BEST BOY, by Eli Gottlieb. Full disclosure: I have been a friend of the author since college, and I learned more about literature and philosophy from him than from the professors. So, no hyperbolic boilerplate; the excellent reviews of this novel speak for themselves.
Eli writes with sensitivity, insight and verve, and I fully expect “Best Boy” to be his “breakout” novel. His rendition of an adult man with autism, and the world he inhabits, is a tour de force of the imagination. His story telling skills never fail him, and his ability to deliver a point from several perspectives is impressive.
I recommend this novel to anyone interested in the world of ideas, and to every reader who ponders what it means to be human. The ongoing interest in the spectrum of autism, and its definition over the years, provide the backdrop for understanding how society treats “the other;” safe to say that, until recently, most of what we thought we knew about autism was wrong. Eli Gottlieb has made an important contribution to fostering that understanding, and advocating for the right of autistic people to “be human.” Bravo, amigo!