A fast and informative read about women and Autism.
It was interesting to see how women dealing with Autism have adapted to 'fit in'
How modern testing is not geared toward women because they have done so well at hiding certain aspects of themselves.
I would recommend this book to a woman who has grown up feeling different, but has not been able to figure out why.
Many women do not fit the Autistic mold and this book may answer some questions for them.

Camouflage is a beautiful mashup of images and text. This is an important book, well done, and acts as a wonderful example of graphic novels.

This short graphic novel is an excellent, aesthetically pleasing primer on autism, especially autism in women, which often goes undiagnosed. Centering three women as the primary sources in this non-fiction narrative, "Camouflage" shines a light on an often voiceless group in society. Informative, beautifully illustrated, important.

Hi everyone!
I just finished this great book about autistic women and autism. I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of 5!

I was looking for some cool graphic novels on NetGalley when this gorgeous cover caught my eye! This book is about autism and autistic women. I've always been very curious about how the human brain works. I had already read some articles about autism and the fact that usually autistic women camouflage better.

This novel analyzes in depth what it means to have autism and the differences between autistic men and women. It covers some issues in the tests for women. It also features 4 autobiographies about their lives and diagnosis. I loved hearing about their experience with the diagnosis. In fact sometimes autism can be confused with anxiety, depression.

The writing was simple, but with some technical terms. I loved the illustrations and Sophie Standing's lovely style! Sophie had already illustrate many books about forgiveness, trauma, anxiety and pain, so if you like her style like me, you should definitely check them out (you can find them here).


Ratings

Plot: 4 out ot 5
Illustrations: 5 out of 5
Writing: 4 out of 5
Interest: 5 out of 5
Diversity: 4 out of 5


Final thoughts

This was a lovely, quick and interesting read about autism and autistic women. I think everyone interested in autism, how gender affects autism or psychology should read this graphic novel! Even if you feel different but can't figure out why, this could help you (even if you should definitely ask a professional) understand if you, or someone close to you, have autism.

*I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This year I've taken particular interest in studying how autism presents itself in women after doing an e-learning module via the National Autistic Society. When I came across this book I just knew I had to read it with the art style itself drawing me in. Firstly, the art is beautiful - the illustrations feel very comforting and not overly complex, and do a great job conveying what some of the symptoms 'feel' like. The information presented is accessible and easy to understand, it's important to recognise that autism in women seems to be woefully underdiagnosed and there's a large spectrum of neurodiversity and this book is a fantastic way to educate yourself (and others) on the experiences of women with autism and, hopefully, challenge some of the misconceptions we have as to what autism 'looks' like. I especially like the inclusion of what further studies are happening within autism research.

This is definitely a book I can see myself recommending it to people I know who have experiences with autism but mostly through knowledge of how the condition presents in men.

I view this as more of an in-depth informational resource than a typical graphic novel. It's 40 pages so can only go into depth on a very few case studies of characters. What's more important is the strategically laid out content introducing the reader to the world of autism and then sequentially going through signs and symptoms and coping techniques. This is the perfect resource for middle grade students to understand themselves or their classmates. The art is a middle ground of constructivism and futurism and suprematism with subdued colors that don't distract from the message.

Obviously there’s only so much information that you can fit into a fifty page graphic novel, but I think this is a great jumping off point. Bargiela uses research studies with the personal experiences of women diagnosed to be on the spectrum to bring us informative graphic and stories about women with autism. She covers the difference between behaviors in men and women, likely a cause for why women may be under-diagnosed. I read a similar article in the past about the difference in behaviors for ADHD and I find it interesting to compare the differences (and also distressing that women can get ignored because they don’t check the “usual” boxes). This quick, easy to digest guide is a good starting point for understanding different women. Thanks to NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for the eARC.

This is a beautifully illustrated and articulated insight on the lives of autistic women. We get some background on the history of autism and also how women present autism differently to men. I loved how everything flowed in together to get a full pictured look on the camouflaged lived of autistic women.

I highly recommend anyone interested in getting an own voices representation of autism and women with autism.

Thank you to Sarah Bargiela for bringing light to this subject. Camouflage is a brief overview of women with autism. I could almost see this book used in schools or workplaces as part of diversity and awareness training. I learned a bit from reading this book, especially the emphasis that autism in women is different than men and may require a different list of criteria for diagnosis. The topics covered here make me want to learn more about women with autism. Thank you to Jessica Kingsley Publishers and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

While the text in Camouflage: The Hidden Lives of Autistic Women is probably comparable to a magazine article or blog post in length (and therefore is a very quick read), the illustrations fill out the information and help to humanize this topic.

