Brittany Nelson - Freak Show: Presenting Human Oddities for Amusement and Profit

In his book, Freak Show: Presenting Human Oddities for Amusement and Profit,  Robert Bogdan takes an in-depth look at human oddities, their place in the Amusement World, and their place in the human consciousness. In this book report, I want to examine how the exhibitions of individuals with exceptionalities were portrayed during the period of 1840-1940 and how this has impacted modern perceptions of these individuals.

Freak Show examines the role of freak shows in the Amusement World between 1840 and 1940 in the United States. Bogdan discusses the ins-and-outs of the Amusement world from their beginnings in Dime Museums (museums that featured amusement activities such as shows and rides, and later academic lectures.) to their involvement with large traveling circuses and annual World’s Fairs held across the United States and internationally. In his discussion of human oddities, Bogdan highlights the fraudulent, empowering and sometimes cruel aspects of life as a freak.

In his preface, the author noted his inspiration for delving into this topic. His son had told him that to identify villains in film and TV, the viewer only has to look at their appearance. Bogdan’s son noted that the good characters looked nice, while the villains were disfigured in some way. Many of the freaks presented at freak shows had some sort of physical deformity (such as The Bearded Lady, The Wold Man and The Man with Three Legs, as examples.) Freaks that were presented often had intellectual challenges, as well. These individuals were different from the general population in some way, and this difference was exploited for profit and fame by the circus industry. The book utilizes many case studies to make its case, one such reoccurring disability is microcephaly, which is a cognitive disability that reduces cognitive functionality. These people were portrayed as savages or people of different races. They were characterized by heads that narrowed at the top and their heads were often shaved, only leaving a small tuff of hair at the top. Upon reading this description, the image seemed all too familiar. Watching cartoons growing up, there was always a character that fits this description, they were used as comedic relief and that character often died or was severely injured in typical cartoon fashion. As in the cartoons, these people were called Pinheads in the entertainment industry. I believe that this portrayal of individuals with microcephaly influences how we perceive people with other cognitive challenges as they exhibit similar cognitive impairment. As a teacher, it is my responsibility to dispel these stereotypes that are still pervasive in modern cartoons and other areas of popular culture.

Human oddities were presented in two ways, or “modes”, the “exotic” mode and the “aggrandized” mode. Within the exotic mode, human oddities were portrayed as savages from distant lands or even creatures of another species. An example of this was “The Wild Men from Borneo,” or Hiram and Barney Davis. The Davis siblings were “Dwarfs” (or Little People, as they would now be referred to as) and had cognitive challenges. Showmen purported these siblings to be savages from Borneo. The siblings were portrayed as subhuman due to their short stature and cognitive impairments. This portrayal was later proven false when it was revealed that these children were in fact from the United States and had cognitive challenges. The Davis siblings exemplify the ethnocentrism present in the United States during this time period, as well as their supremacist attitudes towards those of other cultures and abilities. In the aggrandized mode, individuals were presented as royalty from other lands, or as world-renowned poets, musicians, or members of high-class society. An example of an individual being exhibited in this mode was Charles Sherwood Stratton, also known as General Tom Thumb. Giving individuals prefixes that indicated social status was a common feature of the aggrandized mode. Those featured in this mode were also given talents such as singing, dancing, writing poetry and miming. In the case of Stratton, he was taught how to sing, dance and mime, among others. Stratton was an anomaly, though. While some individuals had some talent, or were taught talents, others had no talent and any talent attributed to them was pure fabrication. Stratton was one of the few who achieved international fame and lived a comfortable life as a human curiosity. Most, however, did not achieve this level of fame and could barely make a living for themselves, with average wages being around $1.00 USD per day.

After reading this book, I have become more aware of the perception of individuals with exceptionalities in popular culture. As a teacher I want to make an effort to dispel these stereotypes and myths, as they were based upon speculation and racism as evidenced by the presentation of the Davis siblings.

