Author and naturalist Sy Montgomery’s Temple Grandin: How the Girl Who Loved Cows Embraced Autism and Changed the World (2012) is a biography of the animal behaviorist, animal rights advocate, and autism activism Temple Grandin. The biography is intended for young adult readers and discusses Grandin’s life from early childhood to the present day. It explores the challenges she faced with autism, the development of her creativity and her passion for animals, and the persistence she exhibited while pursuing her career. Montgomery also discusses aspects of autism, including stereotypes about it. Temple Grandin’s passion, persistence, and innovative thinking make her an example of what a person with autism is capable of.

This guide uses the 2012 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt edition of Temple Grandin. In discussing the book and its theme, this guide makes references to topics including autism, intellectual disabilities, mental illnesses, bullying, violence, and animal cruelty. Terms that are considered offensive to persons with intellectual disabilities may be quoted in this guide, but do not imply that SuperSummary endorses the use of these terms.

Summary

The biography begins shortly after Grandin’s birth in Massachusetts. Her parents quickly realized that their child was different because she did not like to be embraced, was very slow to speak, was prone to tantrums, was easily overstimulated, and exhibited other notable behaviors. After Grandin’s mother took her to a specialist, Grandin was diagnosed with autism. While Grandin’s father wanted her put away in a psychiatric facility, her mother persisted in finding ways to work with Grandin’s abilities and challenges. She enrolled Grandin in a small, private school that was very supportive and accepting. When Grandin began mainstream high school, however, she was subjected to bullying, felt confused and bored, and began to experience anxiety and panic attacks.

Grandin’s mother again came to her daughter’s aid, finding a boarding school in New Hampshire that worked with students like Grandin. There, Temple found opportunities to work with her hands, to explore the outdoors, and to spend time with animals, all activities she enjoyed. One summer, Grandin spend time at her stepfather’s sister’s ranch in Arizona, where her love of these activities increased even more. While at the ranch, Grandin discovered a device called a cattle chute, which gently squeezed cattle to keep them calm while they received vaccines and in similar situations. Grandin became fascinated by the chute and wondered if it could help her with her own anxiety.

Back at school, Grandin’s science teacher encouraged her to explore the use and effects of the cattle chute scientifically. This interest led Grandin to do better in school. She entered college and earned a degree in psychology. She then went to graduate school at Arizona State University to study animal behavior, specifically the behavior of cattle in chutes. She faced opposition to her research idea but persisted. She began making observations at stockyards, where she faced discrimination from cattle workers. Still, Grandin stuck with her ideas and found creative ways to deal with opposition. Eventually, she gained respect for her innovative designs for cattle production systems. Her designs drew on her knowledge of animal behavior and deep understanding of how animals think and feel to create equipment and systems that treat animals more humanely.

Grandin’s designs made a major impact on the animal production industry. She became a consultant to companies like McDonald’s, who wanted to ensure animals used for their products were treated with respect and care. In addition, Grandin became a professor of animal science at Colorado State University. Throughout her career, Grandin has also advocated for better understanding and acceptance of autism. She has written and spoken extensively on both animal behavior and autism, and strongly influenced both fields. For her work, Grandin has gained wide public recognition, and there has even been an HBO biopic film made about her life.

Temple Grandin shares the story of Grandin’s struggles and persistence in overcoming them and conveys an appreciation for both Grandin’s creativity and for autism.