Counselor, social worker and psychologist Lawson draws on her extensive (and often wrenching) experience to analyze the mis-measurement of normalcy against reality, and to offer alternatives to making sure we all look and act exactly the same. She describes how Western society has developed images and concepts of normality based on politics and economics, how experience has developed concepts of the spectrum (autistic and typical), how the individual and family operate within society's concepts about what is normal, the role of language, the right to know our own minds, the links between autism and sexuality, the movement to increase inclusion and the impetus to go against the status quo. Contributors offer insights on the relativity of normalcy and on the mis-measure of autism as the basis of the current so-called autism "advocacy." Includes backup materials on normal emotions as a list of resources. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)