I Will Die On This Hill Paperback – January 19, 2023

❤️♾️🧡♾️💛♾️💚♾️💙♾️💜This is the book the world so desperately needed. It is so uniquely written. It is informative and inspirational, but it is raw and evokes every emotion imaginable. This is probably one of the more quotable books I’ve read in awhile. It fights back against the tragedy narrative that’s been shoved down our throats for decades. I feel like I can parent better after reading this, I also feel as though I can cut myself some slack after reading this. So many valuable stories and anecdotes throughout this book, some funny, some heartbreaking, some relatable and many eye opening. It was like having a warm cup of coffee and a meaningful talk with a good friend. So much misinformation is debunked in this book. As a former educator, I know the reality that teachers received little to no training on how to support neurodivergent students. Obviously, this is no fault of their own, teachers are heroes, and if they knew what the autistic community wanted them to know and do; schools would be a better (safer and more enjoyable) place for so many students. I want every therapist and every educator to read this book, heck- I want everyone to read this book. Peace out martyr parents, I’m pulling up a chair for us to love, appreciate and celebrate our children and ourselves. Read this book, you won’t regret it. You will laugh, you might cry, you will (hopefully) check and unpack your own ableism and reflect on your mistakes- but you will learn to do better. None of us are going to get it all right, but this collaboration will point us in the right direction. This book is truly revolutionary, it has the potential to change the world for disabled individuals if only we listen and we are open to challenge what we thought we knew.Thank you Meghan and Jules for this labor of love, you made the world a better and more informed place!

I've always wanted to do what's best for my child, but the dialogue between parents, professionals, and autistic adults can be confusing (at best) and sometimes downright intimidating. This book provides a clear explanation of how we got to where we are, using personal stories from the co-authors lives. It also provides exceptional guidance for both parents and autistic individuals to navigate the divide between these groups and to continue work to support the bridges that connect us all (our kids!).I particularly liked that the book includes a variety of voices. Each section is introduced by a different autistic person and shares their lived experiences. Ashburn and Edwards also weave in race, culture, and other intersectionalities from their own perspectives, creating a rich tapestry that demonstrates how we can have common goals and still have different ways of looking at things.The language in this book is straightforward and easy to read, but the subject matter is not easy at all. You will find yourself sitting with the words in this book, and that's okay. You may even need to put it down for a while, as I did. I encourage parents to practice self-care as you go -- it is worth getting to the end and self-care will help prepare you for your next steps.Finally, my thanks to the authors for having the courage to write this book. I wish I had it 10 years ago when my child was identified!

This book is a must for anyone who has kids , who works with kids or is a human living on this one planet. This book celebrates and draws attention to the many different neurotypes that exist and are to be valued and are an asset to communities….this helps foster the necessary interdependence that is such a very “mammalian biological quality” and research shows humans thrive when in relationship with others, not alone. This was so eloquently described by Jules and this rich connection to her culture. Where disabilities were viewed very differently than in western culture. We could learn a lot from indigenous peoples. The big difference is this book is about appreciating and, being together in community so that we accept and support all members of the community. This is when our communities, and our children thrive.This book is so much more than other autism related books out there. This book will get the reader to dig deeper to understand, that what many parents have been told about their autistic kids, is simply a sales pitch to the capitalistic approaches that are literally making money off of parents fears and misinformation which is fed again by the big systems. The voices that are shared in this book are real, authentic and moves the reader, whether you are an autistic parent, an allistic parent, educator, therapist, etc….this book will have you second guessing a lot of what you thought you knew about autism, but more importantly it will help you to see that autistic individuals are not broken, they don’t need fixing, yes individuals may need supports in different areas of life or at different phases of life. Expecting an autistic individual to follow the neuronormative playbook is what is damaging and harmful and this gets carried throughout one’s life. Just ask any autistic person. Read this book and then share it with someone.

If you interact with Autistic People in any faucet of your life, ex. caregiver, teacher, health care professional; or if Autistic yourself, this is an amazing read!

Having such. The large number of neuro diverse people who tribute to this book makes this a must read, especially for parents of ND children. Learning and understanding from people who’s community your child belongs to will help you understand and support them in a far better way than any ‘professional’ who’s training is based off books and not a life lived.It’s on my top 5 list of books to recommend to parents. Along with the reason I jump!

This book is very much needed. As the book says, we have an opportunity to improve the world for autistic people, which is the common goal of most parents of autistic children and autistic adults. There is an odd use of language, in the expression of concern about a 5 year old boy running away from school being described as "eloping" as if he is trying to copy Lydia and Wickham in Pride and Prejudice - that must be a cultural / geographical thing.

Such a great read. I finished it in 2 days. I started joining online autistic communities not long after my child was diagnosed it was eye opening and difficult. Learning and unlearning can be a painful experience. I made many mistakes. So glad this book exists to help guide non autistic and autistic to communicate and understand each other better because both sides truly just want the best for autistic children.

I've been overcome with so many different thoughts and feelings as there is a lot to process and take in. It goes without saying that this book is what both autistics and allistic parents and professionals need to read right now.This book is an honest conversation between an autistic mother of autistic children (Jules) and an allistic mother of autistic children (Meghan). The realism and transparency of the discussions is something we need more of. We all have to understand that we are continuously developing and learning from different starting points. There is and will be conflict, however how we choose to approach this conflict will make or break the future of our children.Some passages were hard to read because of the rawness and eye-opening perspective with which they were written. But even emotionally churning conversations like these must be had. We cannot build a healthy, safe and inclusive future for our children if we do not talk about our struggles and differences.To me it felt like reading a book on self-reflection from both perspectives. Both Jules and Meghan talk about both their positive and negative experiences and what they have learnt from each along the way.The book starts like this :"The autistic community and the non-autistic (allistic) parent community are standing on two hills, divided by rivers of information and connected by bridges. In both communities, there are bridge-builders, bridge-burners, and people who believe there should be no bridge at all. What we must all keep in mind is that our children are standing on the bridges. If we burn the bridges, the children perish. If we remove the bridge. the children drown. The only real option to save our children is by working together to make those bridges stronger."This is it. THE it. This paragraph right here, made me stop and think before I could turn the page. Our children need us all to be better and do better. We cannot run away from the hardships but we need to find our tribe and realise we are not alone - autistic or allistic.The book talks quite a bit about the fact that believe it or not, our autistic children will grow up to be autistic adults! The way we address their strengths and difficulties NOW paves the path to their adult future. This is one of the many reasons why listening to autistic voices is paramount - they were autistic children once! They've lived and continue living autistically, which me, as an allistic person will never fully understand regardless of how much I read or talk about it.The bottom line is, we need to keep conversations flowing. Healthy discussions open doors to helpful ideas.So read this book. Talk about it. Share it with everyone and anyone. Reach out. Connect. Leave your ego, misinformation and "autism warrior parent" shit at the door and be willing to learn. After all, we should all be fighting for the same common goal - the best lives for our children.Meghan and Jules - thank you for combining your strengths and wisdom to write this book, it's invaluable.#IWillDieOnThisHill