Unveiling the Marginalized: Autism, Feminism, and the Stories We Tell

Joanne Limburg’s Letters to My Weird Sisters connects autism and feminism through historical letters, personal insight, and sharp critique.

Every winter, I pick up books recommended by friends, and Joanne Limburg’s Letters to My Weird Sisters: On Autism and Feminism was a frequent suggestion. In my opinion, this book deserves global recognition for its unique and thoughtful examination of autism and feminism.

Judgment often happens unconsciously and in an instant, but once it has occurred, you, as a person, are firmly placed in the third person.

The book is framed as four letters to historical women — women Limburg dubs her “weird sisters” — who were marginalized or misunderstood in their eras. Rather than diagnosing them, Limburg empathetically links their struggles to her own as an autistic woman, showing how societal expectations, ableism, and gender norms have historically shaped the lives of nonconformists.

A standout moment comes early, with Limburg’s poignant observation: “Judgment often happens unconsciously and in an instant, but once it has occurred, you, as a…