This was a book that was a SUPER quick read. I read it in basically 3 sittings. It is told from the perspective of a 10 year old with cerebral palsy. She has never been able to talk, and for the first half of the book she hasn't been able to communicate her thoughts except through basic words on her communication board. She then gets a talking machine, which helps her communicate with her classmates and feel like she is a "normal" child. She is then able to show just how smart she is, and deals with the stigma that she still has.
This book was sadder than I thought it would be. She reminds me of some of my students (but I can't talk about them), and a girl I worked with as a peer tutor in high school. She had CP and couldn't do much for herself. She couldn't talk, walk, or use the bathroom independently. But she was so smart. She could only communicate by blinking, but we tested her knowledge by asking her yes or no questions. She would blink for "yes", and stare for "no". She could do multiplication tables in her head, and quickly. However, people kept their distance from her because she couldn't talk. When you add that to the meanness of fifth grade (which was traumatizing enough for me), it makes for a hard time. But she eventually learns that she will always be different, and she is OK with it.
No comments:
Post a Comment