Posted by Marian Lizzi
April is Autism Awareness Month, which means a lot here at Perigee, where we are proud to publish quite a few books about autism and related conditions—a category broadly known as Special Needs.
As an editor, I can honestly say that these books are the most important projects I work on. As diagnosis rates continue to soar, autism remains one of the last true medical mysteries. Meanwhile, we're seeing the first generation of young adults who came of age knowing they are "on the spectrum." This means, among other things, that there's an amazing amount of talent out there—authors who are not the white-coat experts of old, but living, thriving (or not-so-thriving) examples of what it means to live with autism. I feel truly honored to publish some of these fresh and important voices.
One such author is Jesse Saperstein, who is in his late twenties. Jesse has Asperger's, and while that presents some challenges, it does not define him as a person. He's a college graduate, a popular speaker, and the author of a truly engaging and funny memoir called Atypical: Life with Asperger's in 20 1/3 Chapters. I'm surely biased, since I'm his editor, but I would challenge anyone to read this book without laughing out loud—and seeing the experience of Asperger's through a remarkable new lens. It's the type of book you want to share when you're done. It's a labor of love by a talented writer who will surely go on to even greater heights.
Here's a video of Jesse giving a talk to students at his old middle school. The subject couldn't be more timely: handling bullying.
And as we continue through the month, we are now launching next April's titles, with a few more entries into this important category. I couldn't be more proud to be a part of this publishing effort.














































