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by Joe Biel (Author)
Just about every breakthrough discovery and some of the most innovative inventors in the history of the world have been autistic--or at least, looking back, experts have strongly suspected they were. From Len Bosack, who invented the hardware for computers to share information, to Satoshi Tajiri, inventor of Pokémon, to Ignaz Semmelweis, who discovered that hand washing kills germs. Today's societal stigma against autism is misplaced. The title, playing on the absurd myth that vaccination causes autism (with the underlying assumption that it's a disease that could or should be cured), points out that many of the scientific and cultural advances we take for granted and rely on are the direct result of the hard work, outside-the-box thinking, and singular focus of neurodiverse minds. Learn about the accomplishments of such unique individuals as Marie Curie, Benjamin Banneker, Alfred Kinsey, and more in this collection of short biographies.
Author Biography
Joe Biel is a self-made autistic publisher and filmmaker who draws origins, inspiration, and methods from punk rock. Biel is the founder and CEO of Microcosm Publishing, Publishers Weekly's #1 fastest growing publisher of 2022. Biel has been featured in Time Magazine, NPR, Publishers Weekly, Art of Autism, Reading Glasses, PBS, Bulletproof Radio, Spectator (Japan), G33K (Korea), and Maximum Rocknroll. Biel is the author of People's Guide to Publishing: Building a Successful, Sustainable, Meaningful Book Business, Good Trouble: Building a Successful Life & Business on the Spectrum, Manspressions: Decoding Men's Behavior, Make a Zine, The CIA Makes Science Fiction Unexciting, Proud to be Retarded, Bicycle Culture Rising, and more. Biel is the director of five feature films and hundreds of short films, including Aftermass: Bicycling in a Post-Critical Mass Portland, $100 & A T-Shirt, and the Groundswell film series. Biel lives in Portland, Ore. Find out more at joebiel.net
