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The 16th annual Livermore Reads Together will dig into “The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism,” a New York Times bestseller.
“We aim to put a spotlight on autism awareness during next year’s Livermore Reads Together,” adult services librarian Paul Sevilla said. “We are extremely interested in collaborating with autism groups and organizations in the community for LRT programming and encourage those groups to reach out to the Livermore Public Library.”
The library will host a series of events next March related to the themes in the book as part of the annual community reading program, which is sponsored by the Friends of the Livermore Public Library.
“The Reason I Jump,” written by Naoki Higashida, is a memoir about a remarkable 13-year-old boy with autism that gives loved ones a way to break through to the curious, subtle and complex life within the autistic mind.
Using an alphabet grid to painstakingly construct words, sentences and thoughts the boy is unable to speak out loud, Higashida answers even the most delicate questions, such as: “Why do people with autism talk so loudly and weirdly?” “Why do you line up your toy cars and blocks?” “Why don’t you make eye contact when you’re talking?” And “What’s the reason you jump?”
Higashida answers, “When I’m jumping, it’s as if my feelings are going upward to the sky.”
Higashida shares his unique point of view on not only autism but life itself. His insights — into the mystery of words, the wonders of laughter, and the elusiveness of memory — are so startling, strange and powerful that readers will never look at the world the same way again, according to reviews.
“The Reason I Jump” was named one of the Best Books of the Year by NPR, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Business and Bookish.
All Livermore Reads Together events are free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.livermorelibrary.net.
