"Impassioned and persuasive. . . . A fresh and absorbing examination of autism." — Kirkus Reviews
"This idealistic argument for the social value of literature and for the diversity of autism as a condition is a rewarding endeavor. . . ." — Publishers Weekly
"This is a powerful book — one that really must be experienced. It is a book that unlocks doors to the many rooms of autism and is likely to surprise the thinking of anyone who steps into them. It carries within it the possibilities of new perspectives on literary work, a greater understanding of autistic neurology, and the chance to meet some remarkable individuals. Read it." — Michael Northen, Wordgathering
"Savarese has produced a masterpiece, simultaneously dense and accessible. His voice moves freely—alternating among lyrical, narrative, and instructive—never losing the flow, never dipping into pedantry, never soaring too far toward the abstract for the reader to follow. Not only is this collection of essays brimming with the most important information and ideas about autism, it is a collaboration of rare beauty." — Maxfield Sparrow, Thinking Person's Guide to Autism
"Savarese shows that literature—with its imagery, inclusivity, and rich detail—is a natural tent pole for a truly neurodiverse community, one populated by autists and neurotypicals alike. . . . The radical possibility this book ultimately offers is that the gap that has for so long existed between nonverbal autists and neurotypicals can be bridged through literature. Literature is, as Whitman said of himself, large, and contains multitudes." — Ittai Orr, Synapsis
"See It Feelingly is a bold and astonishing act of cross-cultural translation. By immersing the reader in what he beautifully terms 'conjoined neurologies encountering the splendor of a classic book,' Ralph James Savarese dismantles damaging myths about the limits of the autistic mind while penetrating to the heart of how literature changes our lives." — Steve Silberman, author of NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity
“This deft and impassioned hybrid—part memoir, part disability study, part portraiture, part literary criticism—is a book of revelations about reading, neurodiversity, and American literature. I was repeatedly startled by its slow cascade of correctives and insights—deepened, widened, and enlarged. It is a necessary book.” — Edward Hirsch, author of How to Read a Poem: And Fall in Love with Poetry
“This compelling, thought-provoking book takes the reader on an intimate journey into the worlds of five autistic adults through their interpretation and response to classic literature. Drawing upon the neuroscience of autism and his own experience as a teacher and a father of an autistic son, Ralph James Savarese offers a powerful and hopeful perspective on autism, disability, and the value of diversity in humankind.” — Geraldine Dawson, Director, Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development, Duke University
"Finally, there is someone ‘outside’ my unusual world who cares deeply about autistic experience. Ralph James Savarese has avoided the typical human mistake of comfortable distance and, a true student of literature, immersed himself in the vibrant web of living lyricism where all things, including words, are not only equal, but one. I am so happy to have seen the birth of this work, not as a person on the spectrum, but as a primal poem." — Dawn Prince, author of Songs of the Gorilla Nation: My Journey through Autism