麼不看著對方呢？
看著別人的眼睛實在有點詭異啊！
‧你是不是不喜歡跟別人握手呢？
我只是很容易分心，看到有趣的東西就想靠近，忘了你正對我伸出手。
‧你為什麼要一直把東西拿起來轉？
東西旋轉時會形成完美的圓，不管怎樣都不會改變，這不是很棒嗎？

東田直樹的回答既誠懇又帶著自嘲，讓人驚訝的是，其實他知道自己有些行為跟別人不一樣，甚至很奇怪，但是他就是沒辦法控制；他甚至知道別人會用異樣眼光看自己，但是他處之泰然，還能以幽默的態度看待這件事（沒錯，自閉兒也是有幽默感的！）。
這本書為我們與自閉兒的溝通打開了另一扇門，只要了解這些行為背後的原因，就能明白，要和自閉兒相處其實並不難，而且你還能用全新的態度觀察這個世界。


The No. 1 Sunday Times and internationally bestselling account of life as an autistic child. 'Brilliant . . . both moving and strangely optimistic' (Daily Telegraph).
Written by Naoki Higashida when he was only thirteen, this remarkable book provides a rare insight into the often baffling behaviour of autistic children. Using a question and answer format, Naoki explains things like why he talks loudly or repeats the same questions, what causes him to have panic attacks, and why he likes to jump. He also shows the way he thinks and feels about his world - other people, nature, time and beauty, and himself. Abundantly proving that people with autism do possess imagination, humour and empathy, he also makes clear how badly they need our compassion, patience and understanding.

David Mitchell and his wife have translated Naoki's book so that it might help others dealing with autism and generally illuminate a little-understood condition. It gives us an exceptional chance to enter the mind of another and see the world from a strange and fascinating perspective.

The book also features eleven original illustrations, inspired by Naoki's words, by the artistic duo Kai and Sunny.

Naoki Higashida was born in Kimitsu, Japan in 1992. He was diagnosed with autism in 1998 and subsequently attended a school for students with special needs, then (by correspondence) Atmark Cosmopolitan High School, graduating in 2011. Having learnt to use a method of communication based on an alphabet grid, Naoki wrote The Reason I Jump when he was thirteen and it was published in Japan in 2007. He has published several books since, from autobiographical accounts about living with autism to fairy tales, poems and illustrated books, and writes a regular blog. Despite his communication challenges, he also gives presentations about life on the autistic spectrum throughout Japan and works to raise awareness about autism. In 2011 he appeared in director Gerry Wurzburg's documentary on the subject, Wretches & Jabberers.

David Mitchell is the author of the novels Ghostwritten, number9dream, Cloud Atlas, Black Swan Green and The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet. He has been shortlisted twice for the Man Booker Prize and won several awards for his writing. KA Yoshida was born in Yamaguchi, Japan, and specialised in English Poetry at Notre Dame Seishin University.

A book that acts like a door to another logic, explaining why an autistic child might flap his hands in front of his face, disappear suddenly from home - or jump. — Sunday Telegraph - Neil Tweedie

A book that makes me want to say, "This is truly important, and anyone interested in autism should read it," is a rare find. The Reason I Jump achieves that status . . . [it] builds one of the strongest bridges yet constructed between the world of autism and the neurotypical world . . . There are many more questions I'd like to ask Naoki, but the first words I'd say to him are "thank you". — The Sunday Times - Charlotte Moore

Every page dismantles another preconception about autism. Higashida's language is precise and has a poetic quality that elevates it far beyond a self-help book for the parents of autistic children. His fictional stories, also included in this book, vary in length from a few lines to dozens of pages and are united by their beautiful simplicity. They all share a strong single theme, namely, that even if living is different and difficult, you can still find companionship and happiness. Once you understand how Higashida managed to write this book, you lose your heart to him. — New Statesman - Caroline Crampton

This is a wonderful book. I defy anyone not to be captivated, charmed and uplifted by it. But above all, you will never feel the same about autism again. — Evening Standard - John Preston

We have our received ideas, we believe they correspond roughly to the way things are, then a book comes along that simply blows all this so-called knowledge out of the water. This is one of them . . . This book is an entry into another world. It was discovered by K.A. Yoshida, wife of the novelist David Mitchell, who gave us some memorable other worlds in Cloud Atlas . . . Naoki says he wants to be a writer when he grows up. David Mitchell points out that he already is one. This spectacular little book may or may not be the beginning of a prolific career, but it's a wholly realised work of art in itself, and its dignity and stoicism are sometimes almost unbearably moving. And no, he doesn't wish he was 'normal'. He says he is happy as he is, and I think I believe him. — Daily Mail - Marcus Berkmann

As much a winsome work of the imagination as it is a user's manual for parents, carers and teachers. In its quirky humour and courage, it resembles Albert Espinosa's Spanish bestseller, The Yellow World . . . This book gives us autism from the inside, as we have never seen it. — Independent

The freshness of voice coexists with so much wisdom . . . it will stretch your vision of what it is to be human. — The Times - Andrew Solomon

The Reason I Jump reads effortlessly, each page challenging preconceptions that autistic people lack empathy, humour or imagination. Higashida's insights confirm some of my suspicions (perhaps the phrases that my sister repeats feel pleasurable, 'like a game of catch with a ball'), whilst challenging others . . . And raising new possibilities. — Independent on Sunday

The most remarkable book of the year was The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida. The book throws a pontoon bridge over the chasm dividing autistic and neuro-typical experience. — Spectator Books of the Year 2013 - Charlotte Moore

Written by an autistic Japanese boy when he was just 13, this remarkable book, which became a No. 1 Sunday Times bestseller earlier this year, offers an unparalleled view inside the closed world of childhood autism. Higashida's eye-opening answers to 58 questions - such as: "Why do you ask the same questions over and over?" or: "Why can you never stay still?" - are accompanied by a series of short tales, and an introduction from the novelist David Mitchell (who has an autistic son himself) that makes clear just how exceptional and rare this book is. — Sunday Times - Andrew Holgate

An extraordinary account of how autism feels from the inside — Observer

A remarkable memoir. A touching and fascinating guide to the tangled byways of his mind. Every page dismantles another of our preconceptions about autism. — Mail on Sunday

[The Reason I Jump] has been impossible to forget. — Evening Standard Books of the Year 2013 - Ian Thomson