David Mitchell
The Reason I Jump
UK & Comm → Sceptre
Japan → Escor Publishing
US → Random House
Canada → Knopf
Written by Naoki Higashida and translated by K. A. Yoshida and David Mitchell
The Reason I Jump is a remarkable book written by Japan’s best-known autistic blogger and author, when he was only 13.
Employing a Q&A format, occasional Thoughts for the Day and a short story, I’m Right Here, Naoki Higashida examines issues as diverse as why autistic kids engage in self-harm, how they perceive time and beauty, autism's most painful aspect, and whether they would wish to be ‘normal’.
As attitude-transforming as Jean-Dominique Bauby’s The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, The Reason I Jump proves that autistic people do possess imagination, humour, empathy, and a sense of the spiritual, contrary to popular belief, and shows that the problem is not a lack of these faculties, but rather an inability to communicate them to others.
The Reason I Jump gives a voice to non-verbal autistic children, explaining their behaviours, loves and foibles to their (often baffled) parents, teachers, relatives and carers.
The English edition includes an introduction by David Mitchell, whose son is also diagnosed with autism.
The Reason I Jump is a remarkable book written by Japan’s best-known autistic blogger and author, when he was only 13.
Employing a Q&A format, occasional Thoughts for the Day and a short story, I’m Right Here, Naoki Higashida examines issues as diverse as why autistic kids engage in self-harm, how they perceive time and beauty, autism's most painful aspect, and whether they would wish to be ‘normal’.
As attitude-transforming as Jean-Dominique Bauby’s The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, The Reason I Jump proves that autistic people do possess imagination, humour, empathy, and a sense of the spiritual, contrary to popular belief, and shows that the problem is not a lack of these faculties, but rather an inability to communicate them to others.
The Reason I Jump gives a voice to non-verbal autistic children, explaining their behaviours, loves and foibles to their (often baffled) parents, teachers, relatives and carers.
The English edition includes an introduction by David Mitchell, whose son is also diagnosed with autism.
Rights
Katie McGowan manages the translation rights for The Reason I Jump
Audio Rights
AvailableThe audio rights are handled by Alice Lutyens.
Translation Rights Sold
Arabic
World
All Prints
Bulgarian
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Prozorets Publishing House
Catalan
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Bromera
Chinese Complex
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Yuan-Liou Publishing Co.
Chinese Simple
Mainland China
CITIC Publishing Group
Czech
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Pasparta
Danish
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Cicero
Dutch
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Nieuw Amsterdam
Finnish
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Kustannusosakeyhtio Sammako
French
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Les Arenes
German
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Rowohlt Verlag
Greek
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Metaichmio Publishing
Hebrew
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Yedioth
Hungarian
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Park Kiado
Italian
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Sperling E Kupfer
Japanese
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Escor Publishing
Korean
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Sigma Press
Lithuanian
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Kitos Knygos Publishers
Macedonian
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Ars Lamina
Norwegian
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Pantagruel Forlag AS
Polish
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Foksal
Portuguese
Brazil
Editora Intrinseca
Romanian
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Editura Frontiera
Russian
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Gonzo Publishing House
Serbian
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Laguna
Slovak
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Tatran
Slovene
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Mladinska Knjiga
Spanish
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Roca Editorial
Swedish
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Wahlstrom & Widstrand
Turkish
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Altin Kitaplar Yayinevi
Vietnamese
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Tre Publishing House
Media
The Reason I Jump
The Reason I Jump
The Reason I Jump
Reviews
The Sunday Times Full Review
This book takes about 90 minutes to read, and it will stretch your vision of what it is to be human. Andrew Solomon
The Times Full Review
Does this book tell us something new? I believe it does. There is already some vague public awareness of the very different and special thought processes experienced by autistic people and Higashida illustrates this wonderfully, as does Mitchell in his introduction. Amanda Mitchison
The Financial Times Full Review
The Independent
Full Review
Part memoir and part FAQ session interwoven with short stories and allegories, it brings the fascinating quirks of the autistic mind to life. Even more remarkable is that its author, “severely autistic” Naoki Higashida, was only 13 years old when he wrote it - by spelling out every word on a cardboard alphabet grid. Luisa Metcalfe
The Daily Express Full Review
We have our received ideas, we believe they correspond roughly to the way things are, then a book comes along that simply blows all this so-called knowledge out of the water. This is one of them. Marcus Berkmann
The Daily Mail Full Review
Despite the Herculean effort of translating the autistic experience into language, The Reason I Jump reads effortlessly, each page challenging preconceptions that autistic people lack empathy, humour or imagination. Emma Claire Sweeney
The Independent Full Review
This book is mesmerising proof that inside an autistic body is a mind as subtle, curious, and caring as anyone else's. Adam Sherwin
The Independent Full Review
The Guardian Full Review
The Bookseller Full Review
The Reason I Jump is intended to demystify the behaviour of autistic children for a ‘neurotypical’ audience and was first spotted online by Mitchell’s Japanese wife, Keiko Yoshida. Catherine Scott
The Telegraph Full Review
Representation
News
