Dear reader, I am celebrating the Neurodiversity Pride by exploring the books written by Indian Autistic authors It makes me happy to introduce the book of this week - The Whispered Outcries : The Verses of an Odyssey written by Vaishali Alluri. I met her father at a conference where we had a stall for Talking Fingers. We had a long chat as parents often do when we meet the members of our tribe 😊 and I am thankful to him for introducing this book to me.
The book starts off with a beautiful dedication - Vaishali dedicates the book to ' all the autistic women still searching for themselves in the deserts of uncertainty' and to her beloved parents. As a late diagnosed Autistic, Vaishali shares her trials and tribulations of growing up knowing that you are different from others and struggling to adapt. She is passionate about writing, singing, painting, photography and is an animal lover. She also has a podcast about various languages and cultures.
In the author's own words - " This book is a collection of raw illustrations and poetry stemmed from my eternal quest for self discovery. This collection is my small attempt to reach out to the autistic women through my pages and hug them, saying that they are not alone and that this journey will soon become more meaningful for them. To tell them there are female individuals like them who share a similarity with them in some areas of life. However, I understand that every autistic woman is unique and different in their own trailblazing manner. Through these pages, hopefully, you find the solace you seek in these difficult moments. "
As you can see, she is a very talented writer and I absolutely love her beautiful illustrations and the Haiku poetry that follows and effortlessly conveys a deep meaning in three lines! God bless you dear Vaishali, may all your dreams come true!
Do read her book, it's available on Amazon HERE
