BOOKS BY LYNETTE PAPP
Published Author
BEING WITH ASPERGERS
"SO THAT'S HOW IT'S DONE!"
“We are all broken. That’s how the light gets in.” Whether it was Ernest Hemingway, Leonard Cohen a combination of the two who made this idea famous, Walter’s life is testament to it. This memoir takes the form of a posthumous conversation with my long-term partner Walter who struggled throughout his life with what he discovered may have been Asperger’s syndrome (AS). After his death I found Walter’s Secret Diary concealed in a box in our roof. I use conversation “bytes” and photos of the poems, doodles, cartoons and letters within to recollect our life together. In some ways I guess I am using the word “bytes” because this conversation is my attempt to communicate my thoughts and feelings to Walter across time and space.
AVAILABLE NOVEMBER 2018
WIDOWS' GRIEF: A DREAM JOURNEY
Lynette and Bev have collaborated in writing their experience of dealing with grief after the loss of their long-term partners. They used dream analysis, drawings and photography in processing their journey which is shared with the reader in this book.
AVAILABLE NOW in hard copy version through this website.
BOOK REVIEWS
Lynette is an amazing writer. I feel I know Walter very well now. It makes me sad that I didn't meet such an amazingly talented, infuriating, loving person. I am sitting here with tears streaming down my face, feeling the sadness that Walter felt over David but also at the love you and he shared. I laughed a lot too at some of the stories, especially the lipstick one, and the toe biting!!
Julie Martin
Time to Talk and Learn Autism Services
Victoria Australia
This sensitively written conversation between Lynette and her deceased partner Walter is profound in its exploration of her relationship with her lovely man. Knowing Walter, this brought tears to my eyes – tears of laughter because it brought the man alive on the page, but also tears of poignancy because he was an interesting and giving man. I never thought of him as anything other than talented, entertaining, generous and creative – and so in love with his family.
The presentation of text and images are delightful in that most pages have Walter’s puns, poems and cartoons at centre stage. The cartoons appear so simple, yet they carry messages about Walter that touch one’s heart.
Photographs also bring Walter to life – the sweetness of the man I remember jumps out from the pages and touches my heart.
This review reads as sentimental, but it is more than that. It is in fact rather like Walter himself – ‘simple’. The language Lynette uses is accessible to everyone, without being in the least patronizing. And the title says it all – Being With Asbergers tells us that it was Walter she was with, not a condition. This is a text which reveals both the love she felt, and the honesty about her life with Walter – neither of which were anything other than profound, sensitive and generous
Margaret Derbyshire MA Great Britain
l love your book! There is an inquisitive, enquiring, loving, perplexing and seeking quality in your exploration of Walter. He unfolds as you tell of painful life experiences, fallible parents, heightened artistic sensibilities, and complex yet enduring relationships. Walter, through his drawings and expressions and your observations and perceptions, takes shape in these pages. He becomes real. He is anxious, confused, yet amused by the peculiarities of humanity. In a heave of relief, he finds a resolution in a label - Asperger’s - a place to give himself an inclusion with others who are like him. He discovers validity and an understanding. Thanks, Lyn, for this rich exploration and expression of this lovable man.
Jules Dawe-Hansen, Washington State
Lyn, what a beautifully articulated and poignant collection of memories of your beloved Walter. With educated strands weaved throughout on AS, it is an astonishing achievement! Walter continues to live on through a soul touching combination of his and your words. Thank you for sharing this beauty with the world.
Kira Follis: Tauranga Counselling Services
CONTACT ME TO BUY A BOOK OR MAKE AN APPOINTMENT. FILL IN YOUR DETAILS AND CLICK SEND:
Onehunga, Auckland 1061, New Zealand
+642102549920
Internet banking and PayPal accepted
BEING WITH ASPERGER'S "SO THAT'S HOW IT'S DONE!"
by Lynette Papp
I wrote this book after the death of my long-term partner, Walter. I found a box of cartoons and diaries including "Walter's Secret Diary," in the attic. It gave me insights into what life was like inside Walter's mind as he struggled with Asperger's syndrome and came to terms with it. He used his cartoons, dreams and writing to balance his life.
