Product Overview
The slyly funny, sweetly moving memoir of an unconventional dads relationship with his equally offbeat soncomplete with fast cars, tall tales, homemade explosives, and a whole lot of fun and trouble
John Robison was not your typical dad. Diagnosed with Aspergers syndrome at the age of forty, he approached fatherhood as a series of logic puzzles and practical jokes. Instead of a speech about the birds and the bees, he told his son, Cubby, that he'd bought him at the Kid Storeand that the salesman had cheated him by promising Cubby would do all chores. While other parents played catch with their kids, John taught Cubby to drive the family's antique Rolls-Royce. Still, Cubby seemed to be turning out pretty well,at least untilschool authorities decided thathe was dumb and stubbornthe very same thing Johnhad been told as a child. Did Cubby have Aspergers too? The answer was unclear.
One thing was clear, though: By the time he turned seventeen, Cubby had become a brilliant and curious chemistsmart enough to make military-grade explosives and bring federal agents calling. With Cubby facing a felony trialand up to sixty years in prisonboth father and son were forced to take stock of their lives, finally accepting that being on the spectrum is both a challenge and a unique gift.
