Fearlessly Different: An Autistic Actor’s Journey to Broadway’s Biggest Stage

Rowe, who is autistic and legally blind, shares the difficulty he encountered growing up. Rejected by his mother, he was shunned by classmates and constantly reminded of what he couldn’t do. Sent to live with his grandparents in Seattle, he was introduced to the Seattle Children’s Theatre, where he found his calling. Still, becoming an actor seemed out of reach. However, as this memoir shows, Rowe was fearless. By pushing against his supposed limitations, he not only became an actor (he landed the lead role in the play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, the first time an autistic actor played an autistic character), he became a husband, a father, a theater director, and founder of the National Disability Theater. As he makes clear, it was a long and difficult road, but he was undeterred. He adopted the mantra that differences are strengths, and the book ends with a call to action for readers to be brave, to live with compassion and empathy, and to embrace their differences.