Funny, You Don't Look Autistic: A Comedian's Guide to Life on the Spectrum by Michael McCrearyMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
This was a #BigLibraryRead for the Toronto Public Library. I wanted something funny and light. I thought a comedian's memoir would fit the bill. Since it was available to read right away, I didn't have to exert my brain to make a decision on what to read while COVID-19 raged all around.
It was not that funny. I was a copy editor in my former life and can still recognize when the editing is not great. The editing was not great. McCreary told his story; he didn't show it. So there was no emotion, no drawing the reader in, not as funny as it could have been. The editor failed in not getting McCreary to describe, to show, to inject emotion as well as humour.
Telling a funny story as opposed to describing it makes it less funny. I think McCreary wrote this book as a checkmark against his bucket list. He was on the fast track to get things done. And his book is done but not done well. Better to have waited a few years, honed his writing, then written it. The Epilogue provided a glimpse into what a book written later could've looked like. The Epilogue had emotion and changed my rating upwards.
Overall, the book gave some good factual info but only a glimpse into autism.
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