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I've seen this book paired with "Unmasking Autism" which feels like a slightly odd choice. While that book felt like more of an actionable book, this feels more educational for people who don't know much about autism. I think it fills that role better than Silberman's book, which always seems to be held up as the 'first book you should read', partly because it's written 'from the inside', as it were, and partly because it doesn't suffer from that book's unfortunate perspective on Asperger. Still pretty useful, especially in its coverage of support needs and feeling comfortable requiring accommodations.

"Robbie" is SUCH A SWEET LITTLE STORY! It's so cute, and I love it so much -- I understand why this was the father of all robot stories and the first one Asimov ever wrote. Which is precisely why it pains me to criticize it:

Holy shit what a petty-bourgeois fantasy. Asimov had such high hopes for the future and wanted everyone in America to have a house and a yard and for unions to be strong, and that... is a fantasy pipe-dream that can never be realized and that sees the bourgeois state and the capitalist economy as a neutral entity that can be utilized for good. I admire Asimov's optimism, but I feel that his optimism is ultimately a reactionary one that seeks to preserve and expand the post-war middle-class economic boom to all facets of life.

That doesn't make the story any less heartwarming, though. It's like a fairy tale in a mythical future, and the ending of the story made me grin like a little kid. I'd highly recommend this story