Robert Chancellor has been writing letters to the editor about the daily struggles of having autism for a couple of years now.
Now, he has compiled those letters into a book on sale at Barnes and Noble called “Autism: A New View.”
“Most of them have been published in The Pampa News, but some have not,” Chancellor said. “It’s just a way for me to get my emotions out on paper and a way for me, I hope, to help somebody else who may be going through what I’m going through.”
Some of the letters also dispelled myths surrounding autism.
Chancellor published the book not only targeting those with autism, but parents/guardians who have a loved one with autism.
“Hopefully it gives them some hope or clarity,” Chancellor said. “Each person is different, of course.”
The book is three years in the making but once Chancellor dotted his final “i” and crossed his last “t,” it was time to find a publisher.
“The hardest part was compiling everything and making sure everything is grammatically correct,” Chancellor said. “Barnes and Noble Press was the ideal fit for me as I looked for a publishing company.”
Chancellor highlighted two of the articles he likes the most from the book.
“One is called ‘I’m only one voice’,” Chancellor said. “Basically it says I may be only one voice but I can make a difference just by putting this out there. The other one is called ‘The puzzle guardian.’ It’s basically about how a parent or a friend is that guardian to someone with autism.
“If there is a bully in the situation, they are the ones that say, ‘This is where it ends. You’re not going to do this anymore.’ It’s kind of a spin-off on ‘The Armor of God’ for me.”
Chancellor said his second letter and “If words left scars” were his two hardest ones to write.
“The reason for both of those is something was said,” Chancellor said. “Words can wound, they can hurt and they can lift up. But, if you’re not careful, they can also kill. I’m not saying that to be mean, I’m just saying it to be honest.”
Chancellor said the book is full of first-hand knowledge, but also advice through his own experiences.
“These are from my experiences,” Chancellor said. “I may not know your child or what you are going through, but hopefully this will give you some ideas on how to help them with challenges in the near future. I’ve been through some challenges and I may not have experienced everyone’s life, but if this can help one person it’s worth it to me.”
The cover features glasses with a variety of colors splashed. Chancellor said he was going for a theme of “seeing the world through an autistic mind.”
“My friend, Kelly Flood, came up with this idea of using glasses on the front cover,” Chancellor said. “It was pretty cool. I need to give a huge thank you, also, to Ceeli Hunt for painting these for me.”
Along with Flood and Hunt, Chancellor wanted to thank The Pampa News for printing the articles in our publication.
The 54-page book can be found at this link to Barnes and Noble’s website: https://bit.ly/2UM1TUp and is $10.99.
