author portrait
© Miki Higashida

Naoki Higashida

Naoki Higashida was born in Kimitsu, Japan in 1992. Diagnosed with severe autism when he was five, he subsequently learned to communicate using a handmade alphabet grid and began to write poems and short stories. At the age of thirteen he wrote The Reason I Jump, which was published in Japan in 2007. Its English translation came out in 2013, and it has now been published in more than thirty languages. Higashida has since published several books in Japan, including children’s and picture books, poems, and essays. The subject of an award-winning Japanese television documentary in 2014, he continues to give presentations throughout the country about his experience of autism.

Books

Books for Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Every May we celebrate the rich history and culture of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. Browse a curated selection of fiction and nonfiction books by AANHPI creators that we think your students will love. Find our full collection of titles for Higher Education here.

Read more

Books for Autism Acceptance Month

For Autism Acceptance Month, we are sharing books that give the history of understanding autism and the personal stories of those who are autistic.   Fall Down 7 Times Get Up 8: A Young Man’s Voice from the Silence of Autism In short, powerful chapters, Naoki Higashida explores school memories, family relationships, the exhilaration of

Read more