NetGalley review

Great book for parents of autistic children or adults. An amazing interactive book, well designed for the autistic reader. Absolutely read, and reread, and journal repeatedly. Absolutely buy and keeper.

Great insight on Autism and what it’s like for a person to be neurodivergent in a neurotypical world. I myself have 2 autistic nieces and reading this was very refreshing and an insight into how they may feel.

Reading a book by a late diagnosed autistic person, as a late diagnosed person myself, was truly enlightening. Informative, entertainingly written, and well worth a read - whether autistic or not

#AutisticWorldDomination #NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-arc copy of this novel. My son found the book informative and helpful.

This book is long overdue. So many books about autism are *about* autistic adults, not BY them, and as someone who is a very late diagnosed adult, we exist! We hold down real jobs and real relationships, some of us can even write books! Thankfully more books by-not-at autistic adults are emerging, and a community of elder austitics is forming to help guide a new generation to grow up with less trauma and pain.

That said, I hated the tone of this book. I'm not a self-help book reader and the happy joy "you can do the thing" tone just rubbed me up the wrong way. This is very much a personal thing and I should say it never wanders into toxic positivity, the author does acknowledge that the world isn't always easy and shiny. Ymmv!

Overall I'd recommend the book, if you're similar to me you might want to leave space for being annoyed by it and take regular breaks, but there's some valuable information in it and a whole lot of validation

I received an advance copy for free from NetGalley, on the expectation that I would provide an honest review.

I absolutely loved "Autistic World Domination"! As an own voices autistic Maori writer, Jolene Stockman provides a unique perspective that is so valuable in today's society. This book is an excellent beginner's guide for autistics, by autistics, with great exercises that help to better understand oneself and others. I really appreciated the practical advice and the positive, empowering tone of the book. It was refreshing to read a book that celebrates neurodivergence and doesn't try to "fix" or "cure" autistics. Overall, a phenomenal read that I would highly recommend to anyone interested in learning more about autism and how to support autistics. Five stars!

I'm sad to say that I didn't love this book:
*it's one part Autism 101 and one part "The Secret"/law of attraction for autistic people
*it jumps around abruptly between hyperbole, vague instruction, and description of Autism
*there's no flow but jarring and clunky topic transitions
*it includes random personal experiences that have nothing to do with the topic being discussed
*while it's important that autistic people feel inspired, motivated, and confident like neurotypicals, this is not an efficient way to do it

That being said, the second half of the book is much better. While I did get something out of reading the book, perhaps the choppy topic-hopping might appeal more to ADHD readers.

"What would it look like if we started thinking of Autism as a cultural difference rather than a strictly neurological difference? As an entire culture of people plunged into an unfamiliar environment."

As someone who is proudly neurodivergent since childhood, I wish this guide existed while I was growing up! Jolene Stockman, who has and was diagnosed with autism as an adult, shares excellent guidance and advice on how we can reframe autism as a superpower, and how we have so much - strengths and advantages - to offer in this world, alongside tons of motivation and encouragement sprinkled throughout. I like how Stockman includes a number of prompts, open-ended questions, and activities for each "scene" she highlights.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for the opportunity to read this digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Autistic World Domination is a dream for a better future; a blueprint for Autistic people to find their own path to happiness, and a call for a more inclusive, accommodating society for all neurodivergent people.

Readers are guided through a series of activities to create a life plan—a plan for the big dreams we all have. We are assured no dreams are too big! Should each of these activities be completed, by the end of the book, you will come away with a strong idea of what you want in life and a to do list of how to begin your path to achievement. This blueprint takes into account individual Autistic strengths, and combines them with actions to accommodate challenges and sensitivities.

Throughout this process, Stockman acts as your knowledgeable motivational coach. If you need a pep talk for the game of life, she will be there with an abundance of enthusiasm, providing you with all the encouragement you could possibly need. Stockman will teach you about life as an Autistic adult, with examples from her own life and educational guidance woven throughout the narrative.

While the difficulties Autistic people face in life are acknowledged, particularly in the latter parts of the book, this is a book about finding your strengths. It is about empowerment and establishing comfort with your authentic Autistic identity. These strengths are often referred to as Autistic superpowers. I am somewhat wary of framing Autistic strengths as superpowers. There is a fine line between celebrating one’s strengths and advocating for Autistic supremacy over other neurotypes, invalidating the very real challenges many Autistic people face. I was pleased to discover the latter was not the case in this book. Instead, it is about finding your place in this world, and making it better for you, based on your own strengths and interests. Stockman provides guidance on how to write your own script so you can dominate your world.

Like so many Autistic people, Stockman was late-diagnosed. Initially, she found this difficult to accept. With an oversupply of internalised ableism to work through, it would be some time before she was able to reframe her ideas around autism. She laments not knowing at a younger age, as well as the distinct lack of support she received in these earlier years. Stockman notes this is beginning to change for younger generations, optimistically stating they—or at least some—are now receiving supports and adjustments, beginning their lives in a more Autistic-friendly world. Sadly, I believe too many young Autistics are not yet receiving this support, and many are subjected to harmful practices which try to eliminate their autism. I truly hope Stockman’s optimism soon becomes a reality and all Autistic people’s needs and supports are met.

