Big Neurodivergent Energy Books: 1-5

Branching out into books now. Most of the entries on today’s list are middle-grade novels and series, formative reading for a neurodivergent kid who’s looking to see themselves in their books. I loved some of these when I was a kid, and I discovered others a bit later in life. Oh, and I couldn’t resist putting a little Jane Austen in there too!

 

Bridge to Terabithia

It occurs to me that, with characters who could fall within the trope of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl, the most nuanced examples can often be read as autistic. Yes, Leslie comes into Jess’s life and makes it better, because she cares about chasing her passions more than what other people think of her, and she encourages Jess to do the same. When I was a kid, I was absolutely enchanted by the thought of a hideaway in the woods where I could create my own imaginary kingdom, where I wouldn’t have to think about any of the boring, frustrating, challenging things about “real” life. And I don’t know about you, but that feels like a big autistic mood to me!

 

Matilda

There have to be a lot of autistic folks who feel they’ve found a champion in the little girl who gets revenge on a bully with the power of her mind—which includes her encyclopedic knowledge from her extensive reading, her logical problem-solving, and her literal telekinesis. Three cheers for this hyperlexic kid with a strong sense of justice who’s misunderstood by her family but loved by the teacher who appreciates her extraordinary mind!

 

Pride and Prejudice

It makes sense that neurodivergent coding would jump out in a social satire, even one from the 1800s. It isn’t much a stretch to take an ADHD interpretation of Lydia or Mrs. Bennet, or an autistic read of Mr. Collins. Of course, though, this is mainly about the one and only Mr. Darcy, the most autistic Eligible Bachelor you’ve ever met. Given the age of the source material, it’s impressive just how many autistic buttons he presses for me, from his difficulty in unfamiliar social situations to his penchant for plain honesty over flattery to his tendency to say the impolite thing while doing the caring thing. So much love! 

 

A Series of Unfortunate Events

I already talked about the Netflix show, which feels so autistic in large part because it’s such an effective adaptation of the books. Oh, how I love Lemony Snicket stopping in the middle of the action to clarify things, define words, or reflect on the illogical nature of an expression. Nearly every character is happily obsessed with a particular subject that they’ve made their life’s pursuit, and I love that the Baudelaires process their emotions in such analytical ways. From the first book, I was utterly taken with this series, and I absolutely knew it was for me.

 

Time Quintet

Oh, Meg and Charles Wallace Murry, my beloveds! Incredibly smart, unable to fit in, willing to accept the impossible. I can totally see the Murry home as a place where it’s safe to be autistic in a hostile world, with only the twins masking reliably. Whereas Calvin might be the lone autistic in his family, high-masking to the point where he’s easily accepted by others, but he comes alive when he meets people like him. I love Meg for her anger, her insecurities, and her obstinate square-peg-in-a-round-hole-ness. These books were so formative for me growing up!

Poor Things (2023, R)

And here we are at the last Best Picture nominee of the year! I met my movie-watching goal this Oscar season, so I’m pleased about that. No surprise that Yorgos Lanthimos delivers up another wild, weird film.

Dr. Godwin Baxter is conducting an experiment: her name is Bella. In this racy, topsy-turvy riff on Frankenstein, Bella is a brand-new human in an adult body, learning everything for the first time. As she improves her motor skills and vocabulary, she explores the joys and pitfalls of food, discovers the thrill of orgasm, and longs for adventure in the world outside Baxter’s home. Despite the scientist’s efforts to “control her variables” and keep her inside for the purity of the experiment, Bella embarks on all manner of eye-opening experiences when she’s swept away by a caddish lawyer.

This is the third Lanthimos film I’ve seen, and while I like The Lobster and The Favourite, I think this one hits me the hardest. It’s a little less remote than his usual style, which helps me connect more to the characters and their interactions. Bella herself is fascinating, all curiosity and enjoyment and single-minded focus on instant gratification, and the film around her is peopled with interesting characters. From the distant Baxter (a former subject of experiments himself) to his earnest assistant Max to the immature cad Duncan, they all pop onscreen and play off of Bella in entertaining ways.

For me personally, I wish slightly less of Bella’s education of the world revolved around sex, but I admit it makes sense. After all, she’s a new human who just discovered her clitoris, plus she has no inhibitions and very little sense of what’s considered “polite” in society. But I also really like to watch her try new foods, experience fallen leaves for the first time, make new friends, and react to hearing music on the street. I could’ve used a little more balance in her experiences. (That said, the film is based on a book that I haven’t read—the source material could be the same way.)

The film received eleven Oscar nominations in all, including Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. It’s also poised for what I imagine could be quite the cleanup in the design categories—the sets, props, and costumes are consistently remarkable to look at. I especially like the design of Baxter’s house.

Emma Stone, nominated for Lead Actress, is really captivating as Bella. I love watching her extensive development over the course of the film—Stone’s choices are consistently interesting, and it’s great to see Bella come into herself. And Mark Ruffalo is nominated for Supporting Actor for his role as Duncan. Though he enters into their lavish tryst with an eye toward playing with her until he gets bored, he gets much more than he bargained for with Bella. The film also features the always-good Willem Dafoe as Baxter, a sweet Ramy Youssef as Max, Jerrod Carmichael as a jaded new friend for Bella, and Kathryn Hunter (lately Syril Karn’s mother on Andor) as a Parisian madam.

