The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism

In his Foreword to “I’m Right Here,” Higashida explains how the story aims to help people understand the pain involved in not being able to communicate properly with those one cares about. Relatedly, he says that if the story resonates with the reader, then the reader will be able to better empathize with people with autism.

A boy named Shun, who thought that he knew himself well, suddenly starts noticing while walking the streets that people are staring at his face in a cold, indifferent way. On coming out of a supermarket, an old man also approaches him and asks, “What are you doing here?” (155). When Shun gets home, his mother is preparing supper, and he tries to speak to her. However, she looks past him as well, and Shun runs outside in a state of anguish. Shun then finds himself in a park in the evening but, despite his best efforts, cannot remember how he got there. Shun walks home but finds his house is in total darkness. He waits for his parents, yet when they return, they do not seem to notice him, even when he grabs his mother’s arm. Shun sees the old man from outside of the supermarket again, who tells him, “You don’t belong to this world anymore” (159).