"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
"Readers will find this book to be a work of art as Ralph Savarese not only exhibits an understanding of the beauty of teaching but also of the language of the autistic mind. Savarese’s literary creation demystifies the limits of the autistic mind by following five autistic adults through their interpretation of and response to classic literature. . . . Highly recommended. Advanced undergraduates and above; professionals and general readers." — D. Pellegrino, Choice
"Weaving contemporary autism research, cognitive literary studies, and memoir, Savarese disproves prevailing assumptions about the spectrum and invites his readers to consider the abilities of people with disabilities to see the intellectual and sensory world of stories in a nuanced and brilliant light." — Sara McCrea, News @ Wesleyan
"The sense of critical self-reflection is crucial to this enterprise, and is evident throughout the book. Thankfully, this never veers into self-indulgence; as such, [Savarese's] ethnographic work in this area is an exemplar to all those who study ‘others,’ as outsiders with situated knowledge." — Alison Wilde, Disability & Society
"To imagine an autistic rhetoric or an autistic literature is to struggle, audaciously, against a legacy of neurotypical people failing to imagine autism as anything other than lack. That struggle is joined . . . by Ralph [James] Savarese, whose See It Feelingly gives us five extraordinary examples of autistic readers’ responses to literature. It’s like Norman Holland’s classic work of reader-response criticism, 5 Readers Reading . . . except with autism." — Michael Bérubé, Public Books
"Powered by his enthusiasm for connecting with autistics and for representing the fullness of their humanity, See It Feelingly is that rare book in English studies that succeeds as creative nonfiction: a memoir of teaching non-traditional learners that makes a provocative claim for the primacy of the senses in reading literature." — Dawn Coleman, Leviathan
"Savarese incorporates storytelling, memoir, and poetry into See It Feelingly, which you will read feelingly, from the opening line." — Deborah Jenson, American Literature
"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