smart globe

Named one of the best travel books of the year by National Geographic, Smithsonian, and Afar "Eliot Stein's quietly powerful new book celebrates the kind of singular, site-specific expertise that's endangered by globalization and technology...smart, genial and occasionally astonishing...it's a country mile from the news cycle, a winning collection of thoroughly un-current events." -SF Chronicle A vivid look at 10 astonishing people who are maintaining some of the world's oldest and rarest cultural traditions. Eliot Stein has traveled the globe in search of remarkable people who are preserving some of our most extraordinary cultural rites. In Custodians of Wonder: Ancient Customs, Profound Traditions, and the Last People Keeping Them Alive, Stein introduces readers to a man saving the secret ingredient in Japan's 700-year-old original soy sauce recipe. In Italy, he learns how to make the world's rarest pasta from one of the only women alive who knows how to make it. And in India, he discovers a family rumored to make a mysterious metal mirror believed to reveal your truest self. From shadowing Scandinavia's last night watchman to meeting a 27th-generation West African griot to tracking down Cuba's last official cigar factory "readers" more than a century after they spearheaded the fight for Cuban independence, Stein uncovers an almost lost world. Climbing through Peru's southern highlands, he encounters the last Inca bridge master who rebuilds a grass-woven bridge every year from the fabled Inca Road System. He befriends a British beekeeper who maintains a touching custom of "telling the bees" important news of the day. And he crunches through a German forest to find the official mailman of the only tree in the world with its own address - to which countless people from across the world have written in hopes of finding love. These are just some of the last custodians preserving age-old rites on the brink of disappearance against all odds. Let Eliot Stein introduce you to all of them.

'Extensively researched and wonderfully written, Joey's book deserves to be read by all.' Martin O'Neill 'This colourful book is a treat for anyone interested in both football and politics.' Patrick Maguire, The Times 'One of the most original and innovative football books in some time, a "Parts Unknown" for the game.' Miguel Delaney, Independent 'Smart, warm and original... it will make politics nerds think differently about football, and football fans think differently about the world.' Matt Chorley, BBC Radio 5 Live ______________________________ Twenty-Two Football Shirts that explain the world, geopolitics and the biggest stories of our time Football is the world's most popular sport, and the shirts worn by teams and their supporters are its greatest means of cultural expression. Every year clubs launch new kits with increasingly extravagant marketing campaigns and convoluted explanations of how their designs reflect their history and local community. But football shirts are much more than just a symbol of which club we support. A seemingly innocuous combination of colours, sponsor logos and materials can all reflect the social values, financial struggles and political ideologies of the day, as geopolitical issues increasingly seep into every aspect of the game. Investigative journalist Joey D'Urso has travelled across the globe, combining on-the-ground reporting with unparalleled analysis to collate a list of the twenty-two football shirts that best explain the modern world.  More Than A Shirt will take fans on a journey from Birmingham to Belgrade and onto Medellin and Mumbai, outlining how we can see the war in Ukraine in the shirt of Schalke in Germany or China's foreign policy in West Bromwich Albion's; how the shirts of state-owned clubs are used for sportswashing; and why the French national kit embodies worldwide migration patterns. A compelling and eye-opening exploration, More Than A Shirt is essential reading for any football fan and will change the way you think about the beautiful game's most universal symbol.

'Extensively researched and wonderfully written, Joey's book deserves to be read by all.' Martin O'Neill 'This colourful book is a treat for anyone interested in both football and politics.' Patrick Maguire, The Times 'One of the most original and innovative football books in some time, a "Parts Unknown" for the game.' Miguel Delaney, Independent 'Smart, warm and original... it will make politics nerds think differently about football, and football fans think differently about the world.' Matt Chorley, BBC Radio 5 Live ______________________________ Twenty-Two Football Shirts that explain the world, geopolitics and the biggest stories of our time Football is the world's most popular sport, and the shirts worn by teams and their supporters are its greatest means of cultural expression. Every year clubs launch new kits with increasingly extravagant marketing campaigns and convoluted explanations of how their designs reflect their history and local community. But football shirts are much more than just a symbol of which club we support. A seemingly innocuous combination of colours, sponsor logos and materials can all reflect the social values, financial struggles and political ideologies of the day, as geopolitical issues increasingly seep into every aspect of the game. Investigative journalist Joey D'Urso has travelled across the globe, combining on-the-ground reporting with unparalleled analysis to collate a list of the twenty-two football shirts that best explain the modern world. More Than A Shirt will take fans on a journey from Birmingham to Belgrade and onto Medellin and Mumbai, outlining how we can see the war in Ukraine in the shirt of Schalke in Germany or China's foreign policy in West Bromwich Albion's; how the shirts of state-owned clubs are used for sportswashing; and why the French national kit embodies worldwide migration patterns. A compelling and eye-opening exploration, More Than A Shirt is essential reading for any football fan and will change the way you think about the beautiful game's most universal symbol.

