As I researched, I ran into this very interesting thing where autism seems to display differently in women than in men ... women have learned to mask… - Helen Hoang

Escaping from Vietnam is a huge. It takes a massive amount of bravery, but starting over in a foreign country with a foreign language with no money with everyone depending on you, with racism and sexism, that’s something else entirely. That’s something that she never spoke to me about. I think she did that because she was protecting me. She wanted me to stay innocent. All I saw was her accomplishments, and I thought it was easy — that it was easy to be an immigrant and start over in a place that isn’t entirely kind to you. With this book, I wanted to illustrate that missing part of the story that she didn’t tell me, because it’s important and it might be even harder than escaping from Vietnam.

I want to believe that I can be a main character, I can be a leading character in my life, that I can have a happily ever after, that I can find true love, and I can get married, and conquer, and be happy…

Two stereotypes I’ve seen is that autistic people are geniuses. Some autistic people have average intelligence and I think don’t think that’s right to say they all are because those who aren’t might feel disappointed. Another is that autistic people lack empathy or heartless.