For many people like the author, the world feels “like a bag of puzzle pieces with no picture on the box.” In this intimate memoir, Manning details his struggles to understand why. The short answer, as he eventually came to realize, boiled down to one word: autism. Getting a grip on the bigger picture that the word itself raised (“What if the problem wasn’t effort? What if I were a misfit?”) proved more difficult than he imagined. The titular “rubric” refers to a coping mechanism the author developed after realizing that he was unable to read other people’s emotions and respond appropriately to them. This condition left him feeling like “an undercover alien” (“I’m not one of you. I can’t let you find out”) as he spent countless hours studying psychology books and mimicking others. (“If I could work out what people wanted, perhaps I could become the person they expected.”) Manning found this masking particularly tempting as he pursued dating and a career, but behavioral errors continued to pile up, leading the author to a shattering realization: “The rubric could get me close. It could not tell me what to do once I arrived.” Coming to that understanding and resolving the implications it raised were not simultaneous, and readers will strongly sympathize with Manning’s struggles. The author’s breezy (yet pointed) prose drives his points home effectively, making this memoir a vibrant addition to the literature on the oft-misunderstood subject of autism. For those facing similar issues, the book’s appendix—which details the major concepts cited in the text, such as the rhythmic motions of stimming and imposter syndrome feelings—will provide a relevant, helpful resource.