Every once in a while, we come across a book that moves us.
Never did I imagine, a memoir written by a young meteorologist in Eastern North Carolina would make me want to shout about it from the proverbial rooftops – but I am.
This book caught my eye because I used to live in his broadcast area; I love hearing about weather, and I needed some inspiration!
As a former classroom teacher, I would want every employee in the educational system to read this book – along with every student.
And every parent.
And … every human.
Why?
Because you will develop an understanding that will give birth to compassion.
Because there will be inspiration which birth to fortitude – resulting in accomplishments.
Because there will be good news on so many levels!
It’s a thin book – just 3/8 of an inch thick – but its message goes on for miles.
The Weather Inside, A Memoir of Storms, Survival, and Self-Discovery, written by Russell Je’Juan James, is the book that I would want everyone to read – especially as we start this new academic year.
The author, now a meteorologist who stands in front of cameras and intense lighting to deliver critical weather information to his audience that depends upon his forecasts – especially in hurricane prone Eastern North Carolina – was diagnosed with autism that was so severe he could not talk in complete sentences for years.
Written straight from the heart, Russell James’s ingeniously laid out story line and honest account of what he was thinking, feeling, and experiencing during those silent years and beyond is astounding.
His struggle and overwhelm were real. Some of that struggle and overwhelm will continue daily for his entire life. How he arrived at his coping techniques is clearly explained; along with how he incorporates them into his daily schedule.
The appendix to his book offers specific resources for autistic adults, parents of autistic children, and a detailed guide for mental health exercises for autistic adults.
Even if we are not directly linked to autism – we live, work, and go to school with autistic individuals who are somewhere on that diverse Autism Spectrum.
Be prepared to live with greater understanding and compassion after reading his account.
Be prepared to be amazed by this man who is finishing his PhD, while regularly reporting the weather and coping every moment with his autism – invisible to his audience – but made visible by his open account.
In health –
Deidre