The neurodiversity paradigm and the social model of disability underpin each of the messages in the book. Autistic people are different, not disordered or broken. Many of the challenges Autistic people face are due to the lack of accommodations and supports society provides. As such, Autistic World Domination is a clarion call for a better future. Focusing on the limitations society places on Autistic people, Stockman suggests, will only lead to self-fulfilling prophecies. If we believe we cannot achieve our dreams, we likely will not. If we believe we can, if we have compassion for, and pride in our Autistic selves, we will seek out each opportunity and find ways to dominate our own world, making it a better place to exist. The individualised blueprints in the book help readers to do just this.

If you are an Autistic person (self-diagnosis is welcomed and encouraged!) looking for a vibrant, highly enthusiastic, and empowering book-based coach to help you plan your future goals, Autistic World Domination may be just the book for you. This book would be ideal for teenagers beginning to plan their adult lives, as well as late-diagnosed adults looking to change their life direction after discovering their Autistic identity.

Thank you to Jessica Kingsley Publishers and NetGalley for the digital review copy of Autistic World Domination. All opinions in this review are my own and have not been solicited from the author or publisher.

Prior to seeing this book on Netgalley, I never heard of Jolene Stockman, but after reading about her rewriting the autism narrative and playbook for autistics to take their power back, I'm interested, especially after having such a comprehensive and thorough look at autism and what it means for individuals and society.

Stockman goes through nearly a dozen steps to rewrite the typical autism doomsday and tragedy narratives of "bad", "being less", or "broken" into strengths throughout the book, framing the rise of autistics as a revolution that's needed for everyone, not just autistics, not just other neurodivergents, but everyone. Stockman assures that every autistic has their own strengths and that they just need to look for it, along with the idea that labels aren't your destiny. She walks through the advantages autistics have over neurotypicals and how the world is starting to accommodate to those changes in recent years. The main theme is that you are valuable as-is, without pretending to be "normal" and you can do anything you want in life, no fixing required.

She adds her own experiences as a late diagnosed autistic and someone that only explored her part Maori heritage after becoming an adult, which is beneficial especially for the non typical "white boy" stereotype we usually see with autism.

She does note that yes, especially in a world built for neurotypicals, there are some not-so-fun sides about the autistic life, though about 95% of this book is focused on the upsides, which is well needed, as it's doesn't veer into toxic positivity.

There is a lean toward those that started to discover they might have been autistic in adulthood, as opposed as those that grew up with the label as children, but it will serve both groups well. This is mainly as Stockman was diagnosed as an adult. I also think other neurodivergents can benefit from much of the book, even if it's mainly about autism, as similar narratives were sadly built on how they were "less than normal", with neurotypical being ideal.

I must have highlighted at least 100 quotes, with powerful statements in each chapter, and engaged on a surface level with most of the well thought out exercises she provides and lays out at the end of each chapter. I enjoyed them, and some of the questions ask you to dig deep down, but for the sake of finishing the book in a timely manner, I'll leave them for another time. This is probably the most powerful part of the book, to turn a life that was dictated of what others thought of you into your own.

Highly recommended for all on the autism spectrum, especially adults that are just navigating the possibility of being autistic, or those that have known for a long time or grew up with the label, but trying to figure out their adult life.

Autistic World Domination is a really great self-help book written specifically for autistics. I personally found the writing style a little too energetic at times, but the exercise were really interesting and useful, and I love the way Stockman reframes autism in terms of superpowers, rather than deficits. As an autistic person, I did actually find this book helpful for thinking about my life goals--I would definitely recommend it to other autistic people!

2.5 stars.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC of this book.

I get what this book was trying to do, but it just wasn't for me. It's such an optimistic book with good tips that a lot of people will benefit from... But not me.
I'm way too depressed and chronically ill for books like this, on top of being autistic. A lot of the tips just don't work if doing even the smallest amount of physical activity causes you pain.

Like again I get what this book is trying to do and the message it wants to convey, but it's just not for me.

I am not myself autistic but have someone close to be who is and also often work with people who are. This is a great book I think especially for those trying to make sense of what it means to them to be autistic and although I can not personally comment on any benefit I am sure it has great potential to help folks.

Enjoyed reading, but found it sometimes difficult to follow. Book doesn’t necessarily have an outline. The book is filled with applicable information that many will find useful.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book very helpful and informative.

This book is great!! As a more recently diagnosed autistic adult, this book, written by an autistic author, Jolene Stockman, is filled with great guidance on how to navigate, thrive, and - dare I say - dominate as a neurodivergent person in a neurotypical world.

All of the advice bestowed by the author is enhanced by her reflections as an autistic person, including first being diagnosed, and then navigating through sharing it with the world.

