Upward Bound

Upward Bound

By Woody Brown

Life in and around Upward Bound, a day center for adults with disabilities in Los Angeles, is the subject of this debut novel by the first non-speaking autistic graduate of UCLA.  It provided me with new perspectives on autism, particularly how the world can be experienced in varied ways.  Having spent much of my earlier professional life in the non-profit sector, I felt Brown’s characters’ criticisms of Upward Bound effectively illuminated common shortcomings of social service programs.