Paul Esteves - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Paul Esteves

March 18^th 2014

3035533

            For this narrative essay I read The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, written by Jean-Dominique Bauby. In Jean-Dominique’s autobiography he writes about his life as an editor in chief of one of the most well respected fashion magazines in all of France. One day, when going to pick up his son, he suffers a cerebro-vascular accident affecting his brain stem. After slipping into a coma he awakes to find himself only able to move his left eye. However his cognitive functioning is still fully intact; this is known as locked in syndrome. The books talks about his struggles through this condition in which he is unable to move, eat, or talk, his only form of communication is through blinking his left eye. When I was reading this book I had a very open mind as the book goes from past to present often. You never knew what to expect, one moment he his confessing his darkest moment and they next he is cracking jokes about his situation.

            The entire novel is Jean- Dominique narrating his struggles through locked in syndrome. The novel is set mostly in this Berck hospital bed where he endures the mental battle of day-to-day life.  He describes his current physical state as a cocoon, yet his mind, which is still free, is a butterfly. His mind is his escape from his condition, his imaginative and impressive use of imagery allows him to relive his favorite moments in life with the people closest to him. Weeks after he awakes he in greeted by several doctors that had created a special wheelchair just for him, they dress him in an effort to bost his morale. He can hear the doctors talking and he is now under the impression that he will make a quick recovery of his speech and movement. Yet once he enters the wheelchair he realizes he truly in a quadriplegic, his hopes of recovering and gaining his life back are now crushed in front of his eyes and the real struggle sets in.

            His condition has caused him to lose sixty-six pounds in twenty weeks, yet he still manages to make a joke about it. His regular sessions with his physiotherapist Bridgette keep his optimism up as his movement is very slowly coming back, the phrase “We need to be very patient” is becoming a constant reoccurrence. Jean- Dominique’s only form of communication is his left eye, he must blink one letter at a time until he has spelt the word, then eventually a sentence. This of course is extremely difficult in the French language and it has many complex grammar rules. His first visitors arrive grieving over his condition; they dare not finish a word or sentence for him, yet, when visitors spend most of them time rambling on he feels a sense of relief as he is not left answering their questions they ask in fear. His relief didn’t last too long, since he was unable to care for himself so the nursing staff took care of those duties. One day while he was being pushed in his wheelchair he noticed a reflection in the glass; the reflection was his own. For the first time since the accident he saw what he had become, a half deaf paraplegic that could not care for himself and could only move his left eye. Despite his sudden realization he began to laugh, an uncontrollable nervous laughter. Even though he was physically left with only a working left eye he still maintained mental composure. The naval hospital in which Jean was staying was once a children’s hospital and housed many children during the tuberculosis epidemic after World War II. Which is now geared towards geriatrics, has many twists and turns that Jean has yet to discover, his favorite of which is Cinecittà. A part of the hospital in which its balconies give way to a beautiful red and white striped lighthouse that is accompanied by the Berck shoreline. This is a major tool for Jean’s geographical imagination, the sight of the open sea and the beautiful landscape it holds liberates his mind as his imagination takes flight. His creativity has him being the greatest director of all time to Pierrot la Fou (a famous French film character). His imagination was his only grasp of sanity.

            Jean’s life had become very routine, the same thing everyday. A routine that would drive most insane, physiotherapists visiting, nurses checking in and changing him, doctors monitoring his health and visitors wishing him the best. Yet his highlight from all these routines is when Sandrine, his speech therapist, works with him. If it were not for her, he would be cut off from the outside world, this is who set him up with blinking the alphabet to communicate. Even though it is only his guests, Sandrine and his psychologist that understand his method of communication he is still able to have that connection outside of himself. A week before his stroke Jean spent the night at his fathers house as he did not feel well, in the morning he shaved his father before he left. This is a memory that has remained engraved in his memory, as this was the last time he saw him. His father still calls him from time to time and talks to him even though he will knows he will never hear his son speak again. Drowned in negativity, Jean turns to imagery yet again to focus on the positive memories and things about his greatest memories with his father.

