How an Autism Diagnosis Finally Made Me Whole
A Little Less Broken by Marian Schembari is a candid and darkly humorous memoir about growing up feeling out of place—and the long journey toward self-understanding after discovering she is autistic as an adult.
The book follows Schembari from childhood through adulthood as she navigates anxiety, depression, unstable relationships, religious confusion, and a constant sense that she is fundamentally “wrong.” Raised in a conservative Christian environment, she struggles to reconcile her inner world with external expectations. Throughout her life, she searches for answers in therapy, spirituality, self-help, and romantic relationships, often trying to reshape herself to fit what others seem to do effortlessly.
At the heart of the memoir is her late autism diagnosis, which reframes much of her past. Experiences that once felt like personal failures—social missteps, sensory overwhelm, rigid thinking, difficulty connecting—begin to make sense through a new lens. Rather than offering a neat transformation story, Schembari presents self-discovery as messy, nonlinear, and ongoing.
Written with sharp wit and emotional honesty, A Little Less Broken explores themes of identity, neurodivergence, faith, belonging, and the pressure to appear “normal.” Ultimately, the memoir is not about becoming perfect or fully healed, but about learning to accept oneself as fundamentally whole—even when life still feels complicated.
