A beautifully poignant read that highlights the struggles that those with autism face. Our trauma experience can be different from others, and highlighting that in this novel I believe brings so much awareness. A great read!

Much different from Poe's previous work, this is a hauntingly beautiful exploration of trauma, identity, and the complexities of mental health and autism. Poe’s prose is both lyrical and raw, capturing the internal struggles of the narrator with a sense of urgency and honesty that is deeply affecting.The blending of personal narrative with elements of fantasy creates a unique reading experience.

How can you write a review of what is essentially someone's writing about their own neurodivergent experience's after writing a successful book. There are lots of beautiful quotes in this but i found it too disjointed to really feel anything about.

Unfortunately, although I can relate to the experiences of the author I didn't find much literary value in the text. It lost me quite early. You could say it has a distinguishing style of writing and it shares a point of view that could feel someone less alone in their experiences. It may give a new perspective to someone who has never had such thoughts.
Somewhere in the book Charlotte Amelia Poe say they were writing their book in the notes app of their phone and it shows. Either way, I wish the author best of luck in their journey as a writer, because they evidently have passion.

Vulnerable.

Creative.

Raw.

I truly appreciate this work and own a copy.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy/early read opportunity.

A intensely personal memoir, Conversations With Monsters did not feel “whimsical” as identified in the synopsis. It felt like I was the life preserver to someone who was desperately drowning.

Vulnerable, creative, raw and wayward.



Thank you to NetGalley, Author and Publisher for access to a digital ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and especially Jessica Kingsley Publishers for a review copy of this book.

This is book is not a novel. It is a love letter, diary, essay, manifesto, a cry out into the night. It reads like a young persons frenetic thoughts unleashed upon the unsuspecting and unprepared page. Maybe that makes it sound like a rant or juvenile. It is not. It is well written. Candid. Intimate. Vulnerable.

The author shares many of their thoughts, dreams, and fears with the reader. Their experience being (Autistic | a person with Autism). The target audience for the book is other neurodiverse people. But it is also an out-stretched hand to neurotypical people who want to better understand what Autism is like to live with, and what implicit assumptions we hold that affect the way we treat and think about people in our society.

This is such a beautifully written, poetic book, which is at times hard to read due to the very personal nature of the book. I could also see much of my autistic son in what was being said, which made it emotional. I was compelled to read it in one sitting and will be going back to read much of it again. I'm also keen to read "How to be autistic" now.

I appreciate the author, and this book. I’m glad it exists.
This did not appeal to me as much as I expected.
The prose, the structure and sometimes the content were not dealt with as I wished they were.
This is highly subjective, hence, please ignore my review and go ahead and read this if you are autistic, neurodiverse, parent a neurodiverse child, teach or work with, live with neurodiverse people. It is an important conversation and has a bold and honest style.

“It is easier, maybe, to be misunderstood than to find the words, over and over again, to explain the very existence that is me”

An autistic mind in metaphor. It is personal, deep, quirky, thought provoking and oh so relatable! I recognise the monster and totally “got” where the author was coming from. Highlighting not just autistic struggles, but those of anxiety and depression as well, we really get an insight on how difficult it can be to be neurodiverse in the modern world.
I also enjoyed the poetry interludes, the author is certainly a very talented and creative writer. I hadn’t heard of their other book “How To Be Autistic”, but I’m definitely adding to my TBR.

I just want to add - I see you and I believe in you ♡

Many thanks to NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for my advanced copy.

<b>How to Continue to be Autistic</b>
<i>Review of the NetGalley eBook ARC downloaded July 2, 2024 of the Jessica Kingsley Publishing paperback / eBook released June 21, 2024.</i>

<blockquote><i>I wrote my life out in short little chapters and I called it [book:How to Be Autistic|53118079], and I never read it again, because I had peeled my skin and shown you the delicate organs inside, and that was scary. Sometimes, late at night, I like to think about how many copies of that book I have sold, and then I can really freak myself out.</i></blockquote>

I found the author's first memoir to be both a shocking, revealing and ultimately uplifting reading experience. I'm not quite neurotypical myself, as I do have various compulsive and obsessive traits and am prone to introversion. So I'm sort of spectrum adjacent say. That makes books related to neurodivergence of interest to me, even when they may be scary when I recognize certain patterns in my own life.

<i>Conversations with Monsters</i> is both a further memoir, but is mostly an extended essay which is summarized in its subtitle as "On mortality, creativity and neurodivergent survival." It documents Poe's life particularly after her publication of the first memoir, her gradual experience of getting out more in the world due to the book's success and then the subsequent shutdown and retreat in the COVID lockdown era. The book is primarily written in the leadup to Christmas 2022, so is not quite up to date.

