985 words
8 minute read
1.
Genre: Historical Fiction
Disability Representation: Yes (burns and trauma)
Rating: 4/4 Wheels (Loved it!)
Excerpt of GoodReads Summary: Why is the land so important to Cassie's family? It takes the events of one turbulent year—the year of the night riders and the burnings, the year a white girl humiliates Cassie in public simply because she's black—to show Cassie that having a place of their own is the Logan family's lifeblood. It is the land that gives the Logans their courage and pride—no matter how others may degrade them, the Logans possess something no one can take away.
What I Thought: I've heard excerpts of this book read aloud to me as a teenager, and I'm pretty sure I read it in my 20s as well...but I feel like this time...it hit me right in the gut. Holy God. I can so see why this one's an award-winning book. As a child, certain aspects of this story stood out to me, but now... It's like...fully seeing what both the children and the adults in the Logan family had to contend with... It's mind-blowing. Such an amazing, heartbreaking story.
Genre: Young Adult
Disability Representation: Yes (Schizophrenia mainly, I think.)
Rating: 2/4 Wheels (Liked it)
Excerpt of GoodReads Summary: Caden Bosch is a brilliant high school student whose friends are starting to notice his odd behaviour.
What I Thought: I tried to read this book a few years ago, and got maybe over halfway through before abandoning it. It is admittedly hard to follow, going back and forth between Caden's real life and his inner life / thought life. Based on what I saw via reviews on GoodReads from people who shared aspects of Caden's diagnoses, they say the representation in the book is stunningly accurate. (And it has to be mentioned that author, Neal Schusterman collaborated on this book with his son, Brendan Schusterman, who shares Caden's mental health conditions) and it shows. It was amazing to read such neurodiverse representation. Had it been easier to follow, I would have definitely rated it even higher.
2.
Genre: Young Adult
Disability Representation: Yes (Schizophrenia mainly, I think.)
Rating: 2/4 Wheels (Liked it)
Excerpt of GoodReads Summary: Caden Bosch is a brilliant high school student whose friends are starting to notice his odd behaviour.
What I Thought: I tried to read this book a few years ago, and got maybe over halfway through before abandoning it. It is admittedly hard to follow, going back and forth between Caden's real life and his inner life / thought life. Based on what I saw via reviews on GoodReads from people who shared aspects of Caden's diagnoses, they say the representation in the book is stunningly accurate. (And it has to be mentioned that author, Neal Schusterman collaborated on this book with his son, Brendan Schusterman, who shares Caden's mental health conditions) and it shows. It was amazing to read such neurodiverse representation. Had it been easier to follow, I would have definitely rated it even higher.
3.
Genre: Musicals
Disability Representation: Yes (social anxiety, various other mental health things)
Rating: 2/4 Wheels (Liked it)
Excerpt of GoodReads Summary: A letter that was never meant to be seen, a lie that was never meant to be told, a life he never dreamed he could have. Evan Hansen is about to get the one thing he's always wanted: a chance to finally fit in. Both deeply personal and profoundly contemporary, DEAR EVAN HANSEN is a new American musical about life and the way we live it.
What I Thought: To be honest, we've had this book for a while, but it's taken me a while to read it. Jordan Fisher joining the cast as "the first ethnic Evan" (from January to May, 2020) is a big motivator. Knowing I won't get to Broadway to see this, I endeavored to absorb all the Evan Hansen I could in every possible way. So, I did like the book. Tara and I cried several times. The musical is incredible and it was great learning about the actors and writers. But as usual, tracking issues made actual reading difficult for me. This book has large pages and columns that were hard for me to follow. (Hence the two wheels.) But it was a good one, and I'm glad to have read it.
Genre: Psychology
Disability Representation: Yes (trauma)
Rating: 3/4 Wheels (Really liked it!)