            Before Jean was hospitalized he had an even bigger job then editing a major French fashion magazine, he was a father. His 2 children Theophile and Celeste are both in the prime of their childhood, young and full of life, the exact opposite of Jean. The sight of his children enjoying his presence makes his day and fills him with joy, for the time being that is. Once they have left he sits and wonders where his relationship with Josephine (his children’s mother) went wrong. In his reflections he talks of the trips they took together, the destination unknown to both of them. They were both stubborn and loving in their ways, yet this is something that is popular in the French culture. Jean only recalls good vivid memories that keep him going in his daily on going mental battle. Six months after he began his new life Jean realized how much concern had been pouring out to him, he decided to address everyone in a letter updating his progress and to end the rumors floating around from his former co-workers. These letters were yet another means of escape, as it occupied his mind on what his friends and family were thinking, rather then focusing on his new life. He vividly recalls the day where he finally was able to take a wheelchair ride down to the beach, accompanied by Claude (the lady dictating the book) and Brice (his long time partner in crime). Brice is his dearest and oldest friend who he started his magazine with. They shared stories and laughter as they walked along the beach; this was not a normal day in which he reflected on his life and was then saddened by his present state but a day in which looking back he felt pride and accomplishment in his work. Seeing Brice had made him realize that he had worked so hard and accomplished what he set out to do.

Locked-in syndrome also greatly effects your hearing as well, yet it is in the plain silence of his hospital bed that Jean sees the beauty in the simple things around him that he can hear with little difficulty. Through this all you begin to understand how his view on life begins to change. It is not until the end of the book that you learn how that incident happened. Friday December 8^th 1995, Jean woke up as usual and prepares for his day at work. He is set to take Theophile to the theater after work, as they will spend the weekend together. His driver picks him up from an exhausting day and he is on his way to the country to pick him up and return back to the city. They pick up Theophile and he is slipping away, he beings to feel the sweat on his forehead and can’t breathe, he collapses in his seat. He recalls feeling like he had taken an LSD tablet. Theophile runs to his aunt’s house only blocks away, she is a nurse. She insists on getting him medical attention. He spends the next moments worrying about Theophile and how they would go to the play the Saturday night, soon after he sinks into a coma. He died March 9^th 1997.

For a young man that does not read very often, this was a pretty good read. The heavy subject matter of the book may seem like a lot to take in but the witty underlying humor that Jean incorporates to his story makes you smile. His realism is evident since after every rant or reflection he comes down off that high back to his reality. Through the difficulty of the situation he manages to see the bright side, he is not mad he has locked in syndrome but he is simply happy he has lived, loved and laughed. His love for life simply over powered the negativity of the situation. The novel was difficult at times to read since the setting and sometimes the time even changes at every chapter. Many times a chapter would recall a certain memory that would think about as a reminder of this life. In reading this book you realize that life can change in the blink of an eye. Never take anything for granted, as you never know when it could end.

In conclusion, Jean- Dominique wrote a beautiful book that teaches us all to enjoy what we have for as long as we can. Potential readers should understand that this will give you a new outlook on life. It made me take a good look at my own. Even through the heavy content in the book it holds a great message everyone should understand.   

Lucas Rodrigues - Book review The broken cord

The book I choose to review is entitled the broken cord which is the story of a single father who is raising a young child who has fetal alcohol syndrome.  This story begins with a single aboriginal man in his mid to late 20’s named Michael.  He is a well-educated graduate student at the time who later goes on to be professor at the beginning of the book he is not involved in any romantic relationship. He feels like something in his life is missing and has had the idea of becoming a father for a long time now. A lot of his family and friends were very surprised about his decision to willingly become a single father especially since he was still in his 20’s. He is also met by some surprised reactions along the way from people at the adoption agency who were confused as to why a young single man would choose to adopt a child by himself. After months of going through all the interviews and necessary paper work he receives a phone call saying he has been matched up with a child. He is instantly thrilled when he receives the good news, because he wasn’t sure if he would be able to adopt as a single young man. When he meets the agent in person his excitement is slightly brought into question with what the adoption agency agent tells him next. He says the little 3 year old boy was given a diagnosis of being mentally retarted that was told he would never be able to attend a public school. The child’s name is Adam and he taken from an abusive family on an aboriginal reserve. Even after hearing this news he agrees to take the child, because he believes this may be his only chance and he may not get another chance to adopt if he turns this one down.    

