Someone Like Me: An anthology of non-fiction by Autistic writers opens with its editors Clem Bastow and Jo Case explaining that the anthology is “providing company.” It’s true: the volume of non-fiction, memoir and graphic storytelling fosters a sense of community as 25 autistic gender-diverse and women writers come together to share intimate insights into their inner and outer worlds.
In the first chapter, the reader encounters celebrated writer, editor and critic Fiona Wright, who takes jabs at the medical system, speaking on the overlaps between eating disorders and autism. Jerico Mandybur shares a delightful, playful guide to obsessive love; Marlee Jane Ward’s essay on sex moves easily between introspection and storytelling, keeping her body central. Such interconnected mind-body themes are present throughout, with explorations on perception, autonomy and sensory processes in Jess Ho’s sky-high skincare routine, Caitlin McGregor’s play on haircuts and autism assessment, and Erin Riley’s articulation of trusting tiredness.
As much as they all drip in beautiful self-awareness, these standout essays get lost within a high number of pieces across the book’s 350 pages. The editors do argue against conciseness as a validation of autistic individuals’ propensity to communicate information intensely and in detail. A slimmer volume could still support this though, with structure and space that doesn’t make the reading experience drag in what feels like a shortlisted submissions pile.
At this length, there’s also surprisingly little that penetrates the conversation forward. Case and Bastow state, in their introduction, that their intention is to challenge stereotypes. But, especially for a book from a university press, it doesn’t challenge much. Contributors, though diverse in other ways, seem to have similar professional and economic backgrounds –a little inner-city intellectual heavy – with a monolithic mindset at times.
Their words gently build rapport with readers, but with limited range beyond the usual discourse around neurodivergence from the last decade. Some contrasting thinking between writers, even if incongruent with each other and more risky, would bring depth and freshness rather than turning the same wheel about acceptance and community that both autistic and many non-autistic readers know well by now.
Read: Book review: Love Unedited, Caro Llewellyn
Case and Bastow mention that the book is part of discourse, but not the discourse. Looking at it this way, even though slightly predictable in content, Someone Like Me provides a snapshot, or an archive, within our cultural library of how neurodivergent communities express themselves through language and dialogue circa 2025. The stereotypes it thinks it fights may not be as hyper-present anymore, but that also means the battle is half won: this anthology is evidence of ample space being carved to speak candidly about the joys and paradoxes of autistic personhood experienced today.
Someone Like Me: An anthology of non-fiction by Autistic writers, edited by Clem Bastow and Jo Case
Publisher: University of Queensland Press
ISBN: 978 0 7022 6878 6
Pages: 352pp
RRP: $36.99
Publication date: 4 March 2025