We get to hear from a few different autistic women about some of the challenges and differences that they face in life. There is also some information about the differences in the ways that autistic men and autistic women present their symptoms, which can lead to women being underdiagnosed.

Despite its short length, I found it fairly informative and a good resource for anyone who wants to learn more about the gender differences in autistic people, and the lived experiences of autistic women.

(Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.)

An incredibly beautifully illustrated little book that informed me on the subject of autism and autistic women. A really interesting read, and much needed, I believe.

This is a well written book on a sensitive subject. This is thoughtfully written book that gives you a perspective on a learning disability that is very common in society. If you have an autistic woman your life this book is worth your time to read.

What a wonderful insight to women living with Austism.
Autism is such a well known thing today, but we so rarely see it in women, so this book is refreshing in that respect. It is also emotionally charged, paired with sensational illustrations.

The full title of this graphic novel should give you a pretty strong idea of what it covers. It’s all about autistic women, their differences from the typical expectations of autism, and how that results in them blending in better (and thus being less likely to be identified and/or diagnosed).
There were a lot of things I didn’t know about autism in women that I learned while reading this. It was incredibly informative, while still being very approachable.
I like that they chose to talk about the subject in a visual way, as it made everything feel more casual and comfortable to talk about. It felt less like I was reading a textbook and more like I was reading about real people (which was actually the case).
I found this to be a very informative, and enlightening graphic novel. It was nice to take a break from reading fiction and instead learn something true and important.

It was a good and necessary introduction to women in the autism spectrum, but it was unfortunately too short to explained the complexity of the subject and to include deep and complex testimonies. They made the book easy to read and richly illustrated, but the subject deserved more pages to be well introduced and well understood.

In comparison, when I think of "A Quick & Easy Guide to Queer & Trans Identities by J.R. Zuckerberg, and Mady G", it is a 96-page book which also has to explain a very complex and broad subject. That book succeeds in doing so because they took the space that they needed to really cover the subject. "Camouflage", on the contrary, stayed too shallow and without enough explanations or testimonies to become a great book.

This is a very quick read, it was written in simple language and quite interesting to see the female side of autism. Beautifully illustrated and informative.

There are many differences between the sexes, not only physically, but mentally as well. I believe we are coming to realize more that most of the knowledge we learn to recognize certain behaviors and disorders are common among men, which leaves women to flounder through life undiagnosed. There has long been a perceived divide of men more commonly having ADHD than women but we are finding out that it's because many women have different indicators and they have gone through life undiagnosed.

I thought the illustration style of this was fine, it made me think of an extra long magazine article (nothing bad about that), and I think the style is interesting. The information was pretty clear and easy to read but I felt that sometimes the info-graphics left me confused about what the article was trying to say. I also expected a little more in depth answers from the women interviewed as there seemed to be mostly surface level information that was repeated.

I still think this is a good starter point for this information and it has a high readability.

This book is incredible because it gives a voice and representation to those who have been so severely underrepresented in all forms of media. I hope all libraries pick this up.

It’s fascinating to see the differences between men and women in autism - especially in the way they are diagnosed. All I have to say is:

The patriarchy strikes again!

I find it interesting that more men are diagnosed with autism - often because women who have autism are dismissed. I blame the patriarchy because this is why women are just more easily dismissed in general. If women are second class citizens, are just here to please or serve men, then they are more likely to be encouraged to ignore any social or communication problem they have and deal with it. It feeds into this greater issue of making women more compliant in general.

This is such a systemic problem, that it’s interesting to read about it in such a specific area.

I don’t mean to minimize this specific issue by placing it in the realm of a larger one - the general oppression of women. This is an issue that should be tackled in and of itself. I just think it needs to be discussed with the greater issues we have in our culture. I think if we tackle these specific issues head on - but also address the larger overarching one - we can move forward that much more quickly.

<i>Thanks to NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for a copy in return for an honest review.</i>

Thanks to the publisher and author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This is a graphic novel with one woman as the narrator, with three other women chiming in about their experiences with being women with autism. I loved that this specific content was put into a visual format and that it had own voices as the format.I am not exactly sure who the audience would be, because I could see this being affirming or providing a bit of an introduction to autism for others. I actually liked the art, especially the color choices!

The angle of looking at autism for women specifically, felt long overdue and especially important. Research focused on women and autism did not start until the 1980’s so there is still so much we do not know... and so many layers to wade through (societal expectations, gender norms..) that will inform how we understand how autism can be expressed in women today. I enjoyed reading this one, it was quick and had no new content for me, but was interesting.