In the globalized world under rapidly developing conditions of the digital economy, it is almost impossible to keep pace with the multi-dimensional informational flow that appears daily on the Internet and in real life. Scientists whose papers and researches are dedicated to the innovation issues, their different types, life cycles, evaluation of effectiveness and practical applicability, all of them agreed on the appearance of so called unclassifiable digital innovations. We have to be precise with this definition. First, digital innovations have penetrated inside all spheres of life and business nowadays. It is impossible to make any operation without using modern advanced technologies (actually, they are traced from being advanced not so far till usual/adapted/everyday). And the main criterion making innovations 'everyday' is the time. Whether it's the simplest operation of searching for a geographical location, the operation of buying or selling, the simplest transaction, communication, or the complicated operation of managing a business based on the business modeling, the use of modern marketing digital technologies, modeling of the ecological future and building long-term forecasts, all of abovementioned requires Internet usage, modern devices or other smart technologies. Thus, such variety of activity leads to complexity of digital innovation classification. Second, digital space is unlimited and unlimited by its nature that results just in generalization of common categorical directions. Third, each process, activity or even action take place in a concrete condition. It should be said, world economy transit to a personalized level, i.e. move from macro- via meso-, throughout of micro- to the digitally behavioral economics. That is why, in our opinion, it is difficult to classify digital innovations. Nowadays, it is not a top secret that with rapid digitalization paces, governments miss effective tools of regulation or intervention. More and more scientific publications, personal blogs and journalistic reports expose the problem of government insolvency in its intervention policies and the unjustifiedness of their actions. Neoclassic, neo-monetarist, neo-institutional and other neo-economic theories are unable to explain today's rapidly changing situation around the globe. They have exhausted themselves: there is no panacea that can revive the mega-economies of the highly developed countries that are sluggishly falling into the recession.

There was a time in the not-too-distant past when large companies and powerful governments reigned supreme over the little guy. But new technologies are empowering individuals like never before, and the Davids of the world-the amateur journalists, musicians, and small businessmen and women-are suddenly making a huge economic and social impact. In Army of Davids, author Glenn Reynolds, the man behind the immensely popular Instapundit.com, provides an in-depth, big-picture point-of-view for a world where the small guys matter more and more. Reynolds explores the birth and growth of the individual's surprisingly strong influence in: arts and entertainment, anti-terrorism, nanotech and space research, and much more. The balance of power between the individual and the organization is finally evening out. And it's high time the Goliaths of the world pay attention, because, as this book proves, an army of Davids is on the rise. Endorsements: "George Orwell feared that technology would enable dictators to enslave the masses. Glenn Reynolds shows that technology can empower individuals to determine their own futures and to defeat those who would enslave us. This is a book of profound importance-and also a darn good read." -MICHAEL BARONE, senior writer at U.S. News & World Report and author of Hard America, Soft America "Blogger extraordinaire Glenn Reynolds shows how average Americans can use new technologies to overcome the twin demons of corporate greed and incompetent government. Reynolds is a compelling evangelist for the power of the individual to change our world." -ARIANNA HUFFINGTON, author of Pigs at the Trough and Fanatics and Fools "A smart, fun tour of a major social and economic trend. From home-brewed beer to blogging, Glenn Reynolds is an engaging, uniquely qualified guide to the do-it-yourself movements transforming business, politics, and media." -VIRGINIA POSTREL, Forbes columnist and author of The Future and its Enemies and The Substance of Style "A student in her dorm room now commands the resources of a multi-million dollar music recording or movie editing studio of not so many years ago. The tools of creativity have been democratized and the tools of production are not far behind (Karl Marx take note). Glenn Reynolds's beguiling new book tells the insightful story of how an 'army of Davids' is inheriting the Earth, leaving a trail of obsolete business models not to mention cultural, economic, and political institutions in its wake." -RAY KURZWEIL, scientist, inventor, and author of several books including The Singularity is Near 'Must-read, ' 'gotta have, ' 'culture-changing' . . . I am suspicious of blurbs with such overused plugs. But Glenn Reynolds's An Army of Davids is in fact a must-read new book that you gotta have if you are going to understand the culture-changing forces that are unleashed and at work across the globe. -HUGH HEWITT, syndicated talk radio host and author of Blog and Painting the Map Red "Glenn Reynolds has written an essential book for understanding how technology and markets are creating a bottom-up shift in power to ordinary people that is changing business, government, and our world. Packed with fresh ideas and adorned with graceful prose, An Army of Davids is a masterpiece." -JOE TRIPPI, author of The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

