Why Can't I Just Enjoy Things?
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4.7 • 23 Ratings
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- £7.99
Publisher Description
*Nominated for Best Book at the 2025 Chortle Awards*
'Outstanding, I want to press it into the hands of every newly diagnosed person' Fern Brady
'Like a Martian's guide to living on Earth. Funny, enlightening and gobsmacking' Frank Skinner
'A hilarious, crystal-clear guide to autism' Phil Wang
'An illuminating and joyously entertaining book' Daily Express
Why were the other kids at school obsessed with Britney Spears instead of The Goon Show?
Why don't people ever say what they mean?
And... Why is everyone chewing so loudly?
Comedian Pierre Novellie was on stage when a heckler suggested he was autistic. Usually, this disruption would be water off a duck's back but two things made this heckler different: first, he was himself autistic. Second, he turned out to be absolutely right.
This random encounter led to a diagnosis of autism at the age of 31 that unravelled his world, explained his struggles and answered questions that had bothered him for his entire life.
At once a hilarious and insightful journey through autism and neurodivergence, an entertaining explainer for the uninitiated and observational comedy for the neurodiverse, this is the perfect read for anyone who has ever asked themselves: why can't I just enjoy things?
The audiobook includes an exclusive Q&A with comedian and BudPod co-host, Phil Wang.
Customer Reviews
Funny and surprisingly educational!
Knowing Pearce comedy and listening to him talk about his autism journey made me want to download and read (well, listen to) this book which I found extremely funny but also much more educational than I expected.
Honestly, I have learnt so much and will aim to put some of the suggestions Into practice when being more understanding of autistic colleagues and the young people I work with.
Literally everyone should read this book!
This book is absolutely brilliant. It perfectly nails the most up to date research and thinking, explaining things clearly and comprehensively, whilst being readable, really enjoyable and emotionally engaging. I have ADHD and both my brother and son have ASD but I still found plenty that was new, worth rethinking and just helpful to hear from an autistic person. I have become an annoying zealot telling everyone to read this!
Brilliant and well researched
I’ll be recommending this to all my friends. Bravo! Insightful, well researched, and genuinely laugh out loud funny. I do now wonder if most people I hang out with are on the spectrum…