April 2025 Reads - Autism Awareness/Acceptance/Appreciation Month

Below are the books that I finished in April and my thoughts on each. 

I'm not doing any formal reading challenges this year, but because April is Autism Awareness/Acceptance/Appreciation Month, and it's a significant topic for me, I decided to read books with Autism representation this month.

Why is it significant for me? My son is Autistic (diagnosed), as well as my cousin's son. In fact, with the research I've done since his diagnosis, I'm sure it runs in my family. If not for the political controversies and misinformation surrounding Autism, especially during the pandemic and happening now in the country south of us, I would try to get a diagnosis for myself. But it will not help me, and I need to be able to advocate for my son. 

But, I was labeled as "gifted" in school. And for anyone who has been around a bunch of "gifted" kids and done the research into neurodiversity and autism, you'll know that "gifted" is a title given to neurodivergent children who can mask well. Hence why the majority of my class was female. While I'm not sure if everyone of us in my class were neurodivergent, I am certain at least 90% were Autistic and/or an ADHDer. The "gifted" title focused on our neurodivergent strengths, but ignored the ways we struggled, instead telling us often that we "failed to perform to our full potential." I will say that the best thing to come from my "gifted" label was my parents being told that I think differently than others. Some parents are told their "gifted" children are smarter than others, but that is misleading and can lead to many mental health issues. Being told I think differently than others has helped me cope in many situations, but I still have a hard time understanding why some can't see the logic and obvious (to me) future results of certain actions. After my son's diagnosis, it's been an eye-opening experience, not only for me, but also for many in my family. We're learning, and trying our best to find ways to understand and support each other. It's not easy, and we're not perfect, but the knowledge we gain day after day, helps us through it all.

Anyway, it was another great month of reading. I'm not focusing on a theme for May, but in June, I will read for Pride month, and in September I will read books by Indigenous Authors since September 30 is Orange Shirt Day, a symbolic day in Canada that recognizes the stripping away of culture, freedom, and self-esteem experienced by Indigenous children in residential schools.

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NO ROOM AT DRAGON'S LANDING by Lorelei M. Hart 

Boen and Cyrus's story is full of sweet dragon fun! Both the main characters and the secondary characters add to the charm of the book. Dragon's Landing sounds like a welcoming place to live. And the fact that Boen was a published author with his books about dragons before learning the creatures existed in real life made this story extra special.

*Boen is Autistic-coded.

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RULES FOR SECOND CHANCES by Maggie North

This fabulous story by Maggie North felt like reading two books at the same time, in that it was a second chance small town romance, but also felt like women's fiction as the main character went through a journey of self-discovery. Liz knows her marriage is on the rocks. She can blame it on many things, yet simply says she needs to find herself as she heads down the street to her parent's house for some space. Avoiding Tobin is impossible in the small mountain town, especially since they work for the same company and are both preparing for the annual pitch competition. It also doesn't help when Liz learns her improv coach who is supposed to help her have confidence in front of an audience, is her husband's best friend. Or maybe it does. Together, Liz and Tobin work through McHuge's marriage self-help book and learn maybe their marriage is salvageable. But when the pitch competition takes a turn, everything is derailed, and Liz must face some honest truths about herself and those around her if she wants to be happy. I really enjoyed this book, especially how Liz came to the realization that she was autistic and learned whose opinions really mattered in her life. I look forward to reading Stellar and McHuge's story as well!

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​CAMP DAMASCUS by Chuck Tingle

At first, I wasn't sure about this book. It starts off with a main character who is extremely religious, belonging to a cult-like church. Not something I set out to read. A couple times in the early chapters, I considered not finishing the book. It's very well written, but I had a hard time seeing where the author was going with the story. If not for Camp Damascus being included in some Autism Month posts I saw, I would likely have stopped reading it. But I pushed on, and I'm glad I did. Because the story took a turn I didn't expect with the introductionof a new character, and that's when it pulled me right in. I had to know the truth.

Camp Damascus is a YA horror story about extreme conversion therapy, parents who would rather change their children to meet their own ideals than accept and love them the way they are, and found family whose acceptance is unconditional and who are willing to fight with and for each other. The main character is autistic and lesbian with repressed memories she must recall in order to save herself and others from the demons cast upon them. I don't want to give too much away, but this was a great book to read!

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Books with Autistic Main Characters and by Autistic Authors that I’ve read and recommend:
Something More by Jackie Khalilieh - Autistic Main Character / Autistic Author
Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White - Autistic Character / Autistic Author
The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White - Autistic Main Character / Autistic Author
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang - Autistic Main Character / Autistic Author
Sensory: Life on the Spectrum Edited by Bex Ollerton - comics by Autistic and Neurodivergent Authors and Artists

Books with Autistic Main Characters, many by Autistic Authors that I own but haven’t read yet:
Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert
The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang
Somebody to Love by Mariah Ankenman
Two Wrongs Make a Right by Chloe Liese
Even If We Break by Marieke Nijkamp
Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White
The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling
Speak Up by Rebecca Burgess 
You Started It by Jackie Khalilieh - pre-ordered

There are many more on my Wish List. Please feel free to share any others I haven’t included so I can make sure they are on my Wish List, too.