This book was so distasteful to me, I had to stop reading. There were no redeeming characters or situations. I had to pause and read the summary to make sure it wasn’t the narrator who was autistic. This family was so totally dysfunctional, and the prose so disjointed, I finally had to give up. I just don’t understand the high praise other readers gave it. One review stated that Rob ( the author) was the kid 99% of the class thought was cool. What I have read so far Rob is clueless with no friends. I guess he must reinvent himself as he gets older but I don’t think I can continue reading to find out.
So I jumped to the last section of the book and feel vindicated in not wasting my time. I don’t know who was more out of touch with reality Steve or his brother. What a downer!

Robert Fromberg's stream of conciousness writing style takes some getting used to but is very effective in getting his experiences, thoughts, and reactions across. The middle child in a dysfunctional family defined by alcoholism, addiction and the impact of the autism of his younger brother Steve, Robert was continually trying to find a place where he fit in. The unpredictability and instability of his young years and the tremendous anxiety he carried as a result are heart breaking.

The book covers his childhood years, life as a teen living on his own in NYC, and his life as a young adult when he became guardian of Steve following the death of his parents.

Touching, painful, raw, and yet sometimes funny, I applaud the author's courage in sharing his experiences with us. This book is a lesson in resilience, spirit, and love,

My thanks to NetGalley and Mindbuck Media for allowing me to read an ARC of this memoir which is scheduled to be published 9/7/2021. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and Mindbuck Media for the ARC!
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The one thing that really stuck with me from the beginning of this book was the style of writing. At first, I wasn’t sure how I would like reading a book that seemed more a stream of consciousness than an ordered plot, but it turned out to be one of my favorite things about it.
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I love that as a child, Fromberg has a unit of measurement for how long it would take him to recover from an embarrassing situation. I love his descriptions of Steve. The way he had to grow up prematurely, and his descriptions of the things he went through.

A beautiful story, shown in brief flashes of thought, of two brothers and their struggles with autism, a dysfunctional family, and a wonder world not always suitable for them.

I finished this book weeks ago, and am still unsure of how to properly review it. I LOVED the viewpoint of raising an autistic brother, especially in a time when autistic folks weren't treated well. I am from close to where the author grew up in Illinois, so I also loved knowing exactly where he was talking about - Bradley University, Lamb's Farm, etc.

However, I struggled to get into the writing style. I understand the choice to write in such a chunked way, alluding to how our memories of childhood are scattered and not linear. Not sure if I struggled with it because I was reading it on vacation, and my brain wanted a "lighter" read, but I was never fully invested in Robert's story in the way I'd hoped I would be. Too many holes in the story - a second wife and kids, for example, that I would have loved to know more about!

In all, it's still a book I would recommend to people with autistic siblings or children, but I don't know that I'd recommend it widely to anyone looking to read a biography.

How to Walk with Steve was an okay book. It was basically a lot of short stories written about the authors family experiences, they weren't necessary chapters, as some short stories weren't even a page long. At times it was hard to follow along with how the author got to his next thought, but it was definitely intriguing. Robert had a tough childhood that was made even tougher with drugs/alcohol in his family. Through reading this book, I thought several times that Robert may also be on the spectrum. He has organizational tendencies and also likes things just so in his environment. It was interesting to see the evolution of his relationship with Steve. It was interesting to me that this book is portrayed as going through how he deals with Steve, but really it's a life story to show Roberts struggles and triumphs.

Robert Fromberg shares memories of his life: his dysfunctional family, his early escape to college, marriage, and his relationship with his autistic brother, Steve.  Each paragraph tells its own story, creating a mosaic of thoughts, emotions, and small moments that led to Fromberg's personal growth.  I was expecting a little more about his relationship with Steve, but overall I enjoyed this memoir.