In this second episode of Matt and Angela’s book club podcast, Matt shares his all-time favorite book: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
In the book, Frankenstein is the name of the doctor/scientist who creates the monster, not the monster himself. The monster is philosophical and eloquent—not a grunting brute.
The podcast hosts discuss how some of the monster's experiences relate to Autistic culture, like how he seeks out data acquisition and is self-taught in a variety of disciplines through reading and observation.
They also discuss his experiences of ostracization and abandonment. He hides near a family and, out of compassion, secretly helps them in meaningful ways, but they still reject him when they see who he really is—an experience shared by many Autistics who unmask.