"Revelatory . . . With every chapter, you get a history lesson, a hunting lesson, a nature lesson and a cooking lesson. . . . Meat Eater offers an overabundance to savor."-The New York Times Book Review Steven Rinella grew up in Twin Lake, Michigan, the son of a hunter who taught his three sons to love the natural world the way he did. As a child, Rinella devoured stories of the American wilderness, especially the exploits of his hero, Daniel Boone. He began fishing at the age of three and shot his first squirrel at eight and his first deer at thirteen. He chose the colleges he went to by their proximity to good hunting ground, and he experimented with living solely off wild meat. As an adult, he feeds his family from the food he hunts. Meat Eater chronicles Rinella's lifelong relationship with nature and hunting through the lens of ten hunts, beginning when he was an aspiring mountain man at age ten and ending as a thirty-seven-year-old Brooklyn father who hunts in the remotest corners of North America. He tells of having a struggling career as a fur trapper just as fur prices were falling; of a dalliance with catch-and-release steelhead fishing; of canoeing in the Missouri Breaks in search of mule deer just as the Missouri River was freezing up one November; and of hunting the elusive Dall sheep in the glaciated mountains of Alaska. Through each story, Rinella grapples with themes such as the role of the hunter in shaping America, the vanishing frontier, the ethics of killing, the allure of hunting trophies, the responsibilities that human predators have to their prey, and the disappearance of the hunter himself as Americans lose their connection with the way their food finds its way to their tables. Hunting, he argues, is intimately connected with our humanity; assuming responsibility for acquiring the meat that we eat, rather than entrusting it to proxy executioners, processors, packagers, and distributors, is one of the most respectful and exhilarating things a meat eater can do. A thrilling storyteller with boundless interesting facts and historical information about the land, the natural world, and the history of hunting, Rinella also includes after each chapter a section of "Tasting Notes" that draws from his thirty-plus years of eating and cooking wild game, both at home and over a campfire. In Meat Eater he paints a loving portrait of a way of life that is part of who we are as humans and as Americans. Praise for Meat Eater "Full of empathy and intelligence . . . In some sections of the book, the author's prose is so engrossing, so riveting, that it matches, punch for punch, the best sports writing."-The Wall Street Journal "Steven Rinella is one of the best nature writers of the last decade. . . . This book was a page-turner."-Tim Ferris "Rinella's writing is unerringly smart, direct, and sharply detailed."-The Boston Globe "A unique and valuable alternate view of where our food comes from."-Anthony Bourdain

