Steve Silberman on Becoming a Writer that Changes Attitudes and Lives

Photo by Tanya Rosen-Jones

 Steve Silberman is the award-winning author of NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity. This book is credited for altering the societal conversation about autism by providing a comprehensive history of how our understanding of autism has evolved and deep insight into the cultural change necessary to reach a point where neurodiversity is celebrated. Silberman won the 2015 Samuel Johnson prize for non-fiction, a California Book Award, and a Books for a Better Life award for his work on NeuroTribes. Previously, his writing was featured in publications such as Wired, The New York Times, The New Yorker, the Financial Times, the Boston Globe, and the MIT Technology Review, among many others. Steve Silberman recently announced his next project, a book to be titled A Taste of Salt, which will tell the human stories behind Cystic Fibrosis. 

Did you always know you wanted to be a writer and journalist? 

When I was in 5th grade, my English teacher encouraged me to enter a poetry contest run by Fordham University for elementary school students in New York City. I'd never written a poem before, but I really enjoyed doing it, particularly because I was so bad at sports, so I tended to feel like a klutz and generally inept. Writing a poem felt like something I could do naturally. To my surprise, the poem was chosen as one of the winners, and sent to Expo '67, a world's fair in Montréal, where it was shown at an exhibit, translated into multiple languages. I didn't get to go to the fair, but I was sent to a big ad agency in Manhattan to have my photo taken. The whole experience was thrilling. That was the first moment I thought of myself as a writer. The poem was called "The Math Battle," and here it is (the first word in the second line is the symbol for "pi"):

The Math Battle

Cubes are swirling through my head,

π's attack me in my bed.

I dream of numbers in my sleep -

How much to carry?  How much to keep?

Circles everywhere, radii too,

in my brain, a number zoo!

There's some numbers, here comes more,

fight me in a daily war.

-- Steve Silberman, 5th grade

When did you start focusing on science and technology writing?

I was always fascinated by both science and science fiction. When I was a kid, I had chemistry sets and a mineral collection that contained a chunk of uranium! After a couple of decades of writing poetry and studying with the Beat Generation poet Allen Ginsberg, I started doing freelance journalism on many different subjects. I began focusing exclusively on science when I became a senior editor of Wired magazine's website in 1995.

When did you first realize the impact your writing had on others and your potential to make a positive difference through it? 

I began to get a sense of the impact my writing could have when I wrote "The Geek Syndrome" for Wired magazine in 2001, which was one of the first articles in the mainstream press to focus on autism in high-tech communities like Silicon Valley. I got email about that article from autistic people and their families for nearly ten years, which meant that the article made a significant impact. 

In 2015 you published NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity. How would you describe the general impact of that book?

I'm thrilled to say that NeuroTribes became a widely-praised New York Times bestseller and has now been translated into 16 languages. In fact, it's coming out this month in both French and Greek. Thousands of people have told me that it changed their lives for the better and increased their understanding of themselves and their loved ones, which is the best reward a writer can hope for. In personal terms, I now feel like I can die (hopefully not soon!) having "moved the world a millionth of an inch," as the poet Gary Snyder said.

How do you handle being considered an autism expert given that most people don’t seek out the perspective of autistics on autism?

That's a great question that I have addressed extensively in my work and talks and remarks to the media. I always encourage people wanting to find out about autism to talk to autistic adults and read their books. I've even had autistic adults replace me in giving talks, as I did at the annual meeting of the Autism Society of America a couple of years ago. When reporters call me for a quote, I always say, "Have you talked to autistic adults? You should. Here are some email addresses."

You recently announced that your next book, A Taste of Salt, will focus on Cystic Fibrosis. How and why did you decide to tackle that subject next?

One of my closest friends, a wonderful guy named Phil Weisshaar, "came out" to me as having cystic fibrosis when I "came out" to him as gay. Like most people, I didn't know anything about it. Over the years of being friends with Phil, I came to recognize the struggles he was going through, from hours of therapy at home every single day to frequent hospitalizations. Then I started researching the subject as a science writer, and realized that if Phil had been born in previous eras, he would likely have died as a child, and we never would have known one another. The reason he has survived to become the deeply beautiful person and friend to me that he has become is one of the most exciting but little-known stories in modern medicine. That's the story I'm aiming to tell in "The Taste of Salt."

If you could travel back in time, what advice would you give to your 16-year-old self?

I would say, "Steve, chill out a little. I know you feel like a total weirdo and freak because none of the friends that you get crushes on want to date you, but that's because you're a little gay kid growing up in a mostly straight world. Someday you'll have a brilliant, sweet, hilarious, and super-handsome husband named Keith who loves you as much as you love him. Don't give up hope."

Is that the same advice you would give to me now? 

No, because it may not be relevant to you. I would say to you that if you want to be a good writer, read as much good writing as possible. Follow your own natural interests in literature, but don't read only writers who are still alive. Go back into the past and hear what people who are already gone left behind to help you understand your experience. And write, write, write, every chance you get. No one becomes a good writer by sitting around and thinking, "I would love to be a writer someday. That seems cool." Start acting like a writer today, by reading deeply and writing until a voice emerges in your words that you know is truly your own voice.