Book review: "The Running Dream" by Wendelin van Draanen

Title: The Running Dream
Author: Wendelin van Draanen
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2011

Jessica is an all-star runner, on track to really make a name for herself in the sport, until a horrific bus accident takes away one of the most important things for her: her right leg. Now, she is unable to walk well, let alone run. At first she is in a very dark place, sulky and heartbroken. But eventually she realizes she needs to get back out in the world, and get moving again.

Told in the present tense, Jessica tells her story to the readers as it happens to her. She tells us about her rehabilitation, getting her prosthesis (fake leg), and the incredible support she receives from her teammates and peers, as well as her community at large. She also makes an unlikely friend in Rosa, a freshman with cerebral palsy who has difficulty communicating and needs a wheelchair to move, but who is brilliant at math. Jessica's journey of healing both physically and mentally brings together not only the people in her school to fight for her cause, it also unites her community around her goals.

Wendelin van Draanen's writing is incredibly realistic, and it is clear she did her research. Never was I left thinking something didn't sound right or feel unsure about the medical issues, the track lingo, or the problems that Jessica's family had with insurance. Everything felt authentic, including Jessica's struggle to accept this drastic change to her life and move on. She not only had to deal with the future of her running career, but also the day-to-day difficulties and worries, like if boys would ever find her attractive now.

I really appreciated the inclusion of Rosa in this book. van Draanen could have easily focused on Jessica and her recovery alone, but Rosa adds so much more complexity and richness to the story. Rosa often writes Jessica philosophical notes, which often ground her and help her to realize what she does have instead of what she's lost. The most important message we come out with is that we need to see the person, and not the condition.

Bonus: Oscar Pistorius is briefly mentioned, which I found really great since I had been thinking about him a lot while reading this because of his competing in the Olympics this year.

This was a great, realistic, inspirational read about overcoming seemingly impossible odds to meet your goals and to truly appreciate what you are given.

Disclosure: I got this book from the library.

Note: I started to listen to this on audio, and let me save you the time: Don't bother. I thought it was horrible and had to stop a few tracks in. I just couldn't stand listening to the woman narrating; it felt like she was overacting, plus she kept raising her inflection at the end of almost every sentence.

Audiobook Review: "Out of My Mind" by Sharon M. Draper

Title: Out of My Mind
Author: Sharon M. Draper
Publisher: Recorded Books, 2010 (print available from Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2010)
Narrator: Sisi Aisha Johnson

Melody knows thousands of words. She is pretty sure she has a photographic memory, and she has synthesthesia—to her, music has color and taste. But even though she's 10 years old, no one in her life knows any of this. She has never spoken a single word in her life and has no way of communicating to her teachers, parents or anyone else. Melody has cerebral palsy, making it impossible for her to move or speak.

Sharon Draper brings us inside Melody's mind in this novel, told from Melody's own perspective. Her struggles, frustrations, and pain grabbed hold of my heart while I listened to Sisi Aisha Johnson's lovely narration. I became really invested in Melody and her family. I got angry when people treated her poorly, I got frustrated when people couldn't figure out what she wanted, I got sad when she knew she'd never be able to tell her parents with her own voice that she loves them. When bad things happen to anyone she loves, I got sad and sick with her. Often after I shut off the car to go to work, Melody's story stayed with me and I wondered what would happen to her when I finally returned to the story.

But ultimately, this is a story of survival and of hope. There is help for Melody, and she and her family do their best to get it. Melody begins to integrate into the regular schoolrooms, not just in the special education classroom, and begins to be challenged in her schoolwork for the first time. And finally, she finds a way to communicate better than she ever has in her life, leading to a whole new set of challenges for her.

Johnson does a wonderful job narrating. She sounded like a young girl, giving distinct voices to the different characters in Melody's life. She gives Melody a voice full of yearning and anger and sorrow and hope.

Out of My Mind not only is a great book to read if you're looking for the perspective of someone physically disabled, whether you use it in a classroom or suggest it to a library patron, it also is just a great book to read, period.

Disclosure: I checked this audiobook out from the library.

Audiobook Review: "The Off Season" by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Title: The Off Season
Author: Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Publisher: Listening Library, 2007 (print edition from Houghton Mifflin)
Narrator: Natalie Moore

Starting where Dairy Queen left off, D.J. tells the story of the fall of her junior year. Things seem to be going her way finally, what with playing for her high school's football team, spending time with Brian Nelson, and doing better in school. Her older brothers are talking with her family again, though her oldest brother Win is still a bit distant. But D.J. lets us know right away that this won't last, since she tells us she's writing all this in a hospital. Things start to go downhill when she and Brian end up in a feature for People after a misunderstanding (which is kind of hilarious, by the way). Things quickly get worse after Amber runs off with Dale, her girlfriend, and D.J. has to stop football because of an injury. But the worst event happens during one of Win's college games—he gets hit in just the wrong way, causing a spinal cord injury that leaves him partially paralyzed.

