Book Review - Nobody Nowhere.

 April 03, 2025

Book Review.

Nobody Nowhere by Donna Williams.

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Seldom you come across a subject that completely changes the way you approach the world. Autism is one that has little awareness in the world, although it has gained a substantial ground over the last four decades when even people from the psychology and psychiatry profession hardly showed any interest in studying and helping those affected.

Seldom you come across a book that completely captivates you takes over your imagination and changes your perception of the world, forever. Donna Williams autobiography (written in two parts) Nobody Nowhere is one such book I discovered. Donna is autistic and born in the era when almost no one knew of this neuro divergence.

She was taken for born-mad and was punished severely by many first of all her mother. She struggled as a child and as she grew older.. left home as a teenager, survived on some people's kindness, became homeless, got exploited sexually and otherwise until she reached her twenties. The bright and intelligent girl in her could not remain in isolation and she overcame her autism issues by training herself and became a teacher and a counsellor, a writer, artist, singer- song writer, a sculptor and much more.

The book changes our perception of the condition. It's rare or almost absent that an autistic person discovers her/his condition and trains herself to overcome the hurdles and shares her experience to encourage neurodivergent people and their family and friends to live more meaningful life.

It's a must read for every one who are interested in understanding human diversity.

April 01, 2025
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Some excerpts from the book:

I had begun to feel something was missing but I did not know what it was. I had a doll and wanted very much to cut it open to see if it had any feeling inside. I took a knife and tried to pry it open but became afraid of the consequences of breaking the doll and simply went on wondering for the next few years.
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I remember, when I was about seven, how I got a slap in the face after walking into someone 's house and announcing, " it's very dirty on here", and following it up by enthusiastically informing the host that he " only had one arm.". This was fairly typical of me, and I came to earn myself a reputation as rude, hurtful and outspoken. Later this same quality sometimes came to earn me respect as someone who was "never afraid to say what she thinks."
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I believe that all thoughts begin with feelings. such children have feelings, but it has developed in isolation and can't be verbalised in the usual way, and most people cannot hear with anything other than their ears.
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TS Eliot wrote " in my beginning is my end" and in

my end is my beginning ". perhaps in some strange way I started at the end and tried to work my way back.
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Through his paintings, Vincent van Gogh tried to teach people to look beyond the surface image of things and to see the true beauty in the individuality of things so often dismissed as ugly.
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Above all I would encourage those who have strived to help people like myself that their efforts are not useless. Responding in an indirect or detached manner is not synonymous with indifference.
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