Up All Night not only grips readers in unrelenting humor, but it offers a fresh voice embracing readers with graphic injuries, tender recollections, big surprises, and love. Posing nuanced psychological questions while never losing its heart, Up All Night traces the challenges of living with undiagnosed Asperger's syndrome before the social disorder became known in 1992.
The memoir recaptures the integration of two families--Trout and Caspers--while showing how impactful a married couple can be despite their incapacity to see the obvious. Richie Trout was the boy who'd never have a girlfriend, said classmate Michelle West, whose rule as one of the three queens in Mr. Kucera's sixth-grade class intimidated every male student. Almost every chapter is hysterical. Some are poignant. The tale also offers a warning to young people who recently suffered the loss of a first love--or who may face that future trauma.
With a modest yet entertaining, action-packed style enhanced by an Aspie's acute long-term memory, Trout delves into vivid, cringe-worthy, and demoralizing episodes. Anyone with fond memories of the years from grade school to college and adulthood will rejoice. Trout's move to Hobbs, New Mexico, or Opposite Land, nicknamed for its stark differences from Chicago, becomes his springboard to social skills, empathy, and fatherhood. Up All Night circles back to sixth grade in the final chapters when Trout confronts a lingering boogeyman.
"Amidst the laughter-filled classrooms and carefree friendships, there lies an undercurrent of seeking, a desire that pulls our protagonist toward love--a force as inspiring as it is devastating. Yet, this is a journey not just about finding others but about finding oneself amidst the backdrop of societal norms and spiritual beliefs."
Dr. Whitney Boykin, Mental Health Professional and Professor of Business
"The story of a young man maneuvering through the many stages of development while saddled with the complication of Asperger's syndrome, was like riding the coattails of a southeast New Mexico dust devil. Never knowing the direction each chapter would take, the reader anxiously anticipates the next amazing experience seen through the eyes of the author."
Gay Kernan, Former New Mexico State Senator of 21 years
"Watching Richard develop as a professional with atypical neurological patterns was a great gift. The peek into his world provided by his book is such a treat! The limitations he had in verbal communication are removed in the written word, and you will enjoy his witty and poetic retelling of adolescent angst and male rites of passage."
Dr. Elyn Palmer, Director of Graduate Student Success, Texas Tech University
"Rich Trout's challenges as a person with autism, and rewards as a son, father, and friend are vividly conveyed in his memoir that chronicles his journey from the Chicago suburbs to the Southwest. In this socio-historical and personal account, Rich Trout, a seasoned journalist, is at his best. Trout's memoir bears the stamp of inevitability and reflects his passion for the art."
Peter Mladnic, Author of The Homesick Mortician
"Riveting. Just when you think you know a person, you turn each page and realize the intricacies you missed. Don't walk, run. Don't hop, jump instead. Climb trees and even mountaintops if you have to in order to secure your copy."
Dr. Jazmine Brantley, Lecturer, Texas Tech University
