Temple Grandin: How the Girl Who Loved Cows Embraced Autism and Changed the World

Montgomery, S. (2012).
Temple Grandin: How the girl
who loved cows embraced autism
and changed the world. Boston:
Houghton Mifflin Books for
Children.

Temple Grandin: How the Girl Who Loved Cows Embraced Autism and Changed the World

By Sy Montgomery

Published by Houghton Mifflin

Boston

2012

148 pages

This book is a biography about Temple Grandin, a woman with autism who defied odds (and doctors’ prognoses) to become a scientist and professor of animal science at Colorado State University. Grandin was born in Boston, Massachusetts on August 29, 1947. When she was two years old she was diagnosed with autism and her doctor recommended hospitalization. Her mother disagreed. She worked tirelessly to find the best treatments for Grandin including speech therapy. Grandin began to speak when she was four years old and her parents sought the best possible teachers for her. Grandin’s social interactions remained difficult throughout school and she was teased regularly. Despite her trials, Grandin earned a psychology degree from Franklin Pierce College, a master’s degree in animal science from Arizona State University, and a doctoral degree in animal science from the University of Illiinois at Urbana-Champaign. Now, she is a scientist and professor of animal science at CSU. She is a prominent autism advocate and also works to promote animal welfare.

The book is compelling and personal, taking the reader on a journey through Grandin’s life. The book even includes personal photos that take readers even deeper into Grandin’s extraordinary mind. The book opens the door to a broader understanding of autism and inspires readers through the telling of Grandin’s trials and triumphs. 

A great way to introduce students to biographies and autism and to show them that anything is possible! Purchase the book here.