It is difficult reading at times, with Poe's despair of losing her audience during the pandemic and the abandoning of several books in the process. But if you look at the several books of stories and poems that have been published since that time i.e. 2023 onwards, there has certainly been a turnaround. And relax, there is love (particular of her supportive family and friends) and humour as well with Poe's characteristic asides:
<blockquote><i>I do not remember where this name came from, except that I stole my surname from ol' Edgar Allan, because I wanted to imagine one of my books sitting beside his one day. I admit I did not understand book categorization, I have yet to write anything even remotely similar to his works, and I doubt I ever will, but it was a nice dream, and a little bit of motivation when I needed it most.</i></blockquote>

I enjoyed this further non-fiction memoir / essay by Poe and hope that they continue providing readers with stories of their progress in life and as a writer.

My thanks to author Charlotte Amelia Poe, Jessica Kingsley Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this preview ARC, in exchange for which I provide this honest review.

<b>Soundtrack</b>
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoebe_Bridgers">Phoebe Bridgers</a> is a current favourite singer/songwriter of author Charlotte Amelia Poe in this book, so here is a set from a 2018 performance at the KEXP radio studio which you can watch on YouTube <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSZFJ2_j81w">here</a>.

<b>Trivia and Links</b>
This book provides a short listing of books of related interest which are:
[book:We're All Neurodiverse|125278801] (November 21, 2023) by [author:Sonny Jane Wise|22245454], Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
[book:Looking After Your Autistic Self: A Personalised Self-Care Approach to Managing Your Sensory and Emotional Well-Being|93120250] (March 21, 2023) by [author:Niamh Garvey|25798092], Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
[book:So, I'm Autistic: An Introduction to Autism for Young Adults and Late Teens|95587268] (June 21, 2023) by [author:Sarah O'Brien|654643], Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Jessica Kingsley Publishers has a further extensive list of books categorized as <b>All Autism and Neurodiversity</b> which you can see listed at their website <a href="https://us.jkp.com/collections/all-autism-neurodiversity">here</a>.

"Conversations with Monsters" is an interesting example of neurodivergent literature. As opposite to books about neurodiversity, this publication invites the reader to experience what the writer is experiencing. This is achieved with the use of monologue, musings, poetic/word-play interludes where the content is not linear, but mosaic-like. And as a mosaic, it can be beautiful for some, and unbearable to enjoy for others.

A raw, honest look at life in the aftermath of their last viral hit book about autism and their continued struggles with anxiety, depression and being neurodivergent, especially in the aftermath of the pandemic. Great on audio and highly recommended for anyone looking to see themselves through the life of a fellow autistic writer/person. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

This was an incredible follow-up to How to Be Autistic. I loved the more creative direction that this book took with the poetry and playing around with structure, but I also felt just as held and understood by it as I did her previous memoir. I can't wait for more of Poe's writing. After finishing this I just want to be friends with this author.

There were so many relatable elements that I picked up on when reading this book, this felt like a genuine insight into the painful experiences that many of us face on a day to day basis.

This blew me away and is one of the best non-fiction books I’ve read. The writing was stunning and it’s made me want I read everything the author has and will write. It was eye opening, thought provoking, and almost a comfort. It’s a book that has never made me feel more seen and understood. I’m so excited to read more from the author in the future.

Charlotte Amelia Poe is neurodiverse or autistic. This is a book about the way they feel. It is addressed to the reader however it really is deeply personal. As well as dialogue with the reader there are internal ponderings. I find this one of the hardest books to review that I have ever read. I must stress that this is not because it's bad but because I feel I lack the ability to comment in many ways.

Some of the writing here is stunning. It's powerful and poetic at times. It is an insight in to one person's experiences with neurodiversity in their life so far. I'm not sure it left me thinking that things were the way they could be in our dealings with neurodivergent people.

Parts of this I found very telling and/or interesting. One was the line that effectively said that the "spectrum" of autism is actually imposed by neurotypical people. Reflecting on it I think this is almost certainly true and equally certainly wrong. The idea that London was OK as it guaranteed anonymity was very interesting. I do wonder how many other autistic people would feel like this however that simply emphasises the diversity of neurodiversity!

The line that "if we liked ourselves, nobody would have anything to sell us" resonated with me in some ways. Mental health services asking if there was anything more they could do having done nothing was sadly very telling.