Cuando, con trece años, Naoki Higashida empezó a comunicarse a través de una parrilla de ideogramas diseñada por su madre, estaba haciendo historia. Nunca antes un niño aquejado de un grado de autismo tan severo había conseguido expresarse. Naoki consigue traducir su experiencia a un lenguaje comprensible para cualquier lector a través de preguntas como: ¿por qué los autistas habláis tan alto y tan raro?; ¿por qué os gusta poner vuestros coches de juguete en fila?; ¿por qué saltáis? Sus respuestas son optimistas y transmiten alegría de vivir, ternura y, sobre todo, nos presentan a alguien admirable de quien hay mucho que aprender. «Naoki nos hace de guía por su mundo, que puede ser tan extraño al nuestro como la distancia que hay entre un neoyorquino y un habitante del Amazonas: salimos de nuestra realidad y nos damos cuenta de que hay realidades muy diferentes dependiendo de cómo tus sentidos los perciben.» Miguel Gallardo, autor de María y yo ENGLISH DESCRIPTION “One of the most remarkable books I’ve ever read. It’s truly moving, eye-opening, incredibly vivid.”—Jon Stewart, The Daily Show NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR • The Wall Street Journal • Bloomberg Business • Bookish FINALIST FOR THE BOOKS FOR A BETTER LIFE FIRST BOOK AWARD • NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER You’ve never read a book like The Reason I Jump. Written by Naoki Higashida, a very smart, very self-aware, and very charming thirteen-year-old boy with autism, it is a one-of-a-kind memoir that demonstrates how an autistic mind thinks, feels, perceives, and responds in ways few of us 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, Naoki answers even the most delicate questions that people want to know. 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?” (Naoki’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, Naoki 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 you will never look at the world the same way again. In his introduction, bestselling novelist David Mitchell writes that Naoki’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.” Praise for The Reason I Jump “This is an intimate book, one that brings readers right into an autistic mind.”— Chicago Tribune (Editor’s Choice) “Amazing times a million.”— Whoopi Goldberg, People “The Reason I Jump is a Rosetta stone. . . . This book takes about ninety minutes to read, and it will stretch your vision of what it is to be human.”— Andrew Solomon, The Times (U.K.) “Extraordinary; moving, and jeweled with epiphanies.”— The Boston Globe “Small but profound . . . [Higashida’s] startling, moving insights offer a rare look inside the autistic mind.” —Parade

A New York Times Editors’ Choice #1 Indie Next Pick A Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Selection One of USA Today’s Notable Books An Amazon Best Book of the Month “An artful story of sexual awakening and identity formation . . . a novel of ideas that reads like smart pulp, a page-turner of craft and calibration.” — New York Times Book Review “Electrifying . . . History of Wolves isn’t a typical thriller any more than it’s a typical coming-of-age novel; Fridlund does a remarkable job transcending genres without sacrificing the suspense that builds steadily in the book . . . [it] is as beautiful and as icy as the Minnesota woods where it's set, and with her first book, Fridlund has already proven herself to be a singular talent.” — NPR “A compelling portrait of a troubled adolescent trying to find her way in a new and frightening world.” — People magazine, one of Five Best New Books “The chilly power of History of Wolves packs a wallop that’s hard to shake off . . . an elegant, troubling debut, both immersed in the natural world but equally concerned with issues of power, family, faith and the gap between understanding something and being able to act on the knowledge.” — Los Angeles Times “Imagine one of those twisty ‘Girl’-titled mysteries in the hands of a great stylist. Fridlund’s debut is something like that, but better . . . an indelible story of fascination and dread.” — New York magazine “Starkly affecting . . . one of the year’s most lauded debuts.” — Entertainment Weekly “This captivating debut from a prodigious new talent injects taut suspense into a teenage girl’s awakenings as she confronts a web of mysteries in the chilly woods of Minnesota. A lavishly written novel with more than a glimmer of dread.” — O Magazine, one of 10 Titles to Pick Up Now “My; what big fictional teeth Emily Fridlund has.” — Vanity Fair “[An] exquisitely observed, quietly affecting debut novel . . . an absorbing contemplation of guilt and regret, agency and its abdication, and what it means to survive the wilderness.” — Boston Globe “Fierce. Mesmerizing. Dazzling . . . [A] magnificent debut novel.” — Bustle “Profound and disturbing . . . a tragedy of Shakespearean scope.” — Minneapolis Star Tribune “Lyrically written . . . [it] keeps surprising to the end.” — St. Louis Post-Dispatch “Hypnotic . . . brilliantly crafted . . . atmospheric and chilling.” — Missourian “She [Linda] can teach Paul the names of the birds and the trees and show him beavers’ dams. It fills her with purpose, with confidence. Fridlund deploys this confidence masterfully, because the reader can watch in semi-horror as Linda gawks at the newcomers’ lack of understanding of her world, but totally misses warning signs because of her lack of understanding of theirs. In a way, they’re speaking past each other in this richly tense way that makes the other shoe dropping happen in slow, excruciating motion, full of dramatic irony that a teenage protagonist uniquely makes possible.”— Ploughshares “Intricate; beautifully written . . . The book smolders with moral tension, enriched by Fridlund’s subtle eloquence.” — National Book Review, one of Five Hot Books “ History of Wolves is so observant, so compassionate, so fresh that it can hold its own among the best of more established writers.” — Shelf Awareness “Exactly the kind of book you want to curl up with in the winter. It’s propulsive, vividly written, laced with a razor’s chill and filled with imagery that’s impossible to forget. There is a constant sense of foreboding, of wondering when the truth will crash through the Minnesota ice . . . Fridlund masterfully ratchets up the tension, exploding this story of secrets and girlhood with crisp, cutting prose that will leave you shocked and in awe. A remarkable novel, that just so happens to be a debut, by a fiercely talented writer.” — Amazon Book Review “With her debut novel History of Wolves, Fridlund might well find herself literary fiction’s newest golden girl . . . It

