Five Things I Noticed at a NYC Bookstore

Last night, I was lucky enough to interview Marian Schembari about her funny, wonderful memoir, A Little Less Broken, on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Here are five things I noticed…

First off, Marian and I (above) were both wearing shiny silver shoes! (Mine were these flats, but I like these and these, too.)

Next, I met a lovely Cup of Jo reader before the talk began, who was wearing the most beautiful red nail polish. She told me that she applies two thick coats, plus a clear top coat to add shine and prevent chipping. Pretty, right?

Marian was also wearing this social battery pin, which you could adjust to show how much more human interaction you could take. How great is that — should we all get one?!

Finally, the conversation itself was really wonderful. When Marian was diagnosed with autism at age 34, as she wrote in her book, she suddenly understood that she wasn’t “weird” or “broken,” she was simply autistic! That’s why she often felt socially confused, overwhelmed by noises and lights, and stressed out by eye contact.

One fascinating part was when Marian explained how living abroad had felt easier to her. Why? If she didn’t adhere to various social norms, people didn’t think she was strange, they just chalked it up to her being a foreigner. I asked her which country made her feel most at home, and she said Germany because “people arrive on time and say exactly what they mean.” Her insight reminded me of this funny cake video:

cultural differences of offering

♬ original sound – Killian Sundermann

Have you read anything great lately? I adored Marian’s memoir and highly recommend it; and I’m always poring over this parenting one. And, as always, please share any nail polish intel ;)

P.S. Getting diagnosed with autism or ADHD as an adult, and what are your top three books?

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