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It still makes me emotional. You are no longer able to comprehend your mother tongue, or any tongue: from now on, all languages will be foreign languages. And the film is a part of that.". Humor is a delightful sensation, and an antidote to many ills. That doesnt cast a writer in a flattering light, does it? After its publication in the US (August 2013) it was featured on The Daily Show in an interview between Jon Stewart and David Mitchell[8] and the following day it became #1 on Amazon's bestseller list. After a period back in England, Mitchell moved to West Cork in Ireland, where he lives near Clonakilty with his Japanese wife, Keiko Yoshida, and their son and daughter. Children. (Although Naoki can also write and blog directly onto a computer via its keyboard, he finds the lower-tech alphabet grid a steadier handrail as it offers fewer distractions and helps him to focus.) Countries capture the imagination for sometimes intangible reasons, and I was drawn by the image of Japan, though I'm hard-pressed to say what that was now, as it's been displaced by the reality. After graduating from Kent University, he taught English in Japan, where he wrote his first novel, GHOSTWRITTEN. The English translation, by Keiko Yoshida and her husband, English author David Mitchell, was published in 2013. Once you understand how Higashida managed to write this book, you lose your heart to him.New Statesman (U.K.) Astonishing. DM: Their inclusion was, I guess, an idea of the book's original Japanese editor, for whom I can't speak. Abraham Lincoln said, "If we'd been born where they were born, and taught what they were taught, we would believe what they believe." "So, demonstrably the narrative is changing, and I hope that this trend will continue in this direction. $10.81. Like music, you need to explore a little to find poets whose work speaks to you and then you have a lifelong friend who'll tell you truths you didn't know you knew. Keiko Lauren Yoshida (b. June 11, 1984) is a former ZOOMer from the show was in season 1 of the revived version of ZOOM. Naoki didnt wish to be involved or want it to be a biopic, which sent the film in a fascinating direction. . When David Mitchell's son was diagnosed with autism at three years old, the British author and his wife Keiko Yoshida felt lost, unsure of what was happening inside their son's head. Download Audiobooks written by Keiko Yoshida - translator to your device. I guess that people with autism who have no expressive language manifest their intelligence the same way you would if duct tape were put over your mouth and a 'Men in Black'-style memory zapper removed your ability to write: by identifying problems and solving them. KA Yoshida was born in Yamaguchi, Japan, majored in English Poetry at Notre Dame Seishin University, and now lives in Ireland with her husband, David Mitchell, and their two children. During the 24/7 grind of being a carer, its all too easy to forget the fact that the person youre doing so much for is, and is obliged to be, more resourceful than you in many respects. . He is an advocate, motivational speaker and the author of several books of fiction and non-fiction. Keiko proofreads what I write and looks after me; she shares my work and accommodates the demands it places on me. Was that important for you?By its very existence, it explodes some of the more pernicious, hurtful, despair-inducing myths. What was that like after being a lifelong fan?Meeting your heroes can go either way but it was a gift. Keiko was born in Andover, Massachusetts. I have probably read a dozen books, either about Autism or with an Autistic character, & by far this is the worst As an Autistic adult who works with children, I'm always looking for different books about Autism. Its successor, FALL DOWN SEVEN TIMES, GET UP EIGHT: A YOUNG MANS VOICE FROM THE SILENCE OF AUTISM, was published in 2017, and was also a Sunday Times bestseller. Naoki Higashida takes us behind the mirrorhis testimony should be read by parents, teachers, siblings, friends, and anybody who knows and loves an autistic person. An entry into another world.Daily Mail (U.K.)Every page dismantles another preconception about autism. A uthor David Mitchell, 52, was born in Southport, grew up in Malvern and now lives near Cork in Ireland. Its felt like an endangered quality over the past four years. We cannot change the fact of autism, but we can address ignorance about it. fall preview 2014 Aug. 25, 2014. Her students discovered her "Zoom" past and spread the word like wildfire around the school. When I read these books I meet younger versions of myself, reading them. We have new and used copies available, in 2 editions - starting at $2.37. In 2015, Mitchell contributed plotting and scripted scenes for the second season of the Netflix series Sense8 by the Wachowskis, who had adapted the novel for the screen, and together with Aleksandar Hemon they wrote the series finale. 