"Millions of young women look to Marie Forleo as their inspiration for empowerment and achievement." --Oprah Winfrey "This book delivers a knock-out punch to whatever is holding you back." --Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild Let's be honest--none of us were given an owner's manual at birth. If you're having trouble solving a problem or making a dream happen, the problem isn't you. It's not that you're not hardworking, intelligent or deserving, but that you haven't yet installed the one key belief that will change everything. My mom, who has the tenacity of a bulldog and curses like a truck driver, explained it to me this way, "Nothing in life is that complicated. You can do whatever you set your mind to if you just roll up your sleeves, get in there, and do it. Everything is figureoutable." Whether you want to leave a dead end job, break an addiction, learn to moonwalk, heal a relationship, grow a business, master your money, travel the globe, or solve world hunger, Everything is Figureoutable will train your brain to think more creatively and positively--especially in the face of setbacks. Inside, you'll learn: * The simple practice that makes it 42% more likely you'll achieve your goals. * How to overcome a lack of time and money. * How to find two free hours a day. * What to do if you're multipassionate and want to follow all your dreams. * How to deal with criticism, haters, and imposter syndrome. * How to tell the difference between fear and intuition. * A fail-proof test to make the right decisions, especially in high-stakes situations. You'll also hear triumphant stories of everyday people confronting loss, illness, and heart-wrenching pain. Like the 23-year-old single mom with no education past 10th grade who used the Everything is Figureoutable philosophy to get her GED, then a bachelor's degree--and is now in law school. I wrote this book because, if I got hit by a bus tomorrow, it's the one idea I'd want to leave behind. When I'm having a rough time or when a shitstorm comes to town, Everything is Figureoutable instantly turns things around. It's more than just a fun phrase to say. It's a philosophy of relentless optimism. A mindset. A mantra. A conviction. Most important, it's about to make you unstoppable. More praise for Everything is Figureoutable: "Everything is Figureoutable is a whirlwind of power, humor, pragmatism and grace. Marie Forleo writes exactly the way she lives--with full-on enthusiasm, no-bullshit directness, and a ferocious commitment to self-accountability. Reading these pages, I experienced the same delightful tingling sensation that I always find in Marie's presence--the sensation of limitless possibility. This woman is the real deal, people. This book will change lives." --Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love and Big Magic "What does it take to make a reader feel loved, inspired, and called out on their BS all at the same time? I don't know, but Marie Forleo has figured it out! Smart, funny, and as brilliant as it is straightforward. LOVED it!" --Brené Brown, Ph.D., author of Dare to Lead

