A thorough history of autism that's often grim but enlightening. Much of the book seems to be about (probably) well meaning medical professionals exploiting autistic people for wealth and fame, with a slow but steady improvement that seems to come to fruition during the 80s.
It isn't a self help or text book and while it paints a rich picture of the diversity of the autism spectrum, it doesn't attempt to describe the condition or its neurological nature in any detail.
Definitely worth a read of you're interested in the condition, but it can be a bit of a slog. I switched to the audiobook towards the end which was much easier to get through, but YMMV.