10+ copies available online - Usually dispatched within two working days. There are many more questions Id like to ask Naoki, but the first words Id say to him are thank you.The Sunday Times (U.K.) This is a guide to what it feels like to be autistic. Higashida was diagnosed with autism spectrum (or 'autism spectrum disorder', ASD) when he was five years old and has limited verbal communication skills. Oggcast (Vorbis). Both Pablo and Keiko recalled being treated like celebrities in their schools after the show aired. Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations. 1 Sunday Times bestseller, and THE BONE CLOCKS which won the World Fantasy Best Novel Award. Written by Naoki Higashida when he was 13, the book became an . One segment of number9dream was made into a BAFTA-nominated short film in 2013 starring Martin Freeman, titled The Voorman Problem. AS: As you translated this book from the Japanese, did you feel you could represent his voice much as it was in his native language? Keiko Lauren Yoshida (born June 11, 1984, in Andover, Massachusetts) is a former ZOOMer from the show's first season of the revived version of "ZOOM". A dam-burst of ideas, memories, impulses and thoughts is cascading over you, unstoppably. The country of Japan is location that David Mitchell returns to again and again in fiction. VOICE FROM THE SILENCE OF AUTISM by Naoki Higashida was published by Sceptre in a translation from the Japanese by David Mitchell and KA Yoshida and became a Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller. I even had to order more copies because so many people wanted to read it. The book ends with a story which I honestly don't understand the inclusion of it. By Kathryn Schulz. The news was such a horror story that I took refuge in Netflix and kind of forgot to read for five years. At the weekends we go to small islands on the fishermen's coast. [3] In 2003, he was selected as one of Granta's Best of Young British Novelists. Mitchell lived in Japan for several years, and is married to a Japanese woman, Keiko Yoshida. In its quirky humour and courage, it resembles Albert Espinosas Spanish bestseller, , which captured the inner world of childhood cancer. . Narrated by Tom Picasso. [12] According to Fitzpatrick, The Reason I Jump is full of "moralising" and "platitudes" that sound like the views of a middle-aged parent of a child with autism. The book alleges that its author, Higashida, learned to communicate using the scientifically discredited techniques of facilitated communication and rapid prompting. bestseller and has since been published in over thirty languages. He met Yoshida in Japan, and when she was pregnant . He graduated from high school in 2011 and lives in Kimitsu, Japan. He's hearted to say narratives and attitudes toward autism can, and do, change. Humor is a delightful sensation, and an antidote to many ills. . Autism is no cakewalk for the childs parents or carers either, and raising an autistic son or daughter is no job for the faintheartedin fact, faintheartedness is doomed by the fi rst niggling doubt that theres Something Not Quite Right about your sixteen-month-old. First he entered the room, then he left again, then he entered a few minutes later, and this time was able to sit down, and then we'd begun to communicate. The confirmation of their son's condition was one of those handbrake turns in life, a drastic . It was followed by BLACK SWAN GREEN, shortlisted for the Costa Novel of the Year Award, and THE THOUSAND AUTUMNS OF JACOB DE ZOET, which was a No. The Reason I Jump builds one of the strongest bridges yet constructed between the world of autism and the neurotypical world. Check your horoscope to learn how the stars align for you today. He said that about his enemies, one of whom then shot him. Born in 1969, David Mitchell grew up in Worcestershire. Unfortunately, it could not be delivered. It became this global portrait of non-verbal autism and it works beautifully. I'm a really big fan of Haruki Murakami and have read everything he's published. Includes delivery to USA. Discounts, promotions, and special offers on best-selling magazines. www .davidmitchellbooks .com. [Director] Lana Wachowski, [writer] Aleksandar Hemon and I wrote it a couple of Christmases ago at the Inchydoney hotel, just around the coast from here. . [9] Mitchell has claimed that there is video evidence[10] showing that Hagashida is pointing to Japanese characters without any touching;[11] however, Dr. Fein and Dr. Kamio claim that in one video where he is featured, his mother is constantly guiding his arm. Aida . Keiko doesn't just put up with me, she encourages me, and that's the best thing. Looking for Keiko Yoshida online? IntroductionDavid MitchellThe thirteen-year-old author of this book invites you, his reader, to imagine a daily life in which your faculty of speech is taken away. It was first published in Japan in 2007. The radios have no off-switches or volume controls, the room youre in has no door or window, and relief will come only when youre too exhausted to stay awake. . It really encouraged us. Utopia Avenue. Written when he was 13, Naoki's book was discovered by the author of Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell, and his Japanese wife, K.A. If A very insightful read delving into the mind of one autistic boy and how he sees the world. 