I received a free galley of this book today, and read it in one quick sitting; it was an absolutely fantastic read. My only complaint is that it isn't longer.

I learned so much about the experiences of women with autism in such a short amount of time, as well as just autism in general. It definitely was a topical read but makes me want to take in more literature (and there are even suggestions in the back of the book). I want to go out and get myself a copy of this book when it comes out because the illustrations are just so aesthetically pleasing.

I really recommend everyone check this book out!

*E-ARC from Netgalley*
I enjoyed reading this illustrated non fiction book about the stigma that women can face when trying to get a diagnosis regarding autism. later in life. There is a lot of interesting information and various statistics regarding high functioning vs. low functioning autism. The art style is simplistic and reminds of one of those illustrations that you would find in women's magazines like cosmopolitan. Their is one very big problem with viewing this work through my phone and that is how the order of the pages are affected. One page would be completely different from the next and then I would find the other missing section several pages later. This was very confusing for a while and did prevent me from wanting to read the book but overall this was a educational and cute informational book.

I was expecting a lot more depth from this book. The personal stories jumped all over the place and didn't really talk about how autism interacts or presents with other mental illnesses. I also really, truly hated the color palette.

Gorgeously illustrated and very informative introduction to the experiences of women on the autism spectrum. I will be suggesting this book to the head of the local adult autism service.

Very good comic, had a great art style and was very informative at the same time. i have gained alot of knowledge by giving this a read.
beautiful cover. I would recommend
4/5 stars

I didn't know what to expect going into reading this and I came away surprised. I learned a lot about autism in women! I would give this book 3.5 stars - a deduction which I'll go into even more detail as the publication date nears.

This was a great medium for teaching about the subject matter and I enjoyed the anecdotal approach. One big hang-up I have about the book is how gender essentialist it is about sex differences. The author makes overarching generalizations about the societally influenced behavior of cis-men and cis-women (assumed that this is what she is talking about, as she does not indicate otherwise) without many citations to support these assertions. I almost stopped reading because of the generalizations - aren't we past an antiquated science supporting the separation of gender into two categories?

Other than the gendered nonsense, I enjoyed this book and the information it offered. I'll give an even more extensive review as the publication date nears.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of Camouflage and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Very interesting graphic novel of a not very discussed theme, as the title says, "the hidden lives of autistic women".
When a lot of people think of autism all that comes to mind is the "Rain Man" stereotype, but it's essential to know that there are many other different ways in which the autistic traits can make a person and his/her life different. This book is a good starting point on bringing awareness about Autism Spectrum Disorder and therefore it's great value.

I've just begun to dip my toe in the the graphic novel world (I read my first earlier this year) and am keen to discover lesser known pieces of work about topics that I care about. This one covers both of those, gloriously illustrated and a fantastic insight in to autism.

I already know quite a bit about autism but hadn't ever seen it from this perspective (women) and found that really interesting. I would advice that anyone looking for an introduction to this area to give this graphic novel a go - even if you think you're not really "one for graphic novels" - you won't be disappointed!

The art and visual representations of data are definitely my cup of tea, they toy with the set-up of articles or powerpoint presentations, providing thus a meta-aspect. A good starter point as the readability levels are particularly high.

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of CAMOUFLAGE by Sarah Bargiela in exchange for my honest review.***

CAMOUFLAGE is a short, nonfiction, graphic book aimed at distinguishing autism in females vs males.

For years medical science researchers using primarily Caucasian men. Doctors were surprised, for instance, that women had different heart attack symptoms than men. As knowledge progressed, scientists began to study different races, geographies, economics and other factors in diagnosis and treatment.

We shouldn’t be surprised that until recently, autism criteria was developed based on male symptomology. Additionally, Aspergers was added as a new diagnosis then encompasses back into Autism Spectrum Disorder in the latest DSM V. CAMOUFLAGE identifies differences in symptom presentation girls and women have.

The multicultural illustrations helped show the information in a user friendly manner, simple enough for tweens without talking down to young and older adults.

The only reason I held off giving five stars is that the book didn’t distinguish between having some criteria or a lesser degree of a symptom that fits a diagnostic criterium, instead showing dramatic differences between interested and obsessed. CAMOUFLAGE didn’t consider that doctors sometimes see patients and/or parents looking for a diagnosis in order to explain what feels inexplicable. As a child psychologist I had some parents pushing for an ADHD diagnosis without considering we needed to rule out whether lack of structure and candy bars for breakfast might be causing symptoms. The example is true and extreme. I’ve also had teens looking for diagnoses as a way to understand themselves and receive support for issues with different diagnoses (often eating disorders). I’ve also noticed an uptick in some people with Aspergers trying to convince strangers online they must also have the disorder. I would have liked CAMOUFLAGE to add talking to a professional for evaluation and a caveat against self-diagnosis.

I do recommend CAMOUFLAGE for doctors, therapists and schools to share with potential autistic folks and to help further the understanding for those new to diagnosis.