Jolene's reframing of autism as a superpower, as a tool for success, is so refreshing. A number of books I've read about autism and for autistic adults, have really focused on the downsides, whereas this book is so optimistic (as evidenced by the liberal use of exclamation marks, which I enjoy. :) )

One sentence that really strikes home the message of the book: "You deserve to be here because you were born." That is so powerful to read. Being constantly told or made to feel that I am "too much" or "not enough" or something is "wrong" with me really breaks down my spirit. But by focusing on the fact that simply being a person is enough to make me valuable, and deserve to belong, well, that's just lovely.

The author includes activities, or blueprints, throughout the book for readers to complete. I chose to read through the book in its entirety without doing the activities, but I will go back and complete them because, after reading about them, I think they will be really beneficial for me.

I think this book would be a good read for adult autistic people, especially those diagnosed as adults, those who think they may be autistic, and also for people who love, know, or work with autistic people.

I am a word origin geek, so this book had me from the explanation of the meaning of domination in this context - 'to master ourselves, our spaces and to make the world our home'.
It's really nice to see autisticness framed as a positive thing, set within a framework of neurodivergence. This book has personal experience, guidance and information.
I think this book would work well for young adults and teenagers who often struggle to acknowledge their autistic identity, but it's also very affirming if you were diagnosed as an adult, like Jolene and also myself.
The activities are helpful - things like listing three ways you can relax - a manageable amount, and specific.
This relates to the later section on setting SMART goals, which is useful if you haven't come across it before.
There's a bit on language, and a discussion of the Maori way to describe an autistic person, which is really lovely.
This is then linked to how negative descriptions of autism often are, and then another practical activity - reframing the way you describe yourself.
The book has political awareness but is chiefly about self and community acceptance and celebration, and it's really lovely to read.
I love the 'scenes' that ground the narrative in vignettes of experience.

When Jolene Stockman writes of Autistic World Domination she is encouraging autistics to dominate and take control of their own inner worlds. Let me start off my review by saying that I love this book. Really, truly, genuinely love it. As a neurodiversity-affirming therapist, this is a book I know is needed. It reads like a manifesto of love and support to autistics and a guidebook on how to embrace the truth of who you are and HOW you are in order to live a fulfilled and meaningful life.

Jolene Stockman is an autistic author who was diagnosed as an adult. She states that she was diagnosed long after she was able to change the direction of her life but at the perfect time to shift the way she saw it. This is important to note about her self-possession journey because she writes this book as both memoir and roadmap to folks learning to embrace their disability, their strengths, and uniqueness.

At many points in this book, Stockman makes the argument for how neurodiversity is making the world a richer place- a more creative place. We are all better off embracing and respecting different neurotypes because there is much to offer and understand beyond neurotypical ways of fitting in and masking. Masking comes at a great cost to the autistic community and Stockman really wants everyone to think about this for themselves and consider how to life live being the most authentic, best version of you possible. She provides tools, guided questions, and reflections to help readers think about what living authentically could look like for them on their individual journeys and life paths regarding love, life, friendship, career, and self-actualization.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the e-arc copy!

Autistic children grow up to be autistic adults, and many adults are also being diagnosed with autism later in life. Despite this, books for and about autistic adults remain rare. Autistic World Domination is the most comprehensive and positive book I've seen written for an autistic adult audience. Jolene Stockman, an autistic adult herself, walks the reader through a ten step plan to world domination, aka living one's best autistic life. She explains the roots of many difficulties autistic people face when interacting with the world, offering suggestions for ways to adapt environments and relationships to meet readers' needs. Even more helpfully (and hopefully), Stockman helps the reader to reframe sensitivities as strengths, set goals, and develop the systems that will bring them to fruition. Stockman's Maori heritage affords her a unique perspective on neurodivergence that needs to be shared with the wider world. A must-buy for every library collection.

This book is an attempt to rephrase/change the somewhat counterproductive/negative criteria/terminology used to describe and talk about autism/autism spectrum disorder and shine a more positive light on neurodivergence.

Don't obsess over the negatives, Jolene Stockman tells her (autistic) readers. Instead, focus on the positives, Focus on the possibilities, and the what-ifs. She does this in such a forceful, overpowering way that it almost feels like she is intending to drown her audience in her overly optimistic message. In other words, this book can quickly get exhausting if read in one go and is best enjoyed in small niblets.

Diagnosed as autistic herself as an adult, it is in the quieter paragraphs of her book that Jolene's words start to ring true. Like when she writes: 'Autistics feel harder, think deeper, burn brighter, and die sooner than the average. (...) we are being killed by our caregivers, taken out early by stress-related disease, and more than anything: we are killing ourselves.'

Overall the message that the way we talk about autism needs to change, so autistic people can achieve world domination (of their own worlds) is a good one. Autistics aren't flawed, wrong, weird, etc. They are exactly as they are supposed to be and through their unique ways of experiencing the world around them, they can shape the future and make the world a better place.