Livermore Reads Together: 2022 Book Chosen

Press release from the Livermore Public Library:

The New York Times bestselling book The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a
Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism will be the featured book for the 16th Livermore Reads Together (LRT), the Library’s annual community reading program sponsored by the Friends of the Livermore Public Library.

Throughout the month of March 2022, the library will host a series of events related
to the themes in the book. Stay tuned for exciting programs currently being planned. “We
aim to put a spotlight on autism awareness during next year’s Livermore Reads Together,”
says Adult Services Librarian Paul Sevilla. “We are extremely interested in collaborating
with autism groups and organizations in the community for LRT programming and
encourage those groups to reach out to the Livermore Public Library.”

Written by Naoki Higashida, a remarkable thirteen-year-old boy with autism, The
Reason I Jump is a one-of-a-kind memoir that demonstrates how an autistic mind thinks,
feels, perceives, and responds in ways few people can imagine. Parents and family members who never thought they could get inside the head of their autistic loved one at last have a way to break through to the curious, subtle, and complex life within.

Using an alphabet grid to painstakingly construct words, sentences, and thoughts
that he is unable to speak out loud, Higashida answers even the most delicate questions.
Questions such as: “Why do people with autism talk so loudly and weirdly?” “Why do you
line up your toy cars and blocks?” “Why don’t you make eye contact when you’re talking?”
and “What’s the reason you jump?” (Higashida’s answer: “When I’m jumping, it’s as if my
feelings are going upward to the sky.”). With disarming honesty and a generous heart,
Higashida shares his unique point of view on not only autism but life itself. His insights —
into the mystery of words, the wonders of laughter, and the elusiveness of memory — are
so startling, so strange, and so powerful that readers will never look at the world the same
way again.

In his introduction, bestselling novelist David Mitchell writes that Higashida’s words
allowed him to feel, for the first time, as if his own autistic child was explaining what was
happening in his mind. “It is no exaggeration to say that The Reason I Jump allowed me
to round a corner in our relationship.” Translating the book was a labor of love by Mitchell
and his wife, KA Yoshida, so they’d be able to share that feeling with friends, the wider
autism community, and beyond. Higashida’s book, in its beauty, truthfulness, and
simplicity, is a gift to be shared.

The Reason I Jump was named one of the Best Books of the Year by NPR, The
Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Business, and Bookish. It was a First Book Finalist for the
18Th Annual Books for a Better Life Awards, which honors excellence in self-improvement
books. The Reason I Jump was made into a critically acclaimed film in 2020.

All Livermore Reads Together events are free and open to the public, thanks to the
support of the Friends of the Livermore Public Library. For additional information visit the
Library’s website at www.livermorelibrary.net.

This press release was produced by the Livermore Public Library. The views expressed here are the author’s own.