"Wonder" by R.J. Palacio
Prepare
yourself emotionally before reading this book. Go ahead, build that little wall
that keeps your heart in your chest while getting lost in fiction. I did not
get that warning. There were tears.
Granted,
this was a wonderful (no pun intended) read, but it still hurt my heart to
vicariously go through a “normal” day in the life of August Pullman. He was
born with a 1-in-4 million chance craniofacial abnormality. This means that he
does not look like a “normal” kid. He never really describes himself, but he
mentions his “cauliflower” ears, “melted cheese” features and “tortoise mouth.”
The picture these comparisons paint is not a pretty one. Auggie never lashes
out at the kids who make fun of him for looking the way he does, and that is
the most heroic thing I’ve ever heard of!
Before
starting school, Auggie led a slightly sheltered life with his fantastic
parents buffering the cruelty of the outside world. His sister was the same,
always considering her brother’s feelings. But, when Auggie starts middle
school and Via starts high school, all bets seem to be off. It isn’t easy
starting school for a “normal” kid, much less an abnormal kid and his sister.
Auggie struggles. Via struggles. They don’t communicate their struggles very
well with each other or their parents so they struggle more.
At
his school. Auggie gets made fun of, but he perseveres! He makes a few good
friends and continues to exude wit, kindness and charm and eventually wins
people over! It’s so satisfying to the bullies to stand up for him! It’s what
we all want to see in real life every day and hopefully because of stories like
this, we can see it more often! This story deals with bullying, responding to
bullying, death (pet and human), betrayal, courage, emotional growth and so
many more major issues that exist in the world today.
Within an hour
of finishing this book, I recommended it to two students and a coworker. Now, I
recommend it to you. If you are willing to have your heart broken and mended in
a new and improved fashion, and ready to reconsider your outlook on the world
and the people in it, read this book.
Movie Vs.
Book (according to the NY Times)
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