            Throughout the story he faces many people who are very critical of Adams development and skills. They see him as being limited by his disability and not by his personality. The fact that he is also of aboriginal decent does play a factor as well as this story was based in the late 1960’s early 70’s. He never gives up on his son and often refused to believe what others have to say about Adams developmental disabilities. When he originally gained custody of Adam the social worker told him that doctors believed Adam would never be able to attend public school due to his developmental disabilities. Much like every parent that cares about their children he never accepted this and was determined to do everything in his power to prove everyone wrong. Adam was below average for a child in his preschool class he was still wearing diapers and he had a very limited vocabulary for someone his age.  

 For a long time Michael is in denial about Adams condition and always want to blame it on him having a slow start to life where he had parents who did not nurture and raise him properly in those early years. He always found an outside reason which must be responsible for Adam’s slow skills in the classroom and never wanted to admit Adam was different from other students his age level. Michael adopted two more children after Adam and noticed that they developed at a much faster rate than Adam and surpassed him at a younger age.

Not only did he face challenges with his son’s fetal alcohol syndrome, but his son sometimes faced discrimination with being visually aboriginal. Adam birth parents had both lived and died at early ages on a reserve and he had multiple brothers and sisters who were split up and adopted by other families throughout the country. Michael only ever wanted the best for Adam, but as he grew older he did realize the reality that Adam would have restrictions on what he would be able to do so he finds him a vocational program where he learns basic skills and finds a job at a bowling alley. Michael had a hard time coming to terms with just how much fetal alcohol syndrome effected his son’s life, but even so it never stopped him from trying to give his son the best life that he could. It really shows that no matter how hard you try you can never erase a child disability so making the proper adaptations for a child is truly the best course of action for them to achieve success.

Personally I have a lot of respect for this man who as a single parent who adopted this child and did everything in his power to see him succeed. I think it takes a very brave person to take this challenge on as a single parent being told right from the beginning that expectations for his adopted son were not very high at all. This book does a good job at raising awareness of the issues that can arise of consuming alcohol during pregnancy. There is extensive research which links drinking while pregnant to developmental issues. The author also shed light on alcohol abuse on these aboriginal reservations and how damaging it can be not only for those who drink, but to the next generations who may have fetal alcohol syndrome as a result from it. I would highly recommend this book as it depicts a touching story of a man coming to terms with his son’s disability as well as acts as an advisory tale about the dangers of consuming alcohol while pregnant. 

The Broken Cord written by Micheal Dorris 

Emilia Radawetz - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime is an adult fiction novel that was written by Mark Haddon. This novel is written in first-person and follows the thoughts of a young boy named Christopher John Francis Boone whose symptoms suggest that he has Autism (Asperger's Syndrome). The story is set in 1998 in and around Swindon, and London England. The first time I read this novel was in grade 12 and I fell in love with it right away. Shockingly, reading this was my first learning experience regarding people with Asperger's Syndrome and I found it so interesting.

This novel opens with the narrator, Christopher, finding Wellington, a poodle belonging to Mrs. Shears, dead on her lawn with a golden fork stuck through its side at seven minutes past midnight. Finding this dog made Christopher very intrigued as to who would do this, and why. Christopher frequently leaves the story and explains things about himself or situations. It is never stated that he has Asperger's Syndrome but it is very obviously suggested by his hobbies, characteristics, lack of interest regarding any socializing, etc. He states that he has difficulty reading people's facial expressions; he can only read "happy" or "sad," he can name every country in the world including their capital cities, and he knows every prime number up to 7,057. The story resumes to Christopher in Mrs. Shears's lawn where he pulls the fork out of the dog and lifts it up. Mrs. Shears shows up on the patio and screams at Christopher to get away from her dog, resulting in Christopher curling up in a ball and covering his ears (first behavioural sign of someone with Autism). Mrs. Shears seems to think that Christopher is the one who killed Wellington, so she calls the police and they arrest him. Christopher's father shows up at the station and greets him with his hand fanned out, so Christopher can fan his out as well, as they touch (this is what they do instead of hug because Christopher does not like to be touched), and he gets him out of the station and takes him home. At home, Christopher finds his father crying in the living room and asks him if he is sad about Wellington, his father stares at him and responds, "yes." Christopher believes this, which is another sign of his lack of social awareness. Leaving the story again, he mentions that his mother died two years ago from a heart problem and that his father never let him visit her in the hospital. The novel continues with Christopher investigating the murder of Wellington, and leaving the story to talk more about himself and his life, including arguments that his parents used to have, how Mrs. Shears would sleep over after his mother had died, and how his father would get very angry whenever Mr. Shears (who left Mrs. Shears) was brought up in conversation. Christopher discovered many things while investigating this murder, including that his mother and Mr. Shears had an affair, his father and Mrs. Shears had an affair, his father lied about his mother's death (he hid many letters that his mother had written to him); she is actually alive living in London with Mr. Shears, and that his father killed Wellington. Christopher does not trust his father after finding this out and runs away on a train to London where on his journey, he overcomes many obstacles. The novel concludes with Christopher reuniting with his mother in London, rebuilding a new relationship with his father, and coming to the realization that he can do whatever he sets his mind to, regardless of his limitations.