With the great graphics and bite-sized chunks of information, Camouflage can almost be seen as a large pamphlet. It's quite short, only around 40 pages, and yet it's packed full of data and firsthand accounts of autistic women. Illustrated and well-researched, Bargiela introduces us to the differences between men and women with autism (and Asperger's). I found it informative, eye-opening, and to the point. She also gives additional reading recommendations at the end which I always find helpful.

There was a problem with the formatting on this e-arc so some of the pages were out of place, but despite that I was still able to read everything. Even with things being out of place, I thought this book was very informative. The illustrations were great and I strongly relate to a lot of the stuff from the case studies. I would recommend this book to anyone who is friends with or related to autistic women. I am currently on a waiting list to go through the diagnostic process to find out once and for all whether I'm autistic and I am pretty certain that I will get a diagnosis. This book reassured me that if I am autistic, there are plenty of other autistic women out there with similar experiences to me. I will be buying this graphic novel when it is released so that I can read it with everything in the right place.

This was a really beautifully done comic about autistic women! The art is just perfect...it's clever and fluid and really nice to look at. This is just a 40-page comic/graphic novel, so its aim is to introduce you to what women with autism look like. It covers some of the differences in male vs female presenting symptoms and why women go undiagnosed so much. As an autistic myself, I was really keen to see how it would sum up life as an autistic woman...and I think it did well!

My only caveat is: it's just an overview. You'd really give this to someone who has NO idea what autism is. You'd give this to the person who says, "Aw no you're just shy, not autistic!" to give them a place to start on understanding it.

I loved how it never pitched autism negatively. Thaaaanks. Would hi five. But it emphasised the whole way through that girls with autism generally have less issues than boys because we internalised and mask. (Hence the title of "Camouflage".) I think it should've underlined the cost of this more: serious depression, meltdowns and shutdowns, high suicide rates, etc. I KNOW it was just an overview, but by the end (if I'd known nothing about autism) I would've felt like autistic women felt different but it was no big deal...when in reality I think we need to bring awareness to the dangers of camouflaging. And that women with autism need to be believed and supported and not doubted.

Camouflage is an educational book with illustrations that explores what autism is and how it affects women. I really liked how it went into all of the aspects of having autism, with a few that I already knew but a lot that I didn't.

The graphics really enhanced the information given and made visualising certain elements easier. Everything was really easy to understand and I loved the inclusion of the three women's personal experiences. In particular, the differences between autism in men and women were really interesting and insightful, and something I hadn't known of before.

This book is a great introduction to the topic of autism in women. It's very easy to read and I would recommend it to anyone who works with children or adults with autism. The illustrations are also very high quality and the colours are very appealing.

I enjoyed camouflage and how it looked at autism from the feminine perspective. Sarah Bargieta breaks down how boys and girls present differently and how we can help them manage their symptoms. It is a reminder that no therapy is one size fits all. I loved hearing the women's stories and personal experiences.
The only con is that it doesn't guide those who are looking for help. What should the reader do if they feel like the book resonates with them? How should they ensure they get help for them?

This is not a book I would normally I would select, however I couldn't put it down. Not really a thriller, but a very dark story about mental illness.
The protagonists are not particularly likeable, but you you feel some sympathy for their situation. A good read.

Thanks to the publisher and author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This is a graphic novel with one woman as the narrator, with three other women chiming in about their experiences with being women with autism. I loved that this specific content was put into a visual format and that it had own voices as the format.I am not exactly sure who the audience would be, because I could see this being affirming or providing a bit of an introduction to autism for others. I actually liked the art, especially the color choices!

The angle of looking at autism for women specifically, felt long overdue and especially important. Research focused on women and autism did not start until the 1980’s so there is still so much we do not know... and so many layers to wade through (societal expectations, gender norms..) that will inform how we understand how autism can be expressed in women today. I enjoyed reading this one, it was quick and had no new content for me, but was interesting.

It’s fascinating to see the differences between men and women in autism - especially in the way they are diagnosed. All I have to say is:

The patriarchy strikes again!

I find it interesting that more men are diagnosed with autism - often because women who have autism are dismissed. I blame the patriarchy because this is why women are just more easily dismissed in general. If women are second class citizens, are just here to please or serve men, then they are more likely to be encouraged to ignore any social or communication problem they have and deal with it. It feeds into this greater issue of making women more compliant in general.

This is such a systemic problem, that it’s interesting to read about it in such a specific area.

I don’t mean to minimize this specific issue by placing it in the realm of a larger one - the general oppression of women. This is an issue that should be tackled in and of itself. I just think it needs to be discussed with the greater issues we have in our culture. I think if we tackle these specific issues head on - but also address the larger overarching one - we can move forward that much more quickly.

<i>Thanks to NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for a copy in return for an honest review.</i>

This book is incredible because it gives a voice and representation to those who have been so severely underrepresented in all forms of media. I hope all libraries pick this up.