Fall Down Seven Times, Get Up Eight: A young man’s voice from the silence of autism

　　「即使跌倒了，我一定會再次站起來！」

　　《我想變成鳥，所以跳起來》重度自閉症作家東田直樹最新著作！

　　東田直樹13歲時的《我想變成鳥，所以跳起來》獲得國際廣大關注，該書除了寫出自閉症患者身處與我們不同的世界之外，也讓一般人明白自閉症兒童的生活是如何艱苦，常人覺得簡單的事情對他們來說，卻非常困難。1992年出生的他，今年迎來了24歲生日，這次他將以一個青年人的角度，帶領讀者理解自閉症患者的內心世界與日常掙扎。在簡明扼要且流暢的文字中，他分享了他的想法和感受，從學校經歷、家庭關係、興奮的旅行經驗到說話的困難等廣大主題。東田意識到他的行為可能使旁人感到困惑，他描述了這種常見的事情對他的影響，諸如突然改變計畫等等。

　　自我控制力的缺乏是最令東田痛苦的問題之一。像是她母親問他是否想要他的手套，「我直接回答『手套』，但實際上我並不想要手套。」他如此回答，是因為手套是他聽到的最後一個字，而且「越後面聽到的字記得越牢。」最糟糕的是，「當我與自己的固著需求(Fixation，指自閉症患者經常有的對特定儀式、常規行為的堅持)對抗時；以及感受到固著的強烈欲望驅使著自己，但又下定決心無視它，內心相互矛盾衝突時，我就會暴怒。」「我想控制情況，但大腦不允許...我的憤怒是衝著自己的大腦，所以...我開始捶打自己的頭。」捶頭和其他形式的自我傷害是自閉症的常見特徵，此特徵對於低口語自閉症患者更是。東田寫實的描述讓我們不僅感同身受，更能體會長年與大腦相依相抗的自閉症患者的心境與生活。在寫作過程中，他的目標是促進大眾對自閉症有更好的理解，並鼓勵大家視殘疾人為人，而不是當成問題來看待。

　　著名小說家、《雲圖》作者大衛•米切爾（David Mitchell）在閱讀過《我想變成鳥，所以跳起來》之後，因其小孩也是自閉症患者而感觸良多，遂與妻子一起翻譯東田的著作。本書除了有米切爾的介紹，更收錄了東田專門為英文版撰寫的短篇小說。

　　Fall Down Seven Times, Get Up Eight是感人與實用兼具的勵志故事，直視一個充滿激情並不被挫折擊倒的年輕心靈，與自閉症的挑戰相對抗，並以堅持與幽默為伴。無論他多常跌倒，他總是能夠站起來。(文/博客來編譯)

　　Naoki Higashida met international success with THE REASON I JUMP, a revelatory account of life as a thirteen-year-old with non-verbal autism. Now he offers an equally illuminating insight into autism from his perspective as a young adult. In concise, engaging pieces, he shares his thoughts and feelings on a broad menu of topics ranging from school experiences to family relationships, the exhilaration of travel to the difficulties of speech. Aware of how mystifying his behaviour can appear to others, Higashida describes the effect on him of such commonplace things as a sudden change of plan, or the mental steps he has to take simply to register that it's raining. Throughout, his aim is to foster a better understanding of autism and to encourage those with disabilities to be seen as people, not as problems.

　　With an introduction by David Mitchell, Fall Down Seven Times, Get Up Eight includes a dreamlike short story Higashida wrote for this edition. Both moving and of practical use, the book opens a window into the mind of an inspiring young man who meets the challenges of autism with tenacity and good humour. However often he falls down, he always gets back up.