Overview
Empathy—the ability to understand and share others’ experiences—has long been thought of as an innate moral virtue. You’re either an empathetic person capable of connecting deeply with others and feeling what they feel, or you’re not. And for too long, autistic people have been told they are not.
This couldn’t be further from the truth.
In Empathy Takes Action, autistic therapist Aimee Cliff draws on scientific research, case studies, and her own experiences to not only thoroughly debunk the myth that autistic people are incapable of empathy, but to propose a radically inclusive new definition. Empathy, it turns out, is something you do, not something you are—meaning it’s something we can all get better at with practice.
You’ll discover how we’ve gotten empathy so wrong over the years, and why the traditional definition’s reliance on assumption-making and “mind-reading” actually gets in the way of human connection.
You’ll learn how the long-held belief in autistic people’s lack of empathy stems from a failure of empathy on the part of neurotypical scientists, and why it takes two to empathize.
And you’ll see how autistic people show empathy—and how you can use these lessons to overcome common barriers to empathy, strengthen your empathy muscles, and build stronger connections, whether you have autism or not.
While major retailers like Amazon may carry Empathy Takes Action (An Autistic Therapist on the Radical Work of Connection), we specialize in bulk book sales and offer personalized service from our friendly, book-smart team based in Portland, Oregon. We’re proud to offer a Price Match Guarantee and a streamlined ordering experience from people who truly care.
We’re trusted by over 75,000 customers, many of whom return time and again. Want proof? Just check out our 25,000+ customer reviews—real feedback from people who love how we do business.
Prefer to talk to a real person? Our Book Specialists are here Monday–Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST and ready to help with your bulk order of Empathy Takes Action (An Autistic Therapist on the Radical Work of Connection).