"Look Me in the Eye," by John Elder Robison,= is an autobiographical account of John Robison's life, career, and his struggles with Asperger's Syndrome. John showed unusual behavior early in life. When John was just three, a playmate made the fatal mistake of placing a red block on John's neatly stacked blue blocks. In retaliation, John boxed the kid on both ears. When he went to nursery school, the other kids steered clear of him because he didn't interact with them in a normal fashion. He had trouble communicating with other kids. He had inappropriate responses to their comments and they didn't understand him. He also showed streaks of violence that stemmed from the frustration he was feeling because he knew he didn't fit in but couldn't figure out exactly why that was the case.

As John matured, he learned that his natural tendency to blurt out the first thing that came to his mind was not socially acceptable. He also learned to acquire facial expressions that were more "normal" than the stoic face he usually wore no matter what was taking place. When John was young, Asperger's Syndrome had not yet been recognized as a malady that fell into the vast array of autistic conditions. He mainly struggled on his own because his parents didn't understand his behavior or how to deal with it. They did take him to therapists but they usually concluded that John was just rude and arrogant by nature. John did connect with one therapist, Dr. Finch, but as it turned out the psychologist had his own mental problems and may have done more harm than good.

Later in life, John recognized that he had some characteristics that were savant-like. He was naturally brilliant at math and was extremely creative in the pranks he would pull off and the stories he would make up. He dropped out of school at sixteen and earned a GED with a 96 percent score. John went on to become a sound engineer for some of the top rock groups at the time including Judas Priest, Blondie, and the Talking Heads. He developed a long term relationship with KISS and created special effects and exotic lighting designs for the band. He accomplished this without any training. This type of inborn genius is a characteristic of a savant.

By forcing himself to become socially acceptable, John was able to bridge the gap between his introspective world and his savant-like tendencies and the normal world. He wanted to be normal and he understood the obstacles that stood before him. Although it was a struggle and continues to be one, John went on to achieve outstanding successes in both his personal and professional life.