204", "Best of Young British Novelists 2003: The January Man", "The Transformative Experience of Writing for "Sense8", "Article by Mitchell describing how he became involved in, "New David Mitchell novel out next autumn", "Interview with a writer: David Mitchell", "David Mitchell buries latest manuscript for a hundred years", "David Mitchell is the Second Author to Join the Future Library Project of 2114", "The Future Library Project: In 100 years, this forest will be harvested to print David Mitchell's latest work", "David Mitchell announces Utopia Avenue, his first novel in five years", "David Mitchell on translatingand learning fromNaoki Higashida", "Roddy Doyle: the joy of teaching children to write", "Kate Bush and me: David Mitchell on being a lifelong fan of the pop poet", "Author David Mitchell on working with 'hero' Kate Bush", "Sense8 a Napoli, svelato il titolo dell'attesa puntata finale girata in citt", "Trailing Postmodernism: David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas, Zadie Smith's NW, and the Metamodern", "The author who was forced to learn wordplay", "Get Writing: Playing With Structure" by David Mitchell, "Character Development" by David Mitchell, "The Floating Library: What can't the novelist David Mitchell do? Scoop a new vibe in the numbers and do todays Daily Sudoku. These sections are either memories Higashida shares or parabolic stories that relate to the themes discussed throughout the memoir. I feel most at home in the school that talks about 'intelligences' rather than intelligence in the singular, whereby intelligence is a fuzzy cluster of aptitudes: numerical, emotional, logical, abstract, artistic, 'common sense' and linguistic. Do you know what has happened to the author since the book was published? The book doesnt refute those misconceptions with logic, it is the refutation itself. This is my answer to myself. Even when he cant provide a short, straight answersuch as to the question Why do you like lining up your toys so obsessively?what he has to say is still worthwhile. US$9.57 US$12.03 You save US$2.46. This is an intimate book, one that brings readers right into an autistic mindwhat its like without boundaries of time, why cues and prompts are necessary, and why its so impossible to hold someone elses hand. The book was adapted into a feature-length documentary, directed by Jerry Rothwell. "What is the Writer's Responsibility To Those Unable to Tell Their Own Stories? This combination appears to be rare. They have two children. unquestionably give those of us whose children have autism just a little more patience, allowing us to recognize the beauty in odd behaviors where perhaps we saw none.People (3-1/2 stars)Small but profound . I thought Id polish those, write a few more and, hey, a free book. David Mitchell D. Mitchell u Varavi 2006. David Stephen Mitchell (born 12 January 1969) is an English novelist, television writer, and screenwriter. David Mitchell: I went to Japan in 1994 intending to stay there for one or two years, but I'm still there. After graduating from Kent University, he taught English in Japan, where he wrote his first novel, GHOSTWRITTEN. Born in 1969, David Mitchell grew up in Worcestershire. Like The Diving Bell and the Butterfly , it gives us an exceptional chance to enter the mind of another and see the world from a strange and fascinating perspective. Add to basket. A Japanese alphabet grid is a table of the basic forty Japanese hiragana letters, and its English counterpart is a copy of the qwerty keyboard, drawn onto a card and laminated. He told Kim Hill that Higashida's book has highlighted the mismatch between how society boxes people with autism, and their capacity. I had to keep reminding myself that the author was a thirteen-year-old boy when he wrote this . Fall Down 7 Times Get Up 8: A Young Man's Voice from the Silence of Autism is a follow-up to The Reason I Jump, written in 2015 and credited to the same author, Higashida, when he was between the ages of 18 and 22. Several of Mitchell's book covers were created by design duo Kai and Sunny. . How could he write a story (entitled Im Right Here and included at the end of the book) boasting characters who display a range of emotions and a plot designed to tweak the tear glands? New things in them float to the surface as my understanding of the world gets marginally less bent out of shape by illusions and self-delusions, as I age. I cant wait to see it. Id believed all the myths, closed all these doors in his future and condemned him to mute prison for a year or two. Written by Naoki Higashida when he was 13, the book became an international bestseller and has now been turned into an award-winning documentary also featuring Mitchell. English. However, factor that in and there's the same engagement there, even if the vehicle for that conversation is really different.". Product is excellent, but there was a Lack of effort in delivery, Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2023. Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at. When an autistic child screams at inconsequential things, or bangs her head against the floor, or rocks back and forth for hours, parents despair at understanding why. This involves him reading 2a presentation aloud, and taking questions from the audience, which he answers by typing. Mitchell and his wife, Keiko Yoshida, have translated The Reason I Jump, by Japanese writer Naoki Higishida, who has autism and wrote the book when he was 13 years-old. Id like bus drivers to not bat an eyelid at an autistic passenger rocking. . . is a book that acts like a door to another logic, explaining why an autistic child might flap his hands in front of his face, disappear suddenly from homeor jump.The Telegraph (U.K.)This is a wonderful book. He receives invitations to talk about autism at various universities and institutions throughout Japan. Please try again. North Korean kids would be allowed to read anything not about their psychopathic Dear Leader. I even finally read Ulysses. David Mitchell (Translator), Keiko Yoshida (Translator) & Format: Kindle Edition. Buy The Reason I Jump: One Boy's Voice from the Silence of Autism by Naoki Higashida, David Mitchell (Translator), Keiko Yoshida (Translator) online at Alibris. Colors and patterns swim and clamor for your attention. Why do you think that such narratives from inside autism are so rare--and what do you think allowed Naoki Higashida to find a voice? Higashida is living proof of something we should all remember: in every autistic child, however cut off and distant they may outwardly seem, there resides a warm, beating heart.Financial Times (U.K.) Higashidas childs-eye view of autism is as much a winsome work of the imagination as it is a users manual for parents, carers and teachers. Published in 1999, it was awarded the Mail on Sunday John Llewellyn Rhys Prize and shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award. It is no exaggeration to say that The Reason I Jump allowed me to round a corner in our relationship with our son. "It isn't easy. Maybe thats the first step towards ushering in a new age of neurodiversity. The English translation, by Keiko Yoshida and her husband, English author David Mitchell, was published in 2013. Why do you hurt yourself? I ordered this book for my friend in Scotland who is trying to work with an autistic adult. Is another novel in the pipeline?Short stories, actually. Like Ishiguro, she kind of got better. Ahn, Geunghwan 31. . . [4] With help from his mother, he is purported to have written the book using a method he calls "facilitated finger writing", also known as facilitated communication(FC). "There's still this idea that an autistic person has to prove that it's them. There was a problem loading your book clubs. 1 Sunday Times bestseller as well as a New York Times bestseller and has since been published in over thirty languages.In 2020, a documentary film based on the book received its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. Its encouraging for a middle-aged writer to see him getting better with each book. And The Bone Clocks Author David Mitchell Transcends Them All. Sadly, I found it a disappointing read. Explaining that youre hungry, or tired, or in pain, is now as beyond your powers as a chat with a friend. , David Mitchell, Keiko Yoshida ( 609 ) . We are sorry. [20] The film will be screened at the 2020 AFI Docs film festival. Sometimes he has to start a sentence multiple times, but he'll then get through his answer and then I'll respond and ask him something else. . Game credits for Freedom Wars (PS Vita) How many games are set in the 2020s? I have learnt more about autism an learnt ways to understand my son more than I did on the many courses I went on. A few weeks ago, I was invited on to a podcast called Three Little Words. "Being autistic in a neurotypical world, now that's stamina. Agirre, Xabier 1865. Some English schools say, 'This is America and we don't talk in Japanese', which can make foreign English teachers seem arrogant, but David is not like that. Phrasal and lexical repetition is less of a vice in Japanese - it's almost a virtue - so varying Naoki's phrasing, while keeping the meaning, was a ball we had to keep our eyes on. Linguistic directness can come over as vulgar in Japanese, but this is more of a problem when Japanese is the Into language than when it is the Out Of language. [12], Mitchell was the second author to contribute