My precept for this book:
Let us all take a moment to cry. *sobs uncontrollably* -Colleen
So, if you couldn't tell, I cried a lot in this book. OK, I know they actually mentioned this in the book, but my first thought when I started this was, Elephant Man. I learned about Elephant Man during one of those random moments when you read Wikipedia for around two hours. You know what I'm talking about? No? Only me? OK then. This is awkward. If you don't already know, John Merrick was a man who developed severe deformities as he grew up. In 1884, when he was 21, a showman approached him to become a circus act. His show, "The Elephant Man" was pretty successful but he was robbed and abandoned by his show manager. At this point he had trouble talking, so he was put in the London Hospital, where he stayed for the rest of his life. He died at age 27 from dislocated neck. Thats the saddest part. Because of his deformity, he had to sleep upright, but he tried to sleep laying down to "be like other people." Also like August, he suffered from a combo of diseases. There was also a quote in the book that I found powerful. "Sometimes I think my head is so big because it is so full of dreams." -John Merrick
Anyway, I just wanted to start but saying that.
Here's some of my thoughts. One of my first impressions was that August and Via's parents treat them as younger than they are. They still tuck them into bed. They constantly "take August's face into their hands." Both Via and August tell their parents everything. Like I get telling your parents things, but they tell their parents EVERYTHING. On a side note, at one point Via and her mom were arguing about her riding the subway. They start talking about a MetroCard. I live in a mid-sized city. I have no idea what a MetroCard even is. *laughs* Another reference, lost on me.
The first time I cried in this book was when Jack was talking bad about August with Julian and the others. I HATED Jack at that point. And that Darth Sidious comment? AND THE SUCIDE COMMENT? I was SO mad. What they said was totally unacceptable. It goes to show all cruel some people are, even if they are young. On another note, can these kids not recognize each other's voices while wearing masks? Seriously though. *raise eyebrow*
One of the little quirks of Palacio's writing style was I noticed a lot of times when the characters were describing something that had happened to them, they would say "I was like...." For example: "And when she hug up, I was like, "whats up, what did he say?" I find this a bit awkward, if you know what I mean? But I guess that's the way kids actually talk, so it makes sense.
I felt like Julian's mom, Mrs. Alban was a bit over the top on the authors part. I don't believe that ANY mom would actually photoshop a deformed boy's face out of a school picture, or say that it was too hard for her son to deal with him. Her whole character was a bit much and villianistic (is that even a word? Apparently not.)
OK. Now that I'm done with my random thoughts, on to what this book meant for me. "Let's face it." she continues. "The universe was not kind to Auggie Pullman." This quote resonated with me just because of the depth of it. I think this book really showed how people treat others with deformities or disabilities. It also made me question my own life. I'll admit that sometimes I'll be one to stare at those with mental or physical disabilities. I definitely don't mean it. My elementary school was the "inclusion school" for autistic kids, so I grew up around them. Also, I know a boy my age who's in a wheelchair and can barely talk, only whisper. What I also know is that he's incredibly smart. So when I say that I stare, I'm trying to point out that everybody stares. Its kinda human nature. This book showed the pain that August goes through, JUST because people can't accept him for who he is.
I wasn't expecting this book to be in multiple perspectives, but I definitely enjoyed that it was. Only thing, Justin's point of view threw me off. No punctuation? GASP. And Jack and Augusts texting chapter? NOBODY types friends as frenz. Or uses that many 2s and 4s. Sorry to break it to you. But overall, it definitely added depth to the book to see the different types of views. I would probably still hate Jack to this day if not for his POV.
So in all, I love the message of this book, even if it was a bit cliche. He has a big happy ending, villain gone, all types of friends, wins an award for kindness, on and on. But again, who doesn't like happy endings? This book was amazing.
I'm going to leave you with this quote. I hope it speaks to you like it does to me. Keep reading and happy fall! (My favorite season!)
