Stephanie C. Fox / Stephanie CFox
Elephant’s Kitchen – An Aspergirl’s Study in Difference is about a quiet teenage girl named Delphine who has Asperger’s, but just as with the television shows Bones and The Big Bang Theory, the condition is never mentioned. Instead, the story walks the reader through many of the markers of the condition.The story also addresses the misery associated with poverty when it comes face-to-face with the “haves” of society and their obliviousness and callousness towards those who are struggling to survive. Viewed by a teenage girl who volunteers at a church’s charity kitchen, it highlights the damage that such insensitivity can inflict upon the very people that such institutions claim to benefit. This is just part of the backdrop of the story; Delphine also attends a private school, plays the violin, acts in a play, and deals with bullies. She is quiet, stealthy, and effective in her own way.This story was written to inspire teens with Asperger’s, to show them that there is nothing wrong or bad about them, and to celebrate rather than condemn difference.