Steve Silberman was an acclaimed author known for his award-winning science writing, musings on the music of the Grateful Dead, and acclaimed advocacy for the autistic and neurodivergent community.
- Died: August 28, 2024 (Who else died on August 28?)
- Details of death: Died at the age of 66.
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Steve Silberman’s legacy
Steve Silberman was an acclaimed writer and advocate in three different communities: science and tech, autism and neurodivergency, and legendary band The Grateful Dead. He earned his master’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, launching a career as a writer and journalist soon after. His science writing has appeared in Wired, The New York Times, The New Yorker, and many other publications.
Silberman gained international acclaim with his 2015 book, “NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity,” which discusses both the history and future of autism and neurodiversity. The book has been hailed as an important work in humanizing those with autism. The New York Times, Boston Globe, and others named it one of the year’s best books, plus “NeuroTribes” earned Silberman the 2015 Samuel Johnson Prize for non-fiction and the 2016 Erikson Institute Prize for Excellence in Mental Health Media. He also delivered the keynote speech at the United Nations for World Autism Awareness Day in 2016, one of many notable addresses he made over the course of his career.
Silberman enjoyed a second life as a music writer, largely — though not exclusively — focused on the work of The Grateful Dead. He attended his first concert in 1973, and when he moved to San Francisco in 1979, it was in part so he could live openly as a gay man without fear and be closer to the music he loved. He eventually co-produced the Dead’s award-winning 1999 box set, “So Many Roads (1965-1995),” co-hosted a podcast with folk visionary David Crosby (1941—2023), and wrote the liner notes in albums by Crosby, Stills & Nash, the Jerry Garcia Band, and others.
Notable quote
“When I die, please don’t say that I’ve crossed over into the spirit realm, gone to the Other Side, moved on to a better place, rejoined my ancestors, or any other of those comforting fables. Just selfishly or selflessly use my own impermanence to WAKE UP to your own.” — Facebook post, August 13, 2024
Tributes to Steve Silberman
Full obituary: The San Francisco Standard
