Josh Reviews "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Mark Haddon

[@donlevy8960]

I read it a long time ago. I think the book captures Christopher and his thoughts processes. I remember the parents weren't sympathetic at all, but I was fascinated by Christopher as a character. The way he used math, which always goes over my head, was interesting. I could be remembering things differently than they are. I don't think though that I would want to read it again.

[@LiteraryGladiators]

I would say that Christopher was the most fascinating thing about this book, since I do feel that the outstanding interests that they have in a certain area is amazing! It is definitely not worth reading again, though.

[@avleenmasawan7771]

This sounds really interesting, especially the character of Christopher. I work in childcare and am really endeared to children with autism- they are different but special, and even the ones identified as having 'Aspergers,' even though they don't seem to get social cues or sarcasm, etc. are emotional, sensitive and intuitive. They have a delicate energy that not everyone would understand and receive well... It sounds like this main character might be the same, and that people in the book, like the father, just don't get it. There also aren't many acclaimed books where the central character experiences autism; I think that would be a hard feat to pull off. I think I will add this one to my TBR. Thanks Josh :)

[@LiteraryGladiators]

I could definitely see you as being someone that works in childcare with your outgoing, patient, and professional personality. I would say that approaching this novel with the intent at exploring Christopher and his traits is a good way to go about reading this. There are a lot of characters in this book that misunderstand Christopher and most of them are very cynical about it. I just think the father has major issues of his own that go beyond him and Christopher, though it does not help his relationship with him any. I would like to write about characters with Asperger's or other conditions so that they are represented is as honest a way as possible. Thank you for watching! :)

[@avleenmasawan7771]

Aw thank you ! That is so kind :) I really appreciate your lovely words. Mm yep okay, when I read this book I will remember that. That makes sense about the father. It sounds interesting almost as a psychological and emotional kind of study. That would be a really helpful thing to write about :) I think just like anything else in fiction, an accurate portrayal of a certain condition/ stage of life/ experience etc. can be incredibly healing for people who are struggling with those things in their day-to-day lives.. On that topic, have you seen the film The Black Balloon? It's an Australian independent film that came out in 2008, and one of my fave movies. One of the main characters experiences autism. I have a cousin with autism whom I love dearly and this movie was so relatable and beautiful for me, you might like it as well. Particularly explored the struggles of the family so well ... That's okay! Thanks for the review :)

[@LiteraryGladiators]

I can attest to the idea that a psychological study on each of the characters would be fascinating and Christopher definitely makes an impact in encouraging people to engage in more research in areas involving the spectrum. I have not watched The Black Balloon and was not too familiar with it, but will be sure to look into it. I watched Adam from 2009 and thought it was pretty good, despite the fact that there was a lot of family drama that his girlfriend in the movie had. I am sure that your cousin is such a remarkable person! Thank you for such kind replies! :) -Josh

[@avleenmasawan7771]

:) It is definitely a worthwhile study. Nice! Adam looks like an interesting movie! Thanks for letting me know about it- adding it to my list. Most of the movies I watch these days are indie films I think! Thank you :) He really is remarkable. So full of love. That's okay, thanks Josh for your lovely comments as always :)

[@LiteraryGladiators]

Adam was an interesting movie and it is an indie film. Hugh Dancy played the role of Adam and, coincidentally enough, he is married to Claire Danes, who played Temple Grandin in a TV film about Grandin. :)

[@grumblebugbooks8842]

AH! You did a review for this! I'm so interested to get your full thoughts. ...Wait. This was for a diversity reading group? As in, the book was picked for it's representation of autism?? Oh dear...

[@LiteraryGladiators]

Yep, I reviewed this when I read the book back in 2017 and happy to see you checked out this video! Yeah, a Goodreads group called Diversity in All Forms selected this book as a representative for Autism. It made the discussion in the forum all. the. more. fascinating... yep...

[@fentonni]

I had a very similar reaction to this book. I liked Christopher and I could understand his interest in solving the mystery, but the other characters ruined it for me. I gave it 2 stars.

[@LiteraryGladiators]

I would definitely agree that the other characters did not be anything special to suit Christopher's environment. I had thought about two stars, but I bumped it down to 1 1/2, because of the great lack of redeeming factors.