to the Future Library project and delivered his book From Me Flows What You Call Time on 28 May 2016. So we translated it and gave it to them, saying: Please, just read it. When my agent and editor heard about this, I asked them to print a few thousand as a personal favour, just so people in our position who dont speak Japanese could get access to it. 2. Fall Down Seven Times, Get Up Eight : A young man's voice from the silence of autism. They flew over to Cork and we discussed how it might work on screen. . I'm the co-translator of Fall Down 7 Times, Get Up 8. It felt like evidence that we hadnt lost our son. Look up James Wright's Lying in a Hammock at William Duffy's Farm on your phone: What else reminds you so strongly, so instantly, to quit whining and be grateful for being alive? The pair went on to translate the book into English, and it has since inspired a documentary film of the same name, following the daily experience of five people with non-verbal autisms. But because communication is so fraught with problems, a person with autism tends to end up alone in a corner, where people then see him or her and think, Aha, classic sign of autism, that. Our goal was to write the book as Naoki would have done if he was a 13 year-old British kid with autism, rather than a 13 year-old Japanese kid with autism. Now imagine that after you lose your ability to communicate, the editor-in-residence who orders your thoughts walks out without notice. The Reason I Jump One Boy's Voice from the Silence of Autism. The Reason I Jump: One Boy's Voice from the Silence of Autism (Japanese: , Hepburn: Jiheish no Boku ga Tobihaneru Riy ~Kaiwa no Dekinai Chgakusei ga Tsuzuru Uchinaru Kokoro~) is a biography attributed to Naoki Higashida, a nonverbal autistic person from Japan. We never argue, but we talk a lot. . A. Abe, Hiroshi 781. Im just glad I really like his work, so I dont mind us being mixed up. offers sometimes tormented, sometimes joyous, insights into autisms locked-in universe. Higashidas childs-eye view of autism is as much a winsome work of the imagination as it is a users manual for parents, carers and teachers. I defy anyone not to be captivated, charmed and uplifted by it.Evening Standard (London)Whether or not you have experienced raising a child who is autistic . What, in your view, is the relationship between language and intelligence? . We stay in each of the six worlds just long enough for the hook to be sunk in, and from then on the film darts from world to world at the speed of a plate-spinner, revisiting each narrative long enough to propel it forward. Screen Daily's Fionnula Halligan stated that "The Reason I Jump will change how you think, and how many films can say that?,[17] while Leslie Fleperin of Hollywood Reporter said that the documentary was a work of cinematic alchemy,[18] and Guy Lodge of Variety commended the film for turning the original book into "an inventive, sensuous documentary worthy of its source. . The curriculums and the syllabus is thought about more intelligently than in previous decades - everything's still pretty rickety, and there'sstill vast room for improvement.". . Website. Ive rewritten them so extensively, theyre basically new stories. Publisher's Synopsis. I have probably read a dozen books, either about Autism or with an Autistic character, & by far this is the worst I've read. To me, the story isn't pleasant in large parts. David Mitchell. They also prove that Naoki is capable of metaphor and analogy. I teach English in Hiroshima, where Keiko and I live, and I write as well. David Mitchell (Translator), Keiko Yoshida (Translator) & Format: Kindle Edition. The author constantly says things like 'My guess is that lots of Autistic people", "All people with Autism feel the same about", "People with Autism always" - it really isn't helpful to the reader trying to get an insight into people with Autism as it portrays us all the same. A glimpse into a corner of a secret world View the profiles of people named Keiko Yoshida on Facebook. Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon. Mitchell's sixth novel, The Bone Clocks, was published on 2 September 2014. . Yet for those people born onto the autistic spectrum, this unedited, unfiltered and scary-as-all-hell reality is home. I think maybe I make more of an effort to eat up Japanese culture, partly out of deference to Kei, to show that I take her culture seriously and that I'm not just another pushy Westerner. Or, Dad's telling me I have to have my socks on before I can play on his iPhone, but I'd rather be barefoot: I'll pull the tops of my socks over my toes, so he can't say they aren't on, then I'll get the iPhone. Keiko Yoshida. Those puzzles were fun, though. Some parts were relatable, but I found some parts uneasy to read. All rights reserved. I didnt notice it happening but, between Brexit and the end of Trump, I stopped reading. "It revealed to me that primarily autism is a communicative