I loved reading this book. The abrupt opening with Wellington's death caught my attention right away and Christopher's writing style kept my engaged. I like reading things that are straight to the point and blunt on occasion and that is what this novel consists of because of the fact that Christopher has Autism. He mentions that he can list every prime number up to 7, 057, so, every chapter is numbered as a prime number, therefore the chapter numbers do not go in normal numerical order starting from one. I also really liked all of the hidden meanings behind the story, which for me were that Christopher was struggling with his own independence, the way in which he handled situations, and loss. There is an extremely noticeable difference in Christopher's independence and the way in which he handles situations from the beginning to the end of the novel. There were a few times where when Christopher felt uncomfortable because of social situations he would cover his ears, lay on the ground, and curl up into a ball. He made it very clear that he does not like being around people or being touched. His father would have to greet him with his hand sprawled out like a fan so they could touch palms but later in the novel when Christopher finds all of his mother's letters, he is sick to his stomach and his father's touch does not effect him at all. His adventure at the train station and on the train resulted in many overcomings. There are obviously many people at a train station, and instead of curling into a ball on the ground, Christopher pretended like he was in a video game and that all of the people around him were guards. This action shows that he has matured a little bit and had enough courage to think of a way to deal with something that was very difficult for him. I really enjoyed learning about his character development, and it was so very refreshing to read about someone with Autism learning to cope; many people do not find the courage to do this. Lastly, Christopher had to cope with the emotional torment of learning that both his parents were having affairs, his mother was not in fact dead, and that his father was lying about his mother and also killed Wellington. It must have been hard enough thinking that his mother had passed away, never mind finding out that his own father lied about it. Showing emotion is not something Christopher does, so he copes in very unique ways (as I imagine many people with Autism would). He likes to get his mind off of things by engaging himself in activities he enjoys and thinking of logical explanations for everything. For example, Christopher's pet rat, Toby, dies in the novel and he copes by acknowledging that Toby lived a long life, and he is getting a new dog named Sandy. This way of coping is quite wonderful actually and many people can learn from this mindset. Thus novel was a light read but also a read that taught me a lot about people with Autism and I loved it.

Overall, I recommend this book to anyone and everyone above the age of about 12. It is a great adult fiction with so many opportunities to interpret it in different ways. I learned a lot about people with Autism (specifically Asperger's Syndrome); it definitely expanded my knowledge. The plot is interesting, engaging, and entertaining, and Christopher's thoughts are so interesting to read about.

Jessica Best - My Sisters Keeper

Jessica Best

EDUC-2530-005

March 6, 2014

Mike Link

My Sister’s Keeper- A Book Review by Jessica Best

In Jodi Picoult’s My Sister’s Keeper, the Fitzgerald’s face the struggle of childhood cancer, specifically, acute promyelocytic leukemia.  Kate Fitzgerald was diagnosed with the often life-taking disease at the young age of two years old, and because her older brother Jesse was not a match to donate for Kate, Anna was conceived through in vitro so she would be an exact genetic match.  Picoult tells the fictional story through multiple first person narratives, including Anna, her mother Sarah, her father Brian, her older brother Jesse, campbell the lawyer, as well as Julia who acts as Anna’s guardian ad litem.  Much of the novel is told in the present, however Sarah’s narratives act as flashbacks which start from the time Kate was diagnosed at the age of two, and slowly move towards the present.  

