I'm more than halfway through the book, a fast and easy read, and have a myriad of clues that he had Aspergers. The signs and symptoms correlate precisely with those of my Aspie son.
It's eerie, unsettling and revealing. It's as if I'm reading and beginning to understand my son's passionate desire for living off the grid and by his own wits. I'm starting to believe this is hard wired and not the result of an Aspie mom raising an autistic son.
Off the top of my head, here are just a few of the similarities:
Highly intelligent, comfortable being alone, dramatic mood shifts, difficulty expressing emotion and having relationships, doesn't listen to anyone who doesn't agree with him or tries to give advice, concrete goals with little consequences considered, does Not like rules that seem unfair, does Not believe in monotonous conformity, money is useless, moral standards are off the charts, his way or the highway, a certain few possessions are like friends, not things, very focused interests, speaks passionately about his beliefs and wants others to seriously consider them, charming and charasmatic- even one meeting with them is memorable, never to be forgotten, extensive vocabulary, love of all things nature, science, archeology; obsession with living completely independent and off of the land...the list seems endless.
The book is rather dry, in parts, where the author ventures off and writes of others on personal wilderness quests. Yet, at the same time, he gives Chris more depth that is left out of the movie version.
Autonomous young men driven by soul or spirit, to experience life with as few things and people as possible, testing their abilities and gaining what they need via personal experiences questing...in a sentence.
I'm understanding so much more. It's been helpful. Still, pretty damn eerie, but quite insightful.
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