HOUSE RULES: A NOVEL by Jodi Picoult

Let me make this brief disclaimer: I do not like Jodi Picoult books. However, House Rules is a book that should probably be read by all educators. In the early 1980s, before Asperger's Syndrome had a name and before most people had ever heard of autism there were student's in the academic setting that excelled or did well in school, but their behavior was weird and off-putting, and often seemed that of a 4-year-old children. They are often rigid and over-sensitive, demanding everything must be done "their way."

Today, many people would immediately recognize the signs of AS. Then, neither teachers nor parents knew what to make of these students. In the best circumstances parents considered these children to be "strong-willed." Many teachers would simply label these children as "spoiled" or "troubled." The thought was that these children would never adapt to the world. The world will have to adapt to them.

That, in fact, is a crucial issue in Jodi Picoult's "House Rules." I found this an enlightening book, and while I realize the character of Jacob is pretty well loaded with AS traits, he's honestly very close to some of the students I have had sitting in my class. Over the years, I have seen number of AS students do well in my high school English classes. Very well academically, that is.

As Jacob so painfully experiences in "House Rules," getting along in the world of other people is a monumental challenge. Extremely literal, living in a rigid world of rules and numerical order, unable to gauge facial expressions and body language (which are often confusing in their complexity and apparent contradictions), Jacob tries hard to understand and engage others. Usually he succeeds only in baffling, annoying, and alienating them. This novel reminded me of Mark Haddon's "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" with its AS narrator, but "House Rules" is more ambitious in plot and more complex. With its multiple narrators, the readers get to the heart of his family, as well as people around them. The draw to this novel is the subject matter and the character in this novel is at least, and maybe even more, interesting than plot. "House Rules" is a book I would recommend for anyone who deals with students and children on a daily basis.