Excerpt of GoodReads Summary: What happens when a young brain is traumatized? How does terror, abuse, or disaster affect a child's mind--and how can that mind recover? Child psychiatrist Bruce Perry has helped children faced with unimaginable horror: genocide survivors, murder witnesses, kidnapped teenagers, and victims of family violence. In The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog, he tells their stories of trauma and transformation through the lens of science, revealing the brain's astonishing capacity for healing.
What I Thought: This book was super eye-opening as far as information about how early neglect and trauma can impact a young brain. I really loved reading most of the case studies and getting to know the different children and what was done to help them. I also appreciated reading the most up-to-date version (though there were a few unevolved disability attitudes which is why I couldn't give it 4 wheels...)
Genre: Childrens > Middle Grade
Disability Representation: Yes, (mental health) also D/deaf representation.
Rating: 2/4 Wheels (Liked it)
Excerpt of GoodReads Summary: After all the backstage ghost drama during Phantasm, things are quiet for the Backstagers of the St. Genesius School Drama Club. Too quiet. But when that quiet is filled by a mysterious voice that haunts the Backstagers day and night, they set off on a globetrotting adventure to discover the ancient secrets of the legendary artifacts of the theater. Can they solve the mystery in time to open their production of the rock musical Tammy?
What I Thought: This book was dedicated to the cast of Deaf West's Spring Awakening, and written by Andy Mientus. Because of this, I was eager to read the D/deaf representation, especially. Knowing that Mientus did have input from a couple of DWSA castmates on the D/deaf character did show, as the representation was stronger than I'm used to. Still Adrienne read a bit like token representation. She's very much on the outside of the group and she didn't have much say over what happened to her. I did like reading how the characters adapted for her, showing that it is possible to include others in theatre productions. (An especially good message for kids!) The mental health representation, on the other hand, did feel quite authentic and that character was quite layered. A good read.
Related: 37 Books I Read in 2019 / 30 Books I Read in 2018
4.
Genre: Psychology
Disability Representation: Yes (trauma)
Rating: 3/4 Wheels (Really liked it!)
Excerpt of GoodReads Summary: What happens when a young brain is traumatized? How does terror, abuse, or disaster affect a child's mind--and how can that mind recover? Child psychiatrist Bruce Perry has helped children faced with unimaginable horror: genocide survivors, murder witnesses, kidnapped teenagers, and victims of family violence. In The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog, he tells their stories of trauma and transformation through the lens of science, revealing the brain's astonishing capacity for healing.
What I Thought: This book was super eye-opening as far as information about how early neglect and trauma can impact a young brain. I really loved reading most of the case studies and getting to know the different children and what was done to help them. I also appreciated reading the most up-to-date version (though there were a few unevolved disability attitudes which is why I couldn't give it 4 wheels...)
5.
Genre: Childrens > Middle Grade
Disability Representation: Yes, (mental health) also D/deaf representation.
Rating: 2/4 Wheels (Liked it)
Excerpt of GoodReads Summary: After all the backstage ghost drama during Phantasm, things are quiet for the Backstagers of the St. Genesius School Drama Club. Too quiet. But when that quiet is filled by a mysterious voice that haunts the Backstagers day and night, they set off on a globetrotting adventure to discover the ancient secrets of the legendary artifacts of the theater. Can they solve the mystery in time to open their production of the rock musical Tammy?
What I Thought: This book was dedicated to the cast of Deaf West's Spring Awakening, and written by Andy Mientus. Because of this, I was eager to read the D/deaf representation, especially. Knowing that Mientus did have input from a couple of DWSA castmates on the D/deaf character did show, as the representation was stronger than I'm used to. Still Adrienne read a bit like token representation. She's very much on the outside of the group and she didn't have much say over what happened to her. I did like reading how the characters adapted for her, showing that it is possible to include others in theatre productions. (An especially good message for kids!) The mental health representation, on the other hand, did feel quite authentic and that character was quite layered. A good read.
Related: 37 Books I Read in 2019 / 30 Books I Read in 2018
***
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please feel free to leave a comment. I always love hearing from people. :)