I Have Been Buried Under Years of Dust

I Have Been Buried Under Years of Dust

Top of Mind with Julie Rose

Afghanistan, The 19th Amendment, Autism Memoir

Episode: Afghanistan, The 19th Amendment, Autism Memoir

  • Aug 18, 2021 8:00 pm
  • 27:47 mins

For the first 25 years of her life, Emily Grodin’s ability to communicate was limited to “yes,” “no,” and a variety of noises and screams. Autism prevented her from expressing herself clearly. Some people assumed she had nothing to say. They couldn’t have been more wrong. At the age of 25, Emily learned to communicate through typing on an iPad, and immediately her thoughts came out fully formed—often as poetry. “I have been buried under years of dust” was one of the first lines she typed. It’s also the name of her new memoir, which Emily co-wrote with her mother, Valerie Gilpeer. (Segment produced by Abby Haralson)