The novel begins with Anna, who is presently thirteen years old, going to see a lawyer in order to get medical emancipation from her parents.  Campbell Alexander thinks Anna is a joke and is about to send her off to planned parenthood, until she explains to him that she has been undergoing medical procedure after medical procedure in order to keep her sister alive, and in fact, this was the reason she was brought into this world.  Anna’s story hits close to home for Campbell, as he is a closeted epileptic, and he passionately takes on Anna’s case for no cost.  

The story begins to get tumultuous when Sarah is served the papers at the hospital and becomes furious with Anna for going against the family and her sister Kate, when she knows that if she stops donating, that Kate will die.  Brian however tries to see Anna’s side of things  which results in a strain on their marriage.  While all of this is going on, the eldest child, Jesse, is continuing down his rebellious path, burning down buildings as his father tries to put out the fires.  The dramatics continue in the story as Julia Romano, who happens to be Campbell’s long lost high school sweetheart, is assigned to be Anna’s guardian ad litem, forcing her to overcome her resentful feelings towards Campbell while they work together on Anna’s case.

Due to tension in the house, Brian takes Anna to stay at the fire station and things become rockier as Kate's kidney failure becomes serious and Anna refuses to change her mind about kidney donation and yet another surgery.  The living arrangement is also beneficial to Brian, as Sarah decides to represent herself and Brian in the lawsuit, giving him time to decide whether he will side with Anna or Sarah.  In the end he sides with Sarah, and throughout the extensive court dates and questionings, it is revealed by Anna that it was Kate who wanted her to get medical emancipation from her parents, as she felt she was the reason everyone in her family was so unhappy.  Campbell and Julia have a break through in the courtroom as well, as his very public seizure leaves him with no excuse to lie to Julia anymore about why he left her in the first place.

In the end Campbell and Anna win the case, but while in the car with Campbell on their way to go see Kate in the hospital, they are in a terrible accident that results in Anna’s death.  Anna’s kidney ends up going to Kate and saving her life, however the family is still left with the burden of burying a child, it just happened to be the one they thought would live.  

Throughout the novel, Picoult does an excellent job of illustrating the complexity of situations, and how there is always another side to the story.  While reading this novel I found myself empathizing with nearly every character in the story.  I love the way Picoult tells the story from so many points of view, as it allowed me to understand that many people deal with stress and crisis in a different way, and how your position in a crisis can greatly affect the way you feel it should be dealt with.  A great example is Jesse; it would be so easy as an outsider looking in, to judge him for being so rebellious because he has a sister that is sick and he shouldn’t be complicating the situation any further, or taking away his parents energy to deal with his problems which are so minor in comparison.  However Picoult gives a very realistic portrayal of a child who is lost in the chaos.  She reminds us that amidst a crisis, such as a child near death, the normal aspects of life still happen, whether they are convenient or not.  I think that My Sister’s Keeper is a novel that really grabs your attention, and makes it impossible to put down because the entire story is shocking.  Most thirteen year old children do not sue their parents, most parents do not have to consistently dance around the conversation of a child’s funeral plans, and most children are not conceived for the benefit of a sibling, and the ending of this novel follows suit as it is very unexpected.  I should have seen a shock like this coming, as I have read Picoult novels before and often they have a twist, but none the less, I was fully expecting to mourn Kate’s somewhat of a suicide after a long battle with her disease, but I was left mourning a different character.  The end was so heartbreaking as it only highlighted my sympathy for Sarah and Brian, as it seems that things only get harder for them.