Let us all take a moment to cry. *sobs uncontrollably* -Colleen
So, if you couldn't tell, I cried a lot in this book. OK, I know they actually mentioned this in the book, but my first thought when I started this was, Elephant Man. I learned about Elephant Man during one of those random moments when you read Wikipedia for around two hours. You know what I'm talking about? No? Only me? OK then. This is awkward. If you don't already know, John Merrick was a man who developed severe deformities as he grew up. In 1884, when he was 21, a showman approached him to become a circus act. His show, "The Elephant Man" was pretty successful but he was robbed and abandoned by his show manager. At this point he had trouble talking, so he was put in the London Hospital, where he stayed for the rest of his life. He died at age 27 from dislocated neck. Thats the saddest part. Because of his deformity, he had to sleep upright, but he tried to sleep laying down to "be like other people." Also like August, he suffered from a combo of diseases. There was also a quote in the book that I found powerful. "Sometimes I think my head is so big because it is so full of dreams." -John Merrick
Anyway, I just wanted to start but saying that.
Here's some of my thoughts. One of my first impressions was that August and Via's parents treat them as younger than they are. They still tuck them into bed. They constantly "take August's face into their hands." Both Via and August tell their parents everything. Like I get telling your parents things, but they tell their parents EVERYTHING. On a side note, at one point Via and her mom were arguing about her riding the subway. They start talking about a MetroCard. I live in a mid-sized city. I have no idea what a MetroCard even is. *laughs* Another reference, lost on me.
The first time I cried in this book was when Jack was talking bad about August with Julian and the others. I HATED Jack at that point. And that Darth Sidious comment? AND THE SUCIDE COMMENT? I was SO mad. What they said was totally unacceptable. It goes to show all cruel some people are, even if they are young. On another note, can these kids not recognize each other's voices while wearing masks? Seriously though. *raise eyebrow*
One of the little quirks of Palacio's writing style was I noticed a lot of times when the characters were describing something that had happened to them, they would say "I was like...." For example: "And when she hug up, I was like, "whats up, what did he say?" I find this a bit awkward, if you know what I mean? But I guess that's the way kids actually talk, so it makes sense.
I felt like Julian's mom, Mrs. Alban was a bit over the top on the authors part. I don't believe that ANY mom would actually photoshop a deformed boy's face out of a school picture, or say that it was too hard for her son to deal with him. Her whole character was a bit much and villianistic (is that even a word? Apparently not.)
OK. Now that I'm done with my random thoughts, on to what this book meant for me. "Let's face it." she continues. "The universe was not kind to Auggie Pullman." This quote resonated with me just because of the depth of it. I think this book really showed how people treat others with deformities or disabilities. It also made me question my own life. I'll admit that sometimes I'll be one to stare at those with mental or physical disabilities. I definitely don't mean it. My elementary school was the "inclusion school" for autistic kids, so I grew up around them. Also, I know a boy my age who's in a wheelchair and can barely talk, only whisper. What I also know is that he's incredibly smart. So when I say that I stare, I'm trying to point out that everybody stares. Its kinda human nature. This book showed the pain that August goes through, JUST because people can't accept him for who he is.
I wasn't expecting this book to be in multiple perspectives, but I definitely enjoyed that it was. Only thing, Justin's point of view threw me off. No punctuation? GASP. And Jack and Augusts texting chapter? NOBODY types friends as frenz. Or uses that many 2s and 4s. Sorry to break it to you. But overall, it definitely added depth to the book to see the different types of views. I would probably still hate Jack to this day if not for his POV.
So in all, I love the message of this book, even if it was a bit cliche. He has a big happy ending, villain gone, all types of friends, wins an award for kindness, on and on. But again, who doesn't like happy endings? This book was amazing.
I'm going to leave you with this quote. I hope it speaks to you like it does to me. Keep reading and happy fall! (My favorite season!)
-Colleen