AN OUTSIDER'S GUIDE TO HUMANS What Science Taught Me About What We Do and Who We Are

Being on the autism spectrum and having attention deficit disorder, British scientist Camilla Pang felt different growing up. In this affecting and informative memoir/guide, the biologist describes the effort it took to learn, from scratch, the human operating skills that other people were born with. Pang sounds warm and authentic narrating her accessible (for a scientist) writing. Humanitarian fervor pulses through her performance, transforming the often technical information into a relatable storyline. She uses her knowledge of such things as protein life cycles, machine learning, and light waves to explain her novel perspectives on how most people function. The broader point she makes is memorable: Good social functioning involves skills--but also the self-acceptance needed to handle life's challenges. T.W. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2021]