Overall I really enjoyed this novel.  I loved that she chose such challenging topics to write about, and really showed every aspect of both the struggles and joys the Fitzgerald’s went through.  The novel did great justice to the strength and dynamics of the family as Picoult does not try to paint a picture of a super-human family that makes every decision correctly.  Rather, Picoult paints a very realistic picture of a family dealt a stressful situation, and sheds light on the idea that one needs to stop and think about the complexities of a situation before judging someones choices.  I think Picoult set out to show her readers that the horrors of childhood cancer do not stop at the child and parents, it truly affects every single aspect of their life, from big to small, important to less important, everything is tainted by the disease and everyone is changed and forced to adapt to what life has become.  In my opinion, Picoult succeeded in what she set out to do, and therefore I would recommend this novel.  Although this novel is meant to educate people on the effects of childhood cancer on the family unit, it is friendly to a wider range of readers as it is a fictional story, therefore I would recommend this novel not only to those who want to widen their views on childhood cancer, but anyone who enjoys fictional novels.

Picoult, J. (2004). My Sister’s Keeper. New York: Atria Books.

Amy Fidler - There's A Boy In Here

The book I chose for this book review is called “There’s a Boy in Here” by Judy and Sean Barron. It is an autobiography that focuses on a boy who has Autism. This mother and son duo that shared their life experiences wanted to show autism from both perspectives. It is easy for someone to get wrapped up in their own feelings and not think about how someone else is feeling; that is especially the case with autism because the emotions you feel are even stronger. I chose this book because I didn’t know much about Autism and I wanted to educate myself on it, whether I would come across a child who had Autism in my future classrooms or not. I also chose this particular book because it was told by two different people; seeing it by both perspectives will really help others’ who have Autism in their family.

This book focuses on the life of a boy named Sean Barron. It is a brief account of his life and the struggles he faced growing up with autism. It shows how he handled some big moments in his life like the birth of his baby sister Megan. Though Sean was accustomed to running around the house, throwing things, breaking things, and yelling, he never did anything to put Megan in harm’s way. It also showed how he handled going to school for the first time and the many times later. Sean actually enjoyed school because it had a schedule that was always the same and if there was one thing Sean loved it was consistency and being in control. When Sean was first born and started showing signs that he was different, nobody thought too much of it because no two children are the same. However, as time went on his parents, specifically his mother Judy started to worry and ask questions. Once Judy’s fears that she was the reason for her son’s behavior were put to rest, the family tried getting a doctors opinion. They visited many and got diagnosis, medication, recommendations and advice that didn’t seem to help Sean in the long term. Once Sean was diagnosed with autism he was given several different exercises to try that might help him calm down and help his development. Once the Barron’s realized nothing was working they took him to Beechbrook; a residential school with fully trained teachers and psychologists who help children with learning disabilities. Sean lived there during the week and was taken home on weekends, but this was another attempt that didn’t work. Sean moved back home and continued with his disruptive routines until he was in high school. He finally got a slight understanding of people and how to communicate with them. He was able to carry out conversations and make friends. The most life changing moment for Sean was when the family was watching a movie about a 5 year old boy who also had autism. When the movie was over Sean asked his mom if he had that and had many mind blowing realizations. As Sean got older and broke more and more out of his mold he accomplished many things. He developed beautiful relationships with all of his family, graduated high school, graduated from college, got many different jobs, had girlfriends, got his license and lived on his own.

This is definitely an eye opening book and it made me really appreciate families that have autistic members. The patience and self-assurance you need is extreme and autism takes a large toll on your life whether you have it yourself or someone you love has it. Throughout the first couple of pages alone Judy mentions that Sean rarely looks at her and acts like she doesn’t even exist. I am very enthusiastic about one day starting my own family and if my children were unaware of my presence and didn’t allow me to comfort them or hold them I would be crushed. Just reading about Judy’s experiences breaks my heart. I had a hard time reading the parts where Judy admits to hitting Sean because that is the only way she could seem to get him to look at her or get any reaction from him. I agree with her starting belief that you don’t hit your children, so to visualize her breaking her own morals just to get her son to look at her is really heartbreaking. After reading Judy’s perspective on something I was always really excited to see what Sean had to say on the subject. Often he didn’t understand why he was being reprimanded and he thought his parents hated him because they kept punishing him for liking things. Even when Sean knew there were good and bad behaviors and tried to do the good ones he couldn’t, because he was never in control until things changed in high school. Even when they did change in high school he had to work really hard to do things that people take for granted every day. In the book Sean says it’s as if he is on a merry go round and doesn’t know how to get off and I found that to be very powerful. It would be awful to know what was expected of you, but to also know no matter how hard you try you can never achieve it.

