The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida

This book is the poetically translated words of a 13 year old autistic boy telling people how it feels to him to be autistic. It is enlightening and sad. He explains how he feels trapped in his body and how he feels pain which causes his odd movements at times and that he gets caught doing things repetitively and cannot stop. His main message is that he is not doing things that are "wrong" or different on purpose, he wants to be like everyone else but he can't and that people should be patient with people who have autism. He is frustrated by his inability to control his actions and hates disappointing and upsetting other people. The illustrations are lovely and the stories that he tells are touching.