If I have a complaint about this it would be that it felt like it rambled a bit. In practice as a stream of consciousness writing that is fine for the writer however it might not work as well for some readers possibly. I found the writing very philosophical, and to me, meaningful at times.

I'll leave some of the author's words (if paraphrased a bit by me) as a positive ending - they were words that impressed me. Tell other autistic people it's OK to be autistic and you can't change the past, but you can change the future. Thanks Charlotte for a lovely book.

Title: Conversations with Monsters: On Mortality, Creativity, And Neurodivergent Survival
Author: Charlotte Amelia Poe
Genres: Biographies & Memoirs | Health, Mind & Body | Nonfiction (Adult)
Pub Date: 21 Jun 2024
Pages: 176
ISBN: 9781805010999
Format Read: EPUB
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐⭐⭐

This book gave me chills - in the best possible way. It's been a long time since I've felt so personally seen, and isn't that the irony: like the meme goes, has anyone ever had an original experience? But for those of us whose experience of the world and of those we share it with is rarely portrayed, those moments of being perceived are a sort of lifeline that's hard to describe.

Let me take a step back, or sideways: this book is ostensibly a memoir, but reads more (like the title infers) a series of one-sided (but not at all isolating) conversations with the author or, perhaps, a series of stream-of-consciousness monologues, interspersed with poetry, corralled into a metaphorical walk together through what it feels like to live in the world as an autistic person.

Throughout, I felt echoes of my own experiences (as an autistic/AuDHD person) that were sometimes nearly identical, at other times more removed - but at all times I felt kinship & familiarity. At no point did I feel alienated. The author's honesty shines through, like voice messages in text, like sitting with a friend who didn't need you to do anything performative - just to be.

There are heavy themes here - depression & PTSD & anxiety, that trifecta all neurodivergents know all too well - and descriptions of the feelings (if not the graphic details or any specific imagery) of wanting to not be alive. These are always drawn back up to the surface, to a message that inexorably urges us to keep being, to keep living, to keep creating. But the weight is there, and while I never felt unsettled or destabilised, I'd urge anyone who feels their mood shift or slip to skip ahead, or take a break, for their own wellbeing.

I want to be very clear that this isn't a depressing book by any means, though I wouldn't call it light reading. It is what it is: a window into what it feels like to be neurodivergent in a world that's often too much, surrounded by societal pressures & expectations, with often zero external support or even understanding.

There is hope here, and beauty, and all the things that I'm struggling to find non-pat words for; there is a mutual understanding, and a validation, and the relief of not being alone.

It's been a staggeringly long time since something I've read has burrowed into me like this, and if you're neurodivergent, or know & love someone who is, please read this. You'll gain another level of understanding - another sliver of 'in the shoes of' - that can be so hard for most (if not all) of us to articulate.

Utterly brilliant.

Thank you to Jessica Kingsley Publishers & NetGalley for providing access to
this eARC for consideration of review. All opinions are my own honest & unbiased feedback based on the copy provided.

#ConversationswithMonsters #NetGalley

Felt, seen, heard.

As an autistic woman diagnosed later in life, that’s what this book made me feel. Sure our experiences weren’t identical, but we coexist in the same space. Things rang true and felt real. There is solidarity and telling our stories.

Conversations With Monsters feels like a love letter to every struggling artist who's ever been called "different." It feels like a friend sitting down with you and holding your hand. As my first creative non-fiction read, I found Conversations With Monsters a delightful read that I devoured in less than an hour. As a twenty-year-old writer struggling with anxiety, depression, and finding my place in the world as a neurodivergent person, every page of Poe's book had me pointing at paragraphs that described my experience in such an innate way. I genuinely believe this is one of my most annotated books- both because I adore Poe's writing style and because I felt so incredibly seen. This book almost felt like reading back my own experiences, especially when Poe discusses how they would delete their anxiety and struggle with maths in a moment, but not their autism. And I sat up straight in my seat and pointed at the page because you get it!! You get it!! (Hard agree on removing the struggle with maths, because I have been grappling with my dyscalculia longer than I can remember. The same goes for the anxiety, I'm tired of having social interactions feeling sick to my stomach.)

Conversations With Monsters is a quintessential read in my not-so-humble opinion. Like you must read it. I demand you read it. Because I'm simply going to be thinking about this book forever now. This was one of the easiest 5 star-ratings I've given to a book. From its lyrical prose to its neurodivergent-friendly structure, Conversations With Monsters is a welcoming exploration of love, grief, and autism.