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[Following is a volunteer review of "That Place of Knowledge" by Philip Alan Shalka.]

A story written about an autistic boy and his mind can only be written with such preciseness by an autistic author themself. Following Philip and his autism assistance dog Sabre into the mind of Philip shines a light onto topics neurotypical people might rarely think about.

From Sabre's perspective the reader follows the characters into a world beneath Philip's swimming pool, through a corridor into a world resembling ancient greece. The difference between this new world and the known shows, when the presumably non-verbal Philip relaxes into a state of comfort he doesn't show in the real world and begins a conversation with Aristotle himself.

Through two seperate conversations between Philip and Aristotle the reader is shown an insight into the mind of an autistic boy. Inciting themes and thoughts are brought up and discussed by both Philip and Aristotle, leaving the reader pausing and thinking on their own.

The philosophical tone of the conversation about the importance of knowledge and thinking for yourself is mirrored in the fantastic world created around the characters. Corridors and halls reflect Philip's state of mind and build a contrast to the otherwise dialogue heavy way of storytelling.

Giving that the story is told by the dog Sabre, the reader gets a sense of that fantastic world right from the beginning. The readers imagination is guided with ease by vivid descriptions until the dialogue forces them to connect the story with known aspects and own thoughts.

As a shortstory, That Place of Knowledge follows different rules than those of novel-length fiction. There is no story arch to follow and no character development to see, but the character Philip brings up important thoughts about knowledge and what it means to be different.

This story not only gives an insight into what it means to be autistic, non-verbal, and sometimes misunderstood by those around you, but makes important points for everyone: “It is always important to be your true self.” Like Philip points out, it is important to be open-minded. Reading a story about autism by an autistic author is one step to undestanding more about the mind about an autistic person, especially if that person can't communicate their thoughts well. It might also just help to understand yourself and your own mind a little better.

I am rating this story 3 out of 4 stars, as this is a story I recommend to read. Though overall written well, I have stumbled over a few sentences and lines, keeping me from giving it a full four out of four.

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That Place of Knowledge
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You pointed out the lack of story arc and character development. As a Lover of fiction, I was looking for those. Please feel free to check out my review of this book. I rated it 3 out of 4 stars.

I enjoyed your review. You point out that the author writes from experience, from the viewpoint of being autistic himself. I agree with your comment that books like this can help us understand the the mind of the autistic person. Thanks for your interesting comments.