Neurodivergent Book Reviews: We’re Not Broken

Fresh off the holiday season, I’m back with more neurodivergent book reviews for you! I ordered We’re Not Broken by Eric Garcia in January of 2023 in one of my semi-regular book-buying binges. As is common for the neurospicy with a special interest in neurodivergence, I ordered it with a few other books about autism and ADHD. I read Autism in Heels first and then the rest of the books sat on my shelf until I picked up We’re Not Broken in December 2023.

This reading delay was partially due to the war here absolutely killing my interests and hobbies. It was also partially due to feeling a bit burnt out on autism memoirs. Obviously, I think autism memoirs are incredibly important for changing the narrative about autism and I may even write one myself one day. I haven’t read an autism memoir I didn’t love and relate to in ways that brought me to tears. However, it’s hard for my pattern-sensing self to not see the pattern that exists in autism memoirs.

The author was different as a kid and how quickly their autism was diagnosed is gender-dependent. They struggled with friendships and aspects of school but got accommodations or found coping mechanisms to strong-arm their way through it. They regularly date people or are happily married so are proof that the stereotype that autistic people don’t have romantic relationships is just that, a stereotype. They found their niche and are now successful. So successful, in fact, that now they’ve written a book that I learned about all the way in Israel so they hopefully have a nice income stream coming in from that by now.

All of that is awesome and I love to hear it. But as relatable as some of it is, it doesn’t feel like the full picture of autism. Enter Eric Garcia.

Who is Eric Garcia?

Eric Garcia is a political journalist and the author of We’re Not Broken. He is the senior Washington correspondent for The Independent and a columnist for MSNBC. He is also autistic. Garcia used his inside knowledge as an autistic person and his journalism experience to bring awareness and understanding to the autistic experience in America. Despite being part of the media, he was frustrated with media coverage and the persistent spreading of myths about autism. In particular, he was frustrated with the lingering false narrative that autism is caused by vaccines and the constant association of autism with white men working in high tech. (Same, Eric. Same)

What is We’re Not Broken About?

In We’re Not Broken, Garcia explains that for the autistic community, autism is part of our identity and despite what the political conversation about it would have you think, we don’t want or need to be fixed. Garcia uses his own life as a starting point to discuss existing social and policy gaps in supporting people with autism. We’re Not Broken explores the ways people on the spectrum struggle with systems that were not designed with them in mind. From education to health care, Garcia discusses the difficulties autistic people face.

How is We’re Not Broken Different?

There are many ways that We’re Not Broken is different from other autism memoirs but that’s mainly because it’s not actually a memoir. Garcia doesn’t just write about his own experiences as an autistic person, but he interviews a multitude of autistic people with a varying level of support needs as well. We’re Not Broken includes their input and experiences throughout the book, providing a vast array of autistic voices, resulting in a deeper understanding of the depth and variations within the autism spectrum.

I also appreciate the way that Garcia takes a deeper look into things in a way I found unique and insightful. He talks about how it’s easy to blame struggles in dating or relationships in general on autism. It’s easy to blame the missing of social cues or not understanding neurotypical norms as a reason for why someone didn’t like you or why you acted inappropriately.

What Garcia points out in We’re Not Broken is that, yes, those things can play a factor. But what really needs to be considered is what we picked up in childhood that causes us to latch onto people who don’t match our interest level and/or act inappropriately when things go differently than we had hoped. I found that to be such a crucial part of the conversation that is often overlooked and it was brilliant of Garcia to include it.

By discussing this, Garcia highlights how easy it is to fall into the trope of blaming autism. Autistic people have many differences but like the rest of the population, we also have childhood trauma. By focusing on autism rather than those underlying issues from childhood, it further casts autism in a negative light while not helping autistic people at all.

Who Should Read We’re Not Broken?

I know I’ve said this in every neurodivergent book review I’ve done so far on this blog, but everyone should read this book. Autistic people will surely find it interesting and relatable, but so will people from across the neurodiversity spectrum. People with loved ones who are on the spectrum are sure to gain insight from We’re Not Broken, even if they’re well-read and educated about autism. Most importantly, I wish all doctors, teachers, and policymakers would read We’re Not Broken.

Doctors, teachers, and policymakers all directly impact the lives of people on the spectrum. We’re Not Broken details how having autism can result in receiving a lower quality of medical care or teachers dismissing (or worse, punishing) autistic students simply for not being compliant. You may read “compliant” and assume I’m talking about hostile students who are aggressive, don’t do their work, and pick fights with teachers. Ask anyone with autism and we’ll tell you that most often it is related to arbitrary things like stimming while listening to the teacher in order to better process what they’re hearing or struggling with changes to the classroom routine.

Autism in the Classroom

Imagine having a brain wired in a way that requires you to move physically to be able to process what you hear verbally, only to be accused by all of your teachers of being disruptive, rude, and inconsiderate. Your options are to either sit still and not understand anything the teacher is saying or stim in order to listen and risk being scolded by the teacher or even kicked out of the classroom for it.

Either way, you’re not learning and the teacher is not meeting you at your level. This is just one small example of many issues autistic people face that results in a lack of quality education for far too many people on the spectrum. Too often this dominoes into a lifetime of poverty and struggles over disability benefits, which are barely even livable.

This is just one example of many. I could detail the healthcare difficulties encountered by people with autism and how government policies negatively impact those on the autism spectrum but I really want you to read We’re Not Broken which does a much better job of sharing the experiences of autistic people in those spaces than I can in this one lowly blog post.

Closing Thoughts on We’re Not Broken

I can’t believe I let this book sit on the shelf for almost a year before opening it. It was such a refreshing read about autism that I plowed through it in five days. Eric Garcia’s story is interesting on its own but the way he included a multitude of autistic voices gives the book a broader depth of understanding about autism than an autism memoir alone can do.

By focusing on important areas like health care, education, and disability policy, We’re Not Broken brings light to the many struggles people with autism deal with that are not a result of their autism, but policies designed without them in mind. Garcia even offers solutions that actually represent what autistic people need. This gives autistic people a voice on the policies that so drastically impact us rather than infantilizing all autistic people. If more doctors, teachers, and policymakers read We’re Not Broken, I have no doubt it would change the world for autistic people for the better. Help me in that mission and in supporting Eric Garcia by ordering your copy of We’re Not Broken today!

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