‘We have moved away from the idea that there are people with autism and the rest of us. There is a spectrum, and we are all on that continuum.’ Simon Baron-Cohen. Finding Neema is the singular story of an autistic boy of Nepali–Tibetan ethnicity, brought up by the author and her Indian husband. It recounts the couple’s unplanned adoption of Neema, the son of their maid, Poonam; their efforts to have his autism diagnosed and treated; and Neema’s emergence into adulthood as a valuable, though still dependent, human being. Delving into Neema’s tormented early life and background, the book touches upon some of the more lurid aspects of developing world poverty and introduces us to an assorted cast of characters – some appealing and some appalling, but all of them colourful. Important too are the insights into autism which emerge from the writing. Autism has become a burning issue of our times on account of its burgeoning incidence, and of the many controversies surrounding it, but there is very little writing on the subject outside the boundaries of the developed world. Narrating Neema’s story with compassion, frankness and humour and interweaving it with reminiscences of her own unusual marriage and life, Juliet Reynolds fills that gap.

About the Author:

Juliet Reynolds is a writer and critic, specialising in Indian art and cultural-political issues. Of mixed Irish and English descent, she has spent most of her working life in India where she has established a reputation as a leader in her field and as a bridge between scholars and the lay public. She has contributed many pieces to the arts pages of the well-known London weekly, The Spectator. Among the Indian publications to which she has contributed is The Pioneer. From 1991-94, she wrote a weekly opinion piece for the op-ed page of this daily, then under the editorship of Vinod Mehta. Other international and Indian publications to which she has contributed include: The India International Centre Quarterly Review, The Insight Guide to India, Biblio, Outlook, The Far Eastern Economic Review, The Economic Times, and The India Magazine. Juliet is the author of In the Eyes of a Rasika, a book for the lay reader on the relationship between art and politics and art and science. Juliet is an occasional filmmaker. In 1995 she wrote and presented a film on India's then most senior artist, B C Sanyal for BITV. In 1998-99 she wrote and co-directed three educational films on art, Creativity, for the University Grants Commission. In 2001 she directed The Art of The Impossible, a film portrait of the former Indian Prime Minister, V P Singh. In recent years she has been involved with programmes for children with autism. She divides her life between New Delhi and Dehradun.