"Millions of young women look to Marie Forleo as their inspiration for empowerment and achievement." --Oprah Winfrey "This book delivers a knock-out punch to whatever is holding you back." --Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild Let's be honest--none of us were given an owner's manual at birth. If you're having trouble solving a problem or making a dream happen, the problem isn't you. It's not that you're not hardworking, intelligent or deserving, but that you haven't yet installed the one key belief that will change everything. My mom, who has the tenacity of a bulldog and curses like a truck driver, explained it to me this way, "Nothing in life is that complicated. You can do whatever you set your mind to if you just roll up your sleeves, get in there, and do it. Everything is figureoutable." Whether you want to leave a dead end job, break an addiction, learn to moonwalk, heal a relationship, grow a business, master your money, travel the globe, or solve world hunger, Everything is Figureoutable will train your brain to think more creatively and positively--especially in the face of setbacks. Inside, you'll learn: * The simple practice that makes it 42% more likely you'll achieve your goals. * How to overcome a lack of time and money. * How to find two free hours a day. * What to do if you're multipassionate and want to follow all your dreams. * How to deal with criticism, haters, and imposter syndrome. * How to tell the difference between fear and intuition. * A fail-proof test to make the right decisions, especially in high-stakes situations. You'll also hear triumphant stories of everyday people confronting loss, illness, and heart-wrenching pain. Like the 23-year-old single mom with no education past 10th grade who used the Everything is Figureoutable philosophy to get her GED, then a bachelor's degree--and is now in law school. I wrote this book because, if I got hit by a bus tomorrow, it's the one idea I'd want to leave behind. When I'm having a rough time or when a shitstorm comes to town, Everything is Figureoutable instantly turns things around. It's more than just a fun phrase to say. It's a philosophy of relentless optimism. A mindset. A mantra. A conviction. Most important, it's about to make you unstoppable. More praise for Everything is Figureoutable: "Everything is Figureoutable is a whirlwind of power, humor, pragmatism and grace. Marie Forleo writes exactly the way she lives--with full-on enthusiasm, no-bullshit directness, and a ferocious commitment to self-accountability. Reading these pages, I experienced the same delightful tingling sensation that I always find in Marie's presence--the sensation of limitless possibility. This woman is the real deal, people. This book will change lives." --Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love and Big Magic "What does it take to make a reader feel loved, inspired, and called out on their BS all at the same time? I don't know, but Marie Forleo has figured it out! Smart, funny, and as brilliant as it is straightforward. LOVED it!" --Brené Brown, Ph.D., author of Dare to Lead

Cuando, con trece años, Naoki Higashida empezó a comunicarse a través de una parrilla de ideogramas diseñada por su madre, estaba haciendo historia. Nunca antes un niño aquejado de un grado de autismo tan severo había conseguido expresarse. Naoki consigue traducir su experiencia a un lenguaje comprensible para cualquier lector a través de preguntas como: ¿por qué los autistas habláis tan alto y tan raro?; ¿por qué os gusta poner vuestros coches de juguete en fila?; ¿por qué saltáis? Sus respuestas son optimistas y transmiten alegría de vivir, ternura y, sobre todo, nos presentan a alguien admirable de quien hay mucho que aprender. «Naoki nos hace de guía por su mundo, que puede ser tan extraño al nuestro como la distancia que hay entre un neoyorquino y un habitante del Amazonas: salimos de nuestra realidad y nos damos cuenta de que hay realidades muy diferentes dependiendo de cómo tus sentidos los perciben.» Miguel Gallardo, autor de María y yo ENGLISH DESCRIPTION “One of the most remarkable books I’ve ever read. It’s truly moving, eye-opening, incredibly vivid.”—Jon Stewart, The Daily Show NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR The Wall Street Journal Bloomberg Business Bookish FINALIST FOR THE BOOKS FOR A BETTER LIFE FIRST BOOK AWARD NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER You’ve never read a book like The Reason I Jump. Written by Naoki Higashida, a very smart, very self-aware, and very charming thirteen-year-old boy with autism, it is a one-of-a-kind memoir that demonstrates how an autistic mind thinks, feels, perceives, and responds in ways few of us 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, Naoki answers even the most delicate questions that people want to know. 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?” (Naoki’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, Naoki 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 you will never look at the world the same way again. In his introduction, bestselling novelist David Mitchell writes that Naoki’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.” Praise for The Reason I Jump “This is an intimate book, one that brings readers right into an autistic mind.”— Chicago Tribune (Editor’s Choice) “Amazing times a million.”— Whoopi Goldberg, People “The Reason I Jump is a Rosetta stone. . . . This book takes about ninety minutes to read, and it will stretch your vision of what it is to be human.”— Andrew Solomon, The Times (U.K.) “Extraordinary; moving, and jeweled with epiphanies.”— The Boston Globe “Small but profound . . . [Higashida’s] startling, moving insights offer a rare look inside the autistic mind.” —Parade