In this astonishing new memoir, a woman who spent most of her life closing love out offers an intimate diary of the process of letting it in amid her ongoing struggle with autism. Donna chronicles her unconventional relationship with Ian, a man with difficulties similar to her own, aid their efforts to break through their emotional and autistic barriers to admit and live with their feelings for each other. This book is also an insightful, gutsy, and often humorous commentary on the universal experience of discovering one's true self - learning to make choices based not on the opinions of others or media images, but on one's core values.Entwined in this unforgettable narrative is also the uplifting story of Donna's friend Alex, a young man misdiagnosed as mentally retarded whose autism left him virtually non-communicative his whole life. His fear of being left behind by Donna and Ian as they fight to overcome and leave behind the grip of their own anxieties about relating inspires him to push beyond the boundaries of his own limitations. His breakthroughs in communication will inspire others to look with hope beyond the apparent boundaries imposed by "disability." Read Less