Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. How does Elyse Myers’s book compare to others in the genre of humorous memoirs, such as Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime (2016) or Jenny Lawson’s Let’s Pretend This Never Happened (2012)?

2. Does the comedic tone and unusual format support or hinder your engagement with the book’s more serious and emotional issues? Explain your reasoning.

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Which is your favorite chapter? Your least favorite? Explain your answer.

2. Much of the book focuses on the impact that anxiety has on Elyse’s life, as well as the strategies she uses to manage it. What strategies do you use in your own life to cope with fear and anxiety?

3. One major argument in the book is that humans desire emotional connection and want to be seen for who they really are. How does this argument resonate in your own life? Can you think of any times when you have struggled with this tension? How did you resolve it?

4. Consider Elyse’s effort to perform a “Factory Reset” in Chapter 5. Have you ever tried to similarly reinvent yourself? What were the results?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. How does the book depict and critique the many stereotypes surrounding the topic of neurodivergence?

2. What does the book suggest about the problems that arise when neurodivergent people try to adhere to neurotypical expectations? How might people address these problems?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. Discuss the use of illustrations and typographical design in the book. How do these elements add to the comedic tone, emotional resonance, or themes of the book?

2. What is the meaning and significance of the images of movement that appear throughout? How do they contribute to the themes?

3. Why does the narrator withhold the name and details of the unidentified boyfriend? How does this erasure affect the reader’s understanding of Elyse’s experiences and/or the meaning and themes of the book?

4. What does Elyse mean by “the limits my brain has placed on my body without my consent” (38). Can you identify examples of this throughout the book? What significance does this have for Elyse’s life?

5. How does the Inaccessibility of Social Scripts for Neurodivergent Individuals impact The Impulse to Escape One’s Self?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Imagine that you are writing a memoir in the style of Elyse Myers, with each part of the narrative corresponding to a specific time in your life. What would be the title for each part, and what images would you include?

2. Write a letter to an unnamed recipient in the style of Chapter 19: “To whom it will never concern.” What about this person do you wish to forget or erase? How do you hope they will feel about it?