Before I give my recommendation and why, let me get a few things clear. The author: John Mooney is someone at a very young age who was diagnosed with dyslexia, autism and a severe learning disability. He was told by the principal to his mother that he would never make past the first few grades, let alone through high school. His mother didn't believe him and pulled him out of school to teach him herself for several years before bringing him back. Despite the fact he couldn't read until he was twelve, he was a naturally gifted writer who despite all the teasing, got to high school and became a jock and a bully to "fit in". After failing out of Freshman year in college, he signed up for Brown University. Where it's unique program has no set classes you have to take to graduate. You choose the classes that fit your strengths and with this, he graduated with a masters in writing. After co-writing a book, he took a short bus where all the "disabled" kids had to ride in and traveled the U.S. to find more stories about people with disabilities who are coping and making it on their own despite their handicaps and societies judgment if any on them. And the definition of "being normal" is to these people and what societies judgment is. When I read this the first time, I just graduated from college with a bachelors after growing up with years of therapy to "fit into" societies norms. They said when I started school I would never, ever, make it. Reading this book brings you into the stories of peoples lives who are deaf, autistic, learning disabled and other such problems. But when you read them, you don't see that, you see human beings who live their lives despite everything thrown at them. It's a beautiful book. Many stories fill you with hope as tears slide down your face as you read about a little girl who is legally blind and has 200/20 eyesight in one eye while being deaf. But as you read on, you forget that and find yourself relating to her and her joy in the simplest pleasures. Or relating when she tortures her older brother like all sisters do. The whole book is filled with stories like this, and I'd highly recommend it to anyone.
