"Elizabeth Moon. The Speed of Dark " - читать интересную книгу автора

Elizabeth Moon


The Speed of Dark


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"The Speed of Dark": Random House Publishing Group; New York; 2004


ISBN 0345447549
Аннотация

The Nebula Award Winner-2003

In the near future, disease will be a condition of the past. Most
genetic defects will be removed at birth; the remaining during infancy.
Unfortunately, there will be a generation left behind. For members of that
missed generation, small advances will be made. Through various programs,
they will be taught to get along in the world despite their differences.
They will be made active and contributing members of society. But they will
never be normal.
Lou Arrendale is a member of that lost generation, born at the wrong
time to reap the awards of medical science. Part of a small group of
high-functioning autistic adults, he has a steady job with a pharmaceutical
company, a car, friends, and a passion for fencing. Aside from his annual
visits to his counselor, he lives a low-key, independent life. He has
learned to shake hands and make eye contact. He has taught himself to use
"please" and "thank you" and other conventions of conversation because he
knows it makes others comfortable. He does his best to be as normal as
possible and not to draw attention to himself.
But then his quiet life comes under attack. It starts with an
experimental treatment that will reverse the effects of autism in adults.
With this treatment Lou would think and act and be just like everyone else.
But if he was suddenly free of autism, would he still be himself? Would he
still love the same classical music-with its complications and resolutions?
Would he still see the same colors and patterns in the world-shades and
hues that others cannot see? Most importantly, would he still love Marjory,
a woman who may never be able to reciprocate his feelings? Would it be
easier for her to return the love of a "normal"?
There are intense pressures coming from the world around him-including
an angry supervisor who wants to cut costs by sacrificing the supports
necessary to employ autistic workers. Perhaps even more disturbing are the
barrage of questions within himself. For Lou must decide if he should
submit to a surgery that might completely change the way he views the world
. . . and the very essence of who he is.
Thoughtful, provocative, poignant, unforgettable, The Speed of Dark is
a gripping exploration into the mind of an autistic person as he struggles
with profound questions of humanity and matters of the heart.