ALA Booklist (Wed Dec 06 00:00:00 CST 2023)

This upbeat offering is part memoir, part plea for more hands-on educational experiences, and part explanation of how autistic people think and solve problems differently from what's considered "normal." Grandin, an internationally known, though controversial, animal communicator and autism ambassador, draws on the lives of famous thinkers and inventors along with personal experiences from her school days. Citing historical and contemporary examples, she shows how unique perspectives often result in innovative solutions (while stressing the importance of determination and grit). She brings in elements of biology, neurology, psychology, and sociology and, of course, recounts lots of anecdotes involving animals. An inclusive tone is maintained throughout, reassuring readers that everyone has special interests and things that they're good at and that teens and tweens should follow their interests when they're considering potential careers. Her final message is that the world needs to respect and depend on all kinds of thinkers to build a better future. Accessible and engaging, this book has multiple curricular applications and will resonate with independent thinkers.

Kirkus Reviews

Animal behaviorist Grandin and children's author Koffsky collaborate on a rambling exploration of different kinds of thinkers.Grandin was born in the 1940s, when, as an autistic kid, she was labeled "brain damaged," yet she eventually earned a Ph.D. She credits much of her success to being an "object visual thinker." Grandin's definitions foreshadow the work's troubles: They're vague, rely heavily on the empirically unsupported framework of multiple intelligences, and omit any mention of growth mindset, while frequently referring to things that certain types of people are "good at" or "bad at" (which seems designed to limit rather than expand their horizons). In the strongest moments, the book presents oft-told anecdotes from Grandin's own career. In its weakest, it devolves into lengthy praise of "geniuses"-almost entirely white men-who are depicted in glowing terms and neatly slotted into Grandin's categories. Grandin also complains mightily about how the education system has worsened since she was young, but her admirable push for more practical, hands-on education is mired in non-specific complaints, inconsistencies, historical myths, and ignorance about contemporary education; only in the chapter on animal thinking does her expertise get the chance to shine. Grandin often seems out of touch with contemporary young people's conversations around disability, identity, and activism; similarly, for a generation traumatized by school shootings and active shooter drills, praising Samuel Colt for an invention that allowed a gun "to be fired multiple times before it needed to be reloaded" may not land well.Pop science and longing for a sentimental ideal are leavened with a smattering of intriguing anecdotes. (bibliography, image credits) (Nonfiction. 9-13)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

“Having a brain that processes information in a new way can lead to innovation, discovery, and invention,” write collaborators Grandin (Visual Thinking, for adults) and Koffsky (Sheep Says Shalom) in this somewhat dense work that analyzes how brains work. In the first chapter—“What Is Visual Thinking?”—the authors break down how thinking styles are sorted into visual, spatial visual, and verbal categories, and point out that most people utilize a combination thereof; many kids start as visual thinkers and adapt from there. Identifying as a lifelong visual thinker, Grandin describes being forced to acclimate to a verbal-thinking world, providing anecdotes and examples from her own life as an autistic woman with a career in agricultural design. She also expresses concern that the U.S.’s emphasis on testing rather than on practical, hands-on education doesn’t support visual thinkers. Further chapters—rendered via narration that sometimes feels more directed at adult readers than children—delve into topics such as neuroscience and neurodiversity, and highlight evolving views on how animal brains function. Photographs and schematic-like illustrations depict subjects including Grandin, cattle handling systems she designed, and brain diagrams, and accompanying activities encourage readers to consider their own ways of thinking. Ages 8–12. (Nov.) ■