I enjoyed camouflage and how it looked at autism from the feminine perspective. Sarah Bargieta breaks down how boys and girls present differently and how we can help them manage their symptoms. It is a reminder that no therapy is one size fits all. I loved hearing the women's stories and personal experiences.
The only con is that it doesn't guide those who are looking for help. What should the reader do if they feel like the book resonates with them? How should they ensure they get help for them?

This book is a great introduction to the topic of autism in women. It's very easy to read and I would recommend it to anyone who works with children or adults with autism. The illustrations are also very high quality and the colours are very appealing.

Camouflage is an educational book with illustrations that explores what autism is and how it affects women. I really liked how it went into all of the aspects of having autism, with a few that I already knew but a lot that I didn't.

The graphics really enhanced the information given and made visualising certain elements easier. Everything was really easy to understand and I loved the inclusion of the three women's personal experiences. In particular, the differences between autism in men and women were really interesting and insightful, and something I hadn't known of before.

This was a really beautifully done comic about autistic women! The art is just perfect...it's clever and fluid and really nice to look at. This is just a 40-page comic/graphic novel, so its aim is to introduce you to what women with autism look like. It covers some of the differences in male vs female presenting symptoms and why women go undiagnosed so much. As an autistic myself, I was really keen to see how it would sum up life as an autistic woman...and I think it did well!

My only caveat is: it's just an overview. You'd really give this to someone who has NO idea what autism is. You'd give this to the person who says, "Aw no you're just shy, not autistic!" to give them a place to start on understanding it.

I loved how it never pitched autism negatively. Thaaaanks. Would hi five. But it emphasised the whole way through that girls with autism generally have less issues than boys because we internalised and mask. (Hence the title of "Camouflage".) I think it should've underlined the cost of this more: serious depression, meltdowns and shutdowns, high suicide rates, etc. I KNOW it was just an overview, but by the end (if I'd known nothing about autism) I would've felt like autistic women felt different but it was no big deal...when in reality I think we need to bring awareness to the dangers of camouflaging. And that women with autism need to be believed and supported and not doubted.

There was a problem with the formatting on this e-arc so some of the pages were out of place, but despite that I was still able to read everything. Even with things being out of place, I thought this book was very informative. The illustrations were great and I strongly relate to a lot of the stuff from the case studies. I would recommend this book to anyone who is friends with or related to autistic women. I am currently on a waiting list to go through the diagnostic process to find out once and for all whether I'm autistic and I am pretty certain that I will get a diagnosis. This book reassured me that if I am autistic, there are plenty of other autistic women out there with similar experiences to me. I will be buying this graphic novel when it is released so that I can read it with everything in the right place.

With the great graphics and bite-sized chunks of information, Camouflage can almost be seen as a large pamphlet. It's quite short, only around 40 pages, and yet it's packed full of data and firsthand accounts of autistic women. Illustrated and well-researched, Bargiela introduces us to the differences between men and women with autism (and Asperger's). I found it informative, eye-opening, and to the point. She also gives additional reading recommendations at the end which I always find helpful.

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of CAMOUFLAGE by Sarah Bargiela in exchange for my honest review.***

CAMOUFLAGE is a short, nonfiction, graphic book aimed at distinguishing autism in females vs males.

For years medical science researchers using primarily Caucasian men. Doctors were surprised, for instance, that women had different heart attack symptoms than men. As knowledge progressed, scientists began to study different races, geographies, economics and other factors in diagnosis and treatment.

We shouldn’t be surprised that until recently, autism criteria was developed based on male symptomology. Additionally, Aspergers was added as a new diagnosis then encompasses back into Autism Spectrum Disorder in the latest DSM V. CAMOUFLAGE identifies differences in symptom presentation girls and women have.

The multicultural illustrations helped show the information in a user friendly manner, simple enough for tweens without talking down to young and older adults.

The only reason I held off giving five stars is that the book didn’t distinguish between having some criteria or a lesser degree of a symptom that fits a diagnostic criterium, instead showing dramatic differences between interested and obsessed. CAMOUFLAGE didn’t consider that doctors sometimes see patients and/or parents looking for a diagnosis in order to explain what feels inexplicable. As a child psychologist I had some parents pushing for an ADHD diagnosis without considering we needed to rule out whether lack of structure and candy bars for breakfast might be causing symptoms. The example is true and extreme. I’ve also had teens looking for diagnoses as a way to understand themselves and receive support for issues with different diagnoses (often eating disorders). I’ve also noticed an uptick in some people with Aspergers trying to convince strangers online they must also have the disorder. I would have liked CAMOUFLAGE to add talking to a professional for evaluation and a caveat against self-diagnosis.

I do recommend CAMOUFLAGE for doctors, therapists and schools to share with potential autistic folks and to help further the understanding for those new to diagnosis.

