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Untypical

How the World Isn’t Built for Autistic People and What We Should All Do About It

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Untypical

By: Pete Wharmby
Narrated by: Pete Wharmby
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About this listen

It’s time to remake the world – the ground-breaking book on what steps we should all be taking for the autistic people in our lives.

The modern world is built for neurotypicals: needless noise, bright flashing lights, small talk, phone calls, unspoken assumptions and unwritten rules – it can be a nightmarish dystopia for the autistic population. In Untypical, Pete Wharmby lays bare the experience of being ‘different’, explaining with wit and warmth just how exhausting it is to fit in to a world not designed for you.

But this book is more than an explanation. After a late diagnosis and a lifetime of ‘masking’, Pete is the perfect interlocutor to explain how our two worlds can meet, and what we can do for the many autistic people in our schools, workplaces and lives. The result: a practical handbook for all of us to make the world a simpler, better place for autistic people to navigate, and a call to arms for anyone who believes in an inclusive society and wants to be part of the solution.

©2023 Pete Wharmby (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers Limited Mental Health People with Disabilities Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Social Sciences Inspiring Thought-Provoking Autism Health

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Critic reviews

‘A wonderful, compassionate, important book, exploring the many faces of neurodivergence, and offering ways for everyone to make life kinder for those who are wired differently.’ – Joanne Harris

‘Pete eloquently and passionately explains the the challenges of having to navigate our round-hole world as a square peg and therefore is a comforting and validating read for anyone who is Untypical. Rectangle, parallelogram, rhombus, whichever neuro-shape you are, this book can help us all to create a more inclusive society.’ – Dr Meg Arroll

‘A wonderful book about achieving better awareness and a more inclusive society for people on the autism spectrum.’ – Roger Clark

‘This brilliant, funny, important book shows how we can all make the world a bit better for everyone but especially our neurodiverse friends, loved ones and possibly ourselves.’ Sarah Hart
All stars
Most relevant  
I’d followed Pete on Twitter for some time and always found his insights about autism fascinating. Listening to his book has been a real treat - hours of his easy to understand and relate to descriptions and analogies of the differences between the neurotypical and autistic worlds. My dogs are enjoying being walked miles so that I can listen for longer! It would be wonderful if every senco/teacher could listen to or read this. I will be buying a hard copy to refer to and help spread the word. Thank you for writing this excellent book!

Just brilliant

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Very well written and read. Seems to chime with my neurodivergent family and much here for neurotypicals to reflect on.

Autistic adults need to be heard.

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I loved hearing Pete tell his story in his own words. Really accessible advice and information for parents, teachers, employers and colleagues.

Engaging and informative

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Really well written, had me nodding in agreement at almost everything! A great explanation and puts a lot of experiences into words in such a descriptive and meaningful way that I will be recommending this book to fellow Autistic folks and Allistics! Well done!

Going to recommend to everyone!

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I am neurodivergent, but not autistic, and I work with children with neurodevelopmental differences. This book, along with some other titles, has given me an insight into the autistic brain. But I also liked how the author considered the wider aspects influencing the autistic experience. It made me reflect on my thoughts/feelings towards colleagues/friends when they have made certain requests etc.

Simply wonderful!

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Having listened to this book, the last thing I'm going to do is say what' I liked and disliked' about it. if I did, I wasn't listening. This book provides valuable insight into the autistic experience, expressed in a very relatable way for neurotypical folk like me. There's great advice on how better to support the autistic people in our lives. My deep thanks go to Pete Wharmby for sharing his personal experiences, thoughts and opinions so well

thank you, Pete wharmby

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… as an autistic person.
I recommend this book for everyone.
I think Pete manages to embrace and acknowledge many types of autism, describing his own experiences, while recognising that we are not all the same. He utilises the great network of autistic people he is in contact with online, to both illustrate his points and also showing that he is learning, is listening and is giving it back to the whomever reads this book, and by that writes in not inly his own voice, but to an extent the many voices from the internet.

Only complaint is - I wish it was longer :) not much of a complaint really.

This resonates with me…

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I found Wharmbys take on experience of autism diagnosis as an adult and his ideas on how to make life more inclusive for autistic people insightful and helpful.

experience of autism diagnosis as an adult.

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Whether you're autistic or not, this book is such a great insight into autism.
As an autistic female, I don't relate to every point Pete makes; however, so much of what he says is absolutely spot on.
Excellently written, highly recommended!

An absolute MUST read!

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Really helpful in terms of understanding how we might make the world a more accessible place for neurodiverse people

Honesty of author

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