This is a great read for an array of people: future teachers, parents with children who have autism, children with autism, friends and family, and anybody else. The only people I wouldn’t recommend this book to are children who can’t read or will not understand what they are reading; other than that I would recommend this book to everyone. Anyone connected to somebody with autism would get the most out of reading this book, but again I think it should be read by all. I think it is a really important book to go around because it shows both perspectives and openly shows the struggles the Barron’s went through. A lot of times people want to sugar coat disabilities and that doesn’t help anybody who is trying to learn about them or live with them.

Kaylee Colter -Anythign But Typical

Kaylee Colter 

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March 11^th 2014

Anything But Typical

The book I read was called Anything But Typical, by the author Nora Raleigh Baskin. The way Baskin wrote the book was very interesting, it was like an autobiography and she wrote if from the perspective of a young autistic boy she knew. Not everything in the book was written exactly how it happened and how the boy would have seen it, because obviously she couldn’t know exactly what was going on inside someone else’s head. Reading it from this perspective gave me a great understanding of what sort of things could be going in the mind of an autistic child. This book could be used as a great way for anyone to get an idea about how someone with autism lives their life every day and some of the simple things that challenge them that a lot of us simply take for granted.

The book starts out with Jason Blake, the autistic boy talking about how all people like to talk in their own language because that is what they understand the best, which is how he wanted this book to sound to the readers. Jason wanted it to be in his language. He calls people who do not have autism neurotypical, and he is aware that they are different from him. Jason is often misunderstood at school and he has had his share of trouble with his teachers and classmates. He really only feels comfortable with his family; his father, brother and especially his mother. His mother would go out of her way to do anything for him, she also tries hard to make him seem as normal as possible. Once his younger brother gets a little bit older they became friends, and Jason loves the way that his brother knows that even when it is hard for him to talk and answer questions that he is not trying to ignore you on purpose. His brother understands him and is always there for him.

His teachers never seem to understand that he really is trying and things just take him a little bit longer than most students, he is often punished for things he does unintentionally at school, but it happens so often that it really doesn’t even bother him anymore. Now that he’s older and the students are starting to notice more that he is different, he doesn’t have many friends. There is still one boy who is always nice to Jason and who Jason considers to be his friend, ­­­­­­even though they only talk what they are at school. Jason has a hidden talent that not many people know about, he is great at writing stories and he posts his stories on a web site called story bird, so that other people can read them and comment on them if they want to. He is also great at using computers. There is this one girl Phoenix Bird, who reply’s to one of his stories and then they become friends and they talk back and forth over the computer. Jason can’t believe that he has a friend who is actually a girl and he tells some people at school he has a girlfriend, even though he knows they aren’t actually going to meet and he doesn’t even know what her real name is.

Phoenix Bird does not know about Jason’s autism and when he finds out that they are both going to the same story bird convention he doesn’t what to see her there because he is afraid that she will find him disgusting like other girls do if she finds out. Eventually they do end up meeting anyways and at first Phoenix Bird is surprised at who Jason is and she expected someone very different because of all of his stories, but eventually she accepts him and his autism.

I really enjoyed reading this book, and I found it really interesting that is was written form the perspective of a young boy with autism, so that you were able to get an idea about what it must be like to live with autism. It is a really good book and an easy read, I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who works with autistic children in school, because of the unique look it gives you to how the child could be feeling at certain times. The book could help to give you some insight to why he or she reacts the way they do and what are some of the thing that they need to help them have an easier more successful day. Another reason why I really appreciated reading this book was because I found it really helped me get a better understanding of a little boy I have worked with all year in a grade five classroom. He has autism and a lot of the stuff that was said in the book can related to him and the way that he acts in different situations.

Anything But Typical was a really good book and I suggest that all future teacher read this book or a book similar to it because it can help give you a better understanding about what autistic students go through every day and the different challenges that they have to face. This book shows that even though Jason does have autism it doesn’t stop him from living his life and he doesn’t need to be normal to be happy. I loved the way the author really took her time and researched what she was writing about it made the story really interesting and different, absolutely worth the read!