- Short and straightforward.
- The 22 things are culled from real-world men with AS and the author's experiences.
- Each 'thing' offers excellent suggestions on how to cope, including positive slants.
- Speaks without judgement.
- Might be too simplistic for highly educated or knowledgeable readers.
- The focus on CAD and AS diagnosis seems heavy and frequent.
- Other than the introduction, is lacking in hard evidence.
- Each of the 22 things is its own chapter, ranging from two pages or less to a handful of pages at most.
- Every chapter starts with an explanation of what the title refers to (the meat of the book).
- From there the chapters include His Words (quotes from AS men), What To Do, and The Positive Note.
- The 22 things range greatly, such as "Your man may not be there for you in a crisis," to, "There will be loneliness."
A surprisingly small book (112 pages including a small glossary and references) that packs a lot of dense information, 22 Things A Woman Must Know If She Loves a Man With Asperger's Syndrome was written by Rudy Simone because she saw the need for such a book both in her personal and professional lives.
Each of the 22 'things' were gleaned from conversations with men suffering from Asperger's Syndrome (AS for short), from Simone's personal experiences, and from online forums that catered to folks with AS. Because of this, the book reads more like a forum posting than an authoritative tome, and lacks hard evidence to back up Simone's findings. Still, the insights are astute, clearly written, and oftentimes shocking, as readers dating an AS man may see themselves and their relationships in a whole new, yet positive light.
Some of the 'things' seemed out of place to me, as they could easily be said of many "Neurotypical" (NT) men (folks who don't have any autism-related disorders such as AS) as well. Yet many other 'things' were bang on such as, "Your AS man will not care about the things you do without him and there will be things he does not share with you".
By far the best part of 22 Things A Woman Must Know If She Loves a Man With Asperger's Syndrome is "The Positive Side", which follows every section. In it, Simone outlines for readers the means to view the trait, characteristic or behavior discussed in a positive way. Simone's insights are refreshing reminders, and serve the target audience well.
All in all, this is a solid book for Neurotypical women who want to learn more about their partner and autism-spectrum disorder. However, 22 Things A Woman Must Know If She Loves a Man With Asperger's Syndrome won't provide any new information to someone familiar with AS, nor will it give concrete facts and stats that some may require.
