Exiting Nirvana by Clara Claiborne Park

Exiting Nirvana by Clara Claiborne Park

In her much-acclaimed book The Siege, Clara Claiborne Park described the first eight years of her autistic daughter's life. Now she brings the story right up to date in Exiting Nirvana, a moving and eloquent memoir of Jessy's adolescence and adulthood. Now in her early forties, Jessy Park still struggles with language, with hypersensitivities and obsessions, and with the social interactions that ordinary people take for granted but that she cannot understand. With the help of family, friends and teachers, she has achieved much more than her parents could possibly have hoped for. Her fascination with mathematics has been channelled into balancing her chequebook and calculating her share of the grocery bill. And she has developed into an accomplished artist, mixing her own colours to create astonishing paintings that transfigure the ordinary world into a magical rainbow universe; some of Jessy's paintings are reproduced in the colour plate section. Perhaps most importantly, she has overcome her social difficulties sufficiently to hold down a job, becoming an active contributing member of her family and community. Alternately startling and sobering, Exiting Nirvana is a deeply affecting testament to the patience and love that drew Jessy out of her serene isolation, and a fascinating excursion into an otherworldly mind.

'It has a joyous and lyrical quality from beginning to end' - Oliver Sacks 'Beautifully written.. a fascinating excursion into an otherworldly mind' - New York Times 'In incisive, often exquisite prose, Park affords entry into Jessy's world and her own remarkable journey between the two' - Publisher's Weekly 'This beautifully written book is must-reading - and not only for those seeking an understanding of autism' - Bernard Rimland, Director, The Autism Research Institute

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781854108067
ISBN 10	1854108069
Title	Exiting Nirvana
Author	Clara Claiborne Park
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Quarto Publishing PLC
Year published	2001-01-01
Number of pages	240
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable