Population One: Autism, Adversity, and the Will to Succeed by Tyler McNamer
This book was unbelievably inspiring. Authored by a young boy with autism when he was only in high school (a big enough accomplishment itself!), Population One is a beautifully written work that brings you into the world of autism in a way that only personal experience can.
The struggles; the misunderstandings; the heartache; the dedicated mindset; the persistence; and ultimately, the possibility for success, brings about hope.
Having two loved one with Aspbergers, I wonder sometimes how they think or struggle to understand why reactions, behaviors, and perspectives are so static instead of dynamic sometimes. I wonder why they behave a certain way, and wonder if it will be a detriment to their future potential. Well, Tyler put all my doubts to rest. He takes us on an inside look into his life and how he sees the world, why he behaves or reacts in a certain way, and enlightens the world to how beautiful living an unfiltered, “black and white” existence can be.
When you can live life through truth, that black and white actually shows you endless rainbows of colors and possibilities.
It wasn’t just a book about his life; it was so much more. He is a voice for autism, and proof that anything is possible. What a brilliant young author with a great mindset. Thank you - you helped me to understand my loved ones better; I could see them through your eyes and it made me smile.
Tyler is a promising young author who I hope continues to follow his dreams and writes more!
To hear more about my thoughts on and how I connected to Tyler and my loved ones, check out my video book review, Find Yourself in a Character:
To learn more about this week’s author, Tyler McNamer, you can find him here: https://populationone.com/