Is it an Aspie thing to want non-fiction to be non-fiction?

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i like to read memoirs, autobiographies and other non-fiction pieces about people coping with mental illness and other challenges, also Asperger Syndrome. But so many times, the author tries to be shocking, witty and spellbounding, only to compromise the piece and make it seem more like fiction than non-fiction.

Examples:

"As soon as I arrived in the psych ward, three 500 lb women came lunging towards me with dunce caps on, reciting the alphabet over and over....."

"The psychiatrist turned out to be a 90 year old man with a bright green beard down to his waist....."

"The clerk at the counter threw my bagged merchandise so hard that it landed square on top of the head of the next customer in line, who proceeded to scream at the top of her lungs, pull out a squirt gun and shoot everyone in the store...."

The above are examples I made up because I check books out from the library and don't have any in front of me right now but hopefully you get the idea. Shock factor. Scare factor. Scream potential.

It seems books that claim to be non-fiction aren't non-fiction anymore and wondering if it is an NT thing to enjoy these types of books

Of course, maybe these insanely "hilarious" things actually did happen to these people, and improbable coincidences do occur on a daily basis with memoir and autobiography authors. Maybe their worlds are far more colorful than the average person. Unfortunately, when authors appear to inject shock and humor factor, it often comes with nauseating stereotypes, like one of the ancient, insane psychiatrist or the blaringly deranged mental patient.

At any rate, when I come across non-fiction, I prefer it to be so, even at risk of seeming dull or colorless to some. (I happen to find ugly but honest prose far more interesting than the jacked up stuff that gets published these days....)

So if you are on the spectrum, do you prefer non-fiction or fiction? If so, do you notice any of the above in today's non-fiction or is it just my imagination?

I actually prefer both.lolI'll read just about anything as long as it's in the pages of a book.

What you are talking about almost sounds like magical realism. Where some aspects of the book are indeed factual but their is some whimsy thrown in for good measure. I read non-fiction as well. I can't even focus on fiction.

I find a lot of non-fiction books do tend to over-exaggerate ; bordering on the lines of fiction in some places, in order to get an impression of impact.

I can't complain though, I do it myself in conversations. I am guilty as charged when it comes to the use of exaggeration in order to put a funny slant on an otherwise boring subject..

I'm definitely into non-fiction ; and not into any fiction.

After the first chapter of a fiction novel, I've forgotten the names of the 3rd, 4th, 5th characters ; net alone follow their intentions.
Into the 2nd chapter, my extreme feeling of disconnect from reality takes over, and I fall asleep.

The biggest factor in weather or not I enjoy a book is the quality of the ideas and writing. Those things tend to be better in fiction, so I tend towards fiction in general. I'm seriously uppity about my media.

I've seen stuff like this - fictionalized/exaggerated claims in an otherwise realistic autobiography. It annoys me. And it's not because I have anything against fiction - I love fiction.

I am willing to tolerate more from historical fiction, as long as it's clear from the outset that it's going to depart reality a bit.

Also, I would consider anything that departed from reality to make a point like that journalism rather than simple non-fiction. That's why even Hunter Thompson's books are considered Gonzo Journalism rather than non-fiction.

Wow, I could have written your post. I love reading NF books about people with mental disorders. In fact, it's mostly all I read. Some good ones I've found:

Wasted - Marya Hornbacher
Lucky - Alice Sebold
Girl, Interrupted - Susanna Kaysen
Tweak - Nic Sheff
Beautiful Boy - David Sheff
Dry and Running With Scissors - Augusten Burroughs
Sybil Exposed - Debbie Nathan

I've only ever read a few fiction books that I've enjoyed.

The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath (this book strongly parallels the writer's own life, so it's not entirely fictionalized)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kasey
The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold

I guess it depends on the book, but I'd much rather read non-fiction because it's written with facts and content rather than "fluff" and ridiculous occurrences that could never take place in real life. I'm more interested in reading things as they happened in chronological order rather than the traditional "introduction - climax - conclusion" storyline unique to fiction. I could never understand why all the girls in middle school enjoyed reading books about vampires and fairies - the knowledge that this stuff is fake kind of ruins the story before it even begins.