Warnings

Copious sexual content, violence, language (including the R-word and the C-word,) drinking/smoking/drug references, disturbing images, some gross-out humor, strong thematic elements (including suicide and domestic abuse,) and a disabled character played by a nondisabled actor.

Relationship Spotlight: Ballister Boldheart & Nimona (Nimona)

*Spoilers.*

I love the heck out of both of these characters, and they’re at their absolute best when they’re together. Nimona has so much great stuff going for it, but for me, the dynamic between these two is what takes it from a great movie to a phenomenal movie.

Ballister is at his lowest when Nimona breezes into his hideout/”lair” (he would dispute that terminology.) He’s been falsely accused of murdering the queen, which is horrible enough in itself because now the whole kingdom hates him and is after him. But the queen was someone who believed in him when a lot of others didn’t and threw her support behind him becoming a knight, so to see her murdered in front of him is awful, and to have him appear to have been responsible for it is even worse. He’s obsessed with clearing his name and has been spinning theories by his lonesome.

Enter Nimona, a bundle of punk chaos and energy. In her mind, they’re just the same, and a “villain” like Ballister will be just as eager as she is to tear down the system that surrounds the kingdom with high walls and upholds the knights as its greatest citizens. She volunteers for sidekick duty, eagerly painting a picture of all the enemies they can skewer/maim/eviscerate together. Ballister, naturally, reacts in horror, both to the vivid imagery and to the notion that he’s a villain.

Labels and stances are important to Ballister. He’s a good guy, so he always strives to do right. He at first completely rejects Nimona’s bloodthirsty offers of help, only begrudgingly allowing her to assist when his straight-and-narrow approach to clearing his name immediately gets him thrown in the dungeon. From there, he makes it plain that he only wants Nimona’s help on very specific terms: no violence, no mayhem. He’s dipping the barest toe over the line and doesn’t want to go any further.

When it’s revealed that Nimona is a “monster” who shapeshifts joyously and with reckless abandon, their partnership almost ends there and then. Not just because Ballister, trained as a knight, was taught that monsters are the kingdom’s greatest enemies and he freaks out to realize he was unwittingly fraternizing with one. But also because Nimona doesn’t appreciate the fear and judgment that bubbles up in him after she shows him who she is.

But against all odds, they stick with it, playing a societal and moral tug-of-war as they search for the exonerating evidence Ballister is so desperate for. He’s anxious for Nimona not to hurt or terrify anyone, understandably, but it goes beyond that. It bothers him that she’s loud, that she’s overt, that she doesn’t disguise her shapeshifting. He squirms at the natural attention she attracts, and he not-so-subtly suggests that she’d be more “comfortable” if she maintained a human form to fit in better.

Meanwhile, Nimona enjoys poking holes in Ballister’s unshakable faith in the system (you know, the one that now thinks he’s a ruthless killer.) She pushes back against his naivete; at every turn, as he wants to take things to the proper channels, she points out how shortsighted that is. But when they do it his way and, time and again, his system lets him down, she’s there to grin wickedly as he realizes the only way out is for them to “break stuff.”

Somewhere along the way, their arguments start to morph into understanding. When Nimona is struck by an arrow, Ballister is concerned and takes him to bandage her leg. And even though Nimona’s physiology means she can’t really feel the pain, she’s shaken by the care he takes in tending to her. Prior to this scene, she’s been flippant about his smallminded questions, but now, when he asks her what shapeshifting feels like, she opens up to him. Still, she tells him what he needs to know rather than what he asks, explaining that the longer she goes without shapeshifting, the more physical discomfort she feels, with pressure building inside her until she does what she was born to do.

In the final act of the movie, Ballister is drawn back into his old prejudices when he learns that Nimona is the original monster at the heart of the kingdom’s 1000-year-old rhetoric. And though he almost immediately regrets his kneejerk distrust, the damage is done: Nimona has been rejected yet again, and her pain and anger flares out in every direction. To the kingdom, she appears to be every bit the terrifying monster that they fear, but really, she’s a girl who’s badly hurting and isn’t sure she can carry on at all. She finds herself pushed to the brink, but on the precipice, Ballister is there, holding out a hand to stop her and apologizing for his stupid ignorance.

For someone who’s placed a lot of value on his reputation and is very concerned with who’s good and who’s bad, it’s a big deal that Ballister publicly aligns himself with a “monster” like this. He comes, not to convince her not to be so terrifying or to insist that everything will be fine if she just tries to fit in better. No, he comes to say he’s sorry for treating her like a thing, to admit that everything he’s ever believed in was wrong, to beg her not to hurt herself.

I love this: the bravery in Ballister’s humility and the revelation it is for Nimona to see someone who wants to stand with her. Beautiful.

Obviously, this last part is pretty heavy, but these two are also so funny. I mean, Nimona “causing a diversion” by shapeshifting into Ballister and cackling about how evil he is? Ballister frantically stealing a car while Nimona terrorizes an important witness by shapeshifting into a little demon boy? Nimona and Ballister dancing on a table together (Nimona as a shark!) at a high moment in their mission? All objectively fantastic. Get you an onscreen duo who can do both, seriously.