The art and visual representations of data are definitely my cup of tea, they toy with the set-up of articles or powerpoint presentations, providing thus a meta-aspect. A good starter point as the readability levels are particularly high.

I've just begun to dip my toe in the the graphic novel world (I read my first earlier this year) and am keen to discover lesser known pieces of work about topics that I care about. This one covers both of those, gloriously illustrated and a fantastic insight in to autism.

I already know quite a bit about autism but hadn't ever seen it from this perspective (women) and found that really interesting. I would advice that anyone looking for an introduction to this area to give this graphic novel a go - even if you think you're not really "one for graphic novels" - you won't be disappointed!

Very interesting graphic novel of a not very discussed theme, as the title says, "the hidden lives of autistic women".
When a lot of people think of autism all that comes to mind is the "Rain Man" stereotype, but it's essential to know that there are many other different ways in which the autistic traits can make a person and his/her life different. This book is a good starting point on bringing awareness about Autism Spectrum Disorder and therefore it's great value.

I didn't know what to expect going into reading this and I came away surprised. I learned a lot about autism in women! I would give this book 3.5 stars - a deduction which I'll go into even more detail as the publication date nears.

This was a great medium for teaching about the subject matter and I enjoyed the anecdotal approach. One big hang-up I have about the book is how gender essentialist it is about sex differences. The author makes overarching generalizations about the societally influenced behavior of cis-men and cis-women (assumed that this is what she is talking about, as she does not indicate otherwise) without many citations to support these assertions. I almost stopped reading because of the generalizations - aren't we past an antiquated science supporting the separation of gender into two categories?

Other than the gendered nonsense, I enjoyed this book and the information it offered. I'll give an even more extensive review as the publication date nears.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of Camouflage and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Very good comic, had a great art style and was very informative at the same time. i have gained alot of knowledge by giving this a read.
beautiful cover. I would recommend
4/5 stars

Gorgeously illustrated and very informative introduction to the experiences of women on the autism spectrum. I will be suggesting this book to the head of the local adult autism service.

*E-ARC from Netgalley*
I enjoyed reading this illustrated non fiction book about the stigma that women can face when trying to get a diagnosis regarding autism. later in life. There is a lot of interesting information and various statistics regarding high functioning vs. low functioning autism. The art style is simplistic and reminds of one of those illustrations that you would find in women's magazines like cosmopolitan. Their is one very big problem with viewing this work through my phone and that is how the order of the pages are affected. One page would be completely different from the next and then I would find the other missing section several pages later. This was very confusing for a while and did prevent me from wanting to read the book but overall this was a educational and cute informational book.

This is well-researched, impeccably presented GN about how autism can present itself in young girls and woman. Through its clever use of illustration to help readers understand concepts and words they may be unfamiliar with, to its inclusion of stories from those with Autism--this book has helped me understand a topic I believe I knew all too well. This GN toes the line between presenting readers with enough information to feel like they understand more about the topic without feeling bogged down too much scholarly language. As a twin to a sister with Autism, I feel like I can understand her better and that's an invaluable gift.

I received a free galley of this book today, and read it in one quick sitting; it was an absolutely fantastic read. My only complaint is that it isn't longer.

I learned so much about the experiences of women with autism in such a short amount of time, as well as just autism in general. It definitely was a topical read but makes me want to take in more literature (and there are even suggestions in the back of the book). I want to go out and get myself a copy of this book when it comes out because the illustrations are just so aesthetically pleasing.

I really recommend everyone check this book out!

This was a quick introduction to women with autism and talked about the differences between men and women with autism. The signs and associated actions of those with autism. It was a good quick read and very thorough for the amount of pages it contained. Also really respect the further reading section. The colors and imagery in the book were great as well.

Camouflage is a completely necessary teaching tool, for kids and adults alike. This nonfiction graphic novel beautifully and intellectually illustrates how autism manifests in women and how women’s experiences are often completely different from men’s.

It’s upsetting to hear that even medical professionals misunderstand autism in girls and women, often misdiagnosing them due to a lack of research or knowledge. The women interviewed within the novel talk about doctors and specialists who have those misconceptions, and it’s clear greater education is needed. Each of these women are at different stages in their lives, and hearing their stories and interactions with the world at large adds a lot to the novel. This isn’t just a parade of facts and figures, though those are included and presented in an easy to understand way.

The artwork is very modern and adds a lot to the story. The style makes it easier to understand these women’s experiences through a variety of panel layouts and a combination of dialogue, visual aids, and artistic representation of the facts.

The stories are extremely empowering, and as a guide, this is a great start to understanding the complexities of autism.

This review will be published on 3/15/19: https://reviewsandrobots.com/2019/03/15/camouflage-book-review