[@lexcen3623]

I reckon the book is more of a bildungsroman than detective fiction. it shows the growth of Christopher as a character, which requires the interactions he had with the other characters.

[@huangyuheng8584]

Thanks for talking ，my essay will be about this book next month in Year11

[@LiteraryGladiators]

Thank you for your kind words and I wish you all the best with your essay! I hope this video was of help or, if anything, you enjoyed watching it!

[@jennycatzzbokii3680]

I had to read this for school. I have ASD and I absolutely HATED this book it’s badly written the characters are boring and annoying Christopher is a stereotypical white autistic boy who has “no empathy” I wish I didn’t read it. This book makes me so angry

[@LiteraryGladiators]

I definitely feel your sediment in how infuriated I was. Christopher was probably the least bad out of the characters. There are people on the spectrum that may have traits that are similar to his, but he is NOT the definition of people on the spectrum. I despised his parents very, very much. They were both so physically, psychologically, and emotionally abusive that I felt they did not deserve any satisfaction.

[@sofiastern1653]

@@LiteraryGladiators I hate Christopher or strongly dislike him. As for the parents the mother abandoned Christopher and I don't think she had any right to come back and take him away from his father. So I dislike her too. I feel so sorry for the father because he gets so much hate, I just want to hug him! I don't excuse the things he did, like killing the dog but he don't deserve to be treated like that by his own son or those who review the book. He's a good man who deserves respect because he took care of Christopher and loved him very much.

[@user-og8gf8xw5h]

Same here dude, book was trash

[@bossa2401]

I know that this is a comment a year later but I’m currently a freshman in high schools I have met people with all sorts of autism and when it comes to this book I agree with what you said with one more thing to add. At the end of the book we are lift to a situation that is awful for Christopher. The young man has a condition unlike any other at his age and makes him seem depressing which is horrible. The only read this book because my English teacher gave it out as a book report saying it is a GOOD representation of autism with a compelling story and fantastic characters. “None of this was true” I have a multitude of kids with autism in my school that are not as bad as Christopher I even have cousins who although not been diagnosed have shown symptoms but are still functional. I think it is awful that this book was made let alone taught to students saying it is a good source

[@LiteraryGladiators]

I love it when the videos that are produced on this channel are timeless, so it is never too late to find something that catches your attention. I hope everything is going great with your endeavors in high school! I thought that where Christopher finished off in this book was both sickening and horrifying. Both of his parents were abusive, whether it be physically, emotionally, or psychologically. The canon is beginning to refer to this book as the great representative for Autism and Asperger's and it was even listed as a nominee for The Great American Read and THIS just sickened me. I agree that this is a terrible book to teach to students when it comes to helping them understand Autism and those on the spectrum better. If people felt that this was a general idea as to how these people are, then that would be an absolute sin. Thank you for watching!

[@greed642]

Really made me look diffrent at the book thx man

[@LiteraryGladiators]

It's my pleasure! I am happy to hear that I was able to offer you a different and helpful perspective.

[@nikhilsukumar23]

Dear uploader, may I ask you if you know a similar book where a boy who cannot walk witnesses a murder? Does that ring a bell? I have been searching for that book for quite some time.

[@LiteraryGladiators]

I may recall a few books that have that premise and I can recall books where people who cannot walk are involved heavily in plots, including a detective named Lincoln Rhyme that solves murders, but I cannot say for sure what book you are talking about.

[@ballshd68419]

Honestly if the parents were “good parents” the story would’ve worked out better. I think the idea of the dad being a deceptive liar is good, but it came out of nowhere and not in a good way. I wasn’t particularly surprised that he was the one who killed Wellington.

[@LiteraryGladiators]

The murder mystery of who killed Wellington was not really the driving force of the story, but instead Christopher's reaction to the situation and with the people in his life. Having parents that are flawed and imperfect is one thing, but Christopher was clearly in an abusive situation. I think having more supportive parents would have taken this book in a different direction and it may have been a good direction. Even if it did not, chances are it would have been better than what happened here.

[@sofiastern1653]

Ed is a good parent while Judy is the bad parent because she abandoned her son and husband. Yes, Ed did lie but that doesn't make him a bad parent. It makes him capable of human mistakes. He loves Christopher with all his heart. And yes. He killed the dog. But that was also a mistake. He's also a supporting parent. My blood boils whenever people talk badly about him.