One of the rare book I really loved as a child that wasn't an animal story! Neil Oxley is a typical "tween" boy, who seemingly has a great family life. His "perfect pitch" father is a stockbroker, who plays the piano and composes in his spare time, and life is good in their middle-class apartment building. Neil's family has a secret, however: his thirteen-year-old sister Geraldine (Gerri), a severely developmentally disabled girl who has lived nearly her entire life in an institution, where she has essentially been neglected such that she can't speak, or even feed herself. In fact, she doesn't even know what "real" food is, as she's been fed nothing but baby food all her life, but despite the challenges, her family (most especially Neil's mother) decides that she wants to bring her home to live with them.
Despite some visits to the institution, the family hasn't been aware of how serious Gerri's issues are, or how much care and supervision she's actually going to require. When frustrated, like an autistic child, she engages in self-harm by banging her head against a wall until it's swollen and black-and-blue. When she takes to doing it at the family home, the neighbors start to complain that she's keeping them up all night, which leads to even more conflict. As Gerri's never been exposed to a home environment, having her there seemingly results in one disaster after another, until it strains the family to the breaking point. I'm somewhat familiar with many of the issues presented, as both of my parents were special education teachers before they retired, primarily teaching autistic children, so many of the episodes described in the book are all too familiar.
Despite the seriousness of the subject matter, this book is a very good introduction to a younger audience what living with a profoundly disabled child may be like, for their friends, or even for those who actually do, validating their feelings and concerns, as the center of home life becomes Gerri and her many issues and problems. If children need to be taught empathy, stories like these, which are raw but realistic, are a good way to do it, as it's often difficult for their peers or even relatives to articulate their thoughts and feelings about facing similar challenges. It's a very real, and thought-provoking book for young adults, which I also enjoyed, having read again this week, as an adult. It would be a good one for group discussion, in fact.
Despite some visits to the institution, the family hasn't been aware of how serious Gerri's issues are, or how much care and supervision she's actually going to require. When frustrated, like an autistic child, she engages in self-harm by banging her head against a wall until it's swollen and black-and-blue. When she takes to doing it at the family home, the neighbors start to complain that she's keeping them up all night, which leads to even more conflict. As Gerri's never been exposed to a home environment, having her there seemingly results in one disaster after another, until it strains the family to the breaking point. I'm somewhat familiar with many of the issues presented, as both of my parents were special education teachers before they retired, primarily teaching autistic children, so many of the episodes described in the book are all too familiar.
Despite the seriousness of the subject matter, this book is a very good introduction to a younger audience what living with a profoundly disabled child may be like, for their friends, or even for those who actually do, validating their feelings and concerns, as the center of home life becomes Gerri and her many issues and problems. If children need to be taught empathy, stories like these, which are raw but realistic, are a good way to do it, as it's often difficult for their peers or even relatives to articulate their thoughts and feelings about facing similar challenges. It's a very real, and thought-provoking book for young adults, which I also enjoyed, having read again this week, as an adult. It would be a good one for group discussion, in fact.
