What do the pioneer of natural sciences Henry Cavendish and the cinematic 'Rain Man' have in common? Silicon Valley with Sister Victorian’s asylum? Nazi Germany with the anti-vaccine movement? Psychologist Lorna Wing with a community of science fiction fans?

For Steve Silberman, one of the most significant representatives of contemporary investigative journalism, these are all pieces of the mosaic called Autism.

It all began when the journalist discovered that many prominent members of California's technological innovation elite have children on the autism spectrum. "I am a special education teacher," an unknown woman told him in a café. "Do you understand what's happening? We have an autism epidemic in Silicon Valley. Something terrible is happening to our children!"

At first glance, the observation seemed correct: for decades, autism diagnoses did not exceed five per ten thousand children - today, it is estimated that one in 58 children has some form of autism. However, this says more about diagnostic criteria than about the neurological condition of the children.

Seeking answers, Silberman began to study the history of autism, and what started as an article in Wired magazine transformed into a lifelong project and a book that deciphers one of the greatest mysteries of human nature.

In "NeuroTribes," Silberman connects the dots and uncovers the truth behind prejudice, documenting the lives lost in the cracks of a constantly changing system, the theories, the actions, the targeted research, and the coincidences.

Mainly, he investigates the largest and most mysterious coincidence: how two Austrian scientists - pediatrician Hans Asperger and psychologist Leo Kanner - simultaneously arrived at the same conclusions, providing the first definition of autism, one in the USA and the other in Austria. Their story - and the role played by the lethal ideology of Nazi Germany in their research - is just part of this fascinating narrative that examines autism from all sides: the historical, the scientific, the social, the perspective of autistic individuals, and the perspective of mass culture.

Moving from undiagnosed cases, to diagnoses of "child psychosis," theories about "refrigerator mothers," and modern perceptions of the autistic spectrum, Silberman effectively composes the manifesto of "neurodiversity," significantly changing the way we perceive the neurological diversity of humanity.