disorder, not a cognitive one. Then I read Naokis book and wanted to say: Im so sorry, I didnt know. The book ends with Naokis short story Im Right Here. This book gives us autism from the inside, as we have never seen it. Did you find that there are Japanese ways of thinking that required as much translation from you and your wife as autistic ways required of the author? When an autistic child screams at inconsequential things, or bangs her head against the floor, or rocks back and forth for hours, parents despair at understanding why. I feel completely at home here, though I realise that in the eyes of most Japanese I'm about as Japanese as George W Bush. I love them. Your editor controlled this flow, diverting the vast majority away, and recommending just a tiny number for your conscious consideration. We met four years ago at a previous school. . This book helped me realize what my 11-year-old grandson is dealing with. . [7], While the book quickly became successful in Japan, it was not until after the English translation that it reached mainstream audiences across the world. This is an intimate book, one that brings readers right into an autistic mindwhat its like without boundaries of time, why cues and prompts are necessary, and why its so impossible to hold someone elses hand. Ive spent all my whole life going quiet when the subject of Ulysses came up. Like all storytelling mammals, Naoki is anticipating his audiences emotions and manipulating them. Higashida has written dream-like stories that punctuate the narrative. He is a writer and actor, known for Cloud Atlas (2012), The Matrix Resurrections (2021) and Sense8 (2015). "I'd ask him a question, and he independently across the table tapped out an answer on his cardboard alphabet board - it's not easy for him, but he'd point to a letter in the Japanese hiragana alphabet, voice it, point to the next one, voice that. When author David Mitchell's son was diagnosed with autism at three years old, the British author and his wife Keiko Yoshida felt lost, unsure of what was happening inside their son's head. But now youre on your own.Now your mind is a room where twenty radios, all tuned to different stations, are blaring out voices and music. The book is a collection of short chapters arranged in eight sections in which Higashida explores identity, family relationships, education, society, and his personal growth. The English translation by Keiko Yoshida and her husband, author David Mitchell, was released on 11 July 2017.[25][27][28]. Listen to the full interview on Saturday Morning with Kim Hill, Playing favourites with yeehawtheboys Daniel Vernon, Architect Whare Timu: building on mtauranga Mori, AI ethicist Timnit Gebru: why we can't trust Silicon Valley, Ann-Heln Laestadiu: Sami, the reindeer people, UMO's Ruban Nielson: "I Killed Captain Cook". That even in the case of a non-verbal autistic person, what is going on in their heads is as imaginative and enlightened as what is going on in a neurotypical person's head. Excerpt. . Writer David Mitchell met Keiko Yoshida while they were both teaching at a school in Hiroshima. Its author, Naoki Higashida, was born in 1992 and was still in junior high school when the book was published. This is one of them. Like Mitchell, like other parents, I have spent much time pondering what is going on in the mind of my autistic son. Or, Dad's telling me I have to have my socks on before I can play on his iPhone, but I'd rather be barefoot: I'll pull the tops of my socks over my toes, so he can't say they aren't on, then I'll get the iPhone. Dream on, right? Boundaries Are Conventions. The scant silver lining is that medical theory is no longer blaming your wife for causing the autism by being a Refrigerator Mother as it did not so long ago (Refrigerator Fathers were unavailable for comment) and that you dont live in a society where people with autism are believed to be witches or devils and get treated accordingly.Where to turn to next? He is married to Keiko Yoshida. Mitchell is the author of Cloud Atlas, The Bone Clocks, Number9Dream, Utopia Avenue and more. He is a writer and actor, known for, Novel: The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, Wrote about process of his novel's adaptation into. Higashida's latest book, Fall Down 7 Times, Get Up 8, once again translated by Mitchell and Yoshida, was recently published by Knopf Canada. Nearly all my favourites were women: Alison Uttley, Susan Cooper, Penelope Lively, Rosemary Sutcliff, Ursula K Le Guin. And he hopes that in the future autism rights will be viewed as human rights as a matter of course, and students with autism will be catered for with education budgets that allocate funding for special needs units and wheelchair ramps as a matter of course. If we go out to a restaurant, for a so-called date, and I'm deep in the dark period before a deadline, all I want to talk about is the book, because that's what I'm obsessed with.