Still told with humor, though the story D.J. is telling is clearly more serious than her previous one, The Off Season is an entirely satisfying sequel. D.J. is growing and maturing, though it's subtle and happens gradually as each incident crops up in her life. Once again, she becomes the glue that is keeping her family from falling apart, taking responsibility for things her parents and her brothers can't quite handle. She keeps a brave front and does what she can for everyone she loves. It's really hard not to like D.J., and I definitely wouldn't mind having her for a sister.

What I think I love most about D.J. in this book is how she realizes she not only needs to do what's best for her family, she also needs to do what's best for her. She discovers the path she needs to take, and once she does she's a stronger girl for it. She finally begins to truly see and understand her own worth, and I love that.

I also learned a lot about sports injuries, told in a way that is incredibly easy to understand. Because D.J. is a novice to this stuff herself, she does a great job at explaining what happens to her brother and the path he's going to have to take. There's a lot of easy-to-understand (not to mention interesting and useful) science going on here, which is always a plus.

Again, Natalie Moore does an excellent job at narrating. She's probably one of the best narrators I've ever come across in my audiobook listening, definitely top three. She rocks that Wisconsin accent and talks just like teens would, a job made easier for her by Murdock's grasp on teen dialogue. In this second book I've listened to narrated by Moore, I realized how good a job she does at distinguishing each character's voice from everyone else's. She makes it very clear who is talking. She also makes it clear when D.J. is speaking to other characters in the book versus when she is narrating the story, which gets two thumbs up from me.

I loved this book, both the story and the narration. I can't wait to listen to the last in the trilogy, though I will be sad that I'll be done with D.J.'s story! I highly recommend this to pretty much everyone. It's just a great story with great characters, and it's told really well. Go read it! Or listen to it. You won't regret it. (Side note: As of right now, the print edition is only $3.47 on Amazon! Totally worth the buy. You can click on the link at the top to get to the page.)

Disclosure: I got this book from the library.

Review: "Mockingbird" by Kathryn Erskine

Title: Mockingbird
Author: Kathryn Erskine
Publisher: Philomel Books, 2010
Where I got it: I requested it from the library.

*Starred Review*


As someone who has Asperger's, 10-year-old Caitlin has trouble understanding why people act a certain way and how to react to them in turn. She would always turn to her older brother Devon to explain things and situations for her, but Devon dies in a tragedy that rocks their entire community. So not only is Caitlin left without her most trusted friend and big brother, she must learn how to deal with the way her father is now acting, the way others treat her in school, learning empathy, and most important of all, getting to Closure.

If you haven't heard of this book yet, just to tell you, it won the National Book Award for young people's literature. And let me tell you, it certainly deserved it. Through Erskine's book we see the world through Caitlin's eyes and mind. She doesn't Get It (as she would say) most of the time, as she can't understand certain emotions or reactions. She has to work really hard to see how another person is feeling and how to make them feel better, instead of worse. It's very illuminating to see how a person with Asperger's might view the world, and gives us a tool to understand them better and the way they see things better.

Despite her lack of understanding others, Caitlin is remarkably intelligent and an incredible artist. Throughout the book, Erskine uses Caitlin's artistic talents as a device—her refusal to use color goes hand in hand with the way she likes to see the world. Black and white are much easier to deal with than colors that can run together and blur. But as she begins to learn empathy and friendship, as she begins to find the ever-illusive Closure, Caitlin begins to see that color might be useful.

What really struck me about this novel was the rawness and realness of everything. Erskine does not really censor much, but not in an inappropriate way. What I mean is, Caitlin just reports things as she sees them, bluntly and accurately—this is especially true when she describe her father's violent reaction when he hears the news of his son's death and his subsequent grieving (mostly detachment, refusal to speak of Devon, and lots of crying),  and how she herself is dealing with the loss of the only person who seemed to understand how to talk to her. We also see things that Caitlin misses. She has incredible skills of observation, and doesn't shy away from telling us everything—actions and gestures that she doesn't understand are not lost on us, and I felt it all the more.

We also see the way a tragedy can affect everyone involved, even those who are related to the ones who caused it. It's heartbreaking, but the quest for Closure is a bold and valiant one that Caitlin tries to share with the entire community.

The mockingbird title comes from Devon and Caitlin's shared love for the movie To Kill a Mockingbird. Throughout, Caitlin keeps returning to this, to her nickname Scout that Devon gave her, and to all of their likeness to the three main characters in the film and book (Jem, Scout and Atticus). In the end, Devon is the symbolic mockingbird—dead despite his innocence, but living on in the memory of his family and of his community.

Incredibly moving and poignant (I use that word not as a cliche; I mean it with all my heart), Caitlin shows us a world that we mostly try to ignore. She shows us ways to deal with grief, both good and bad, but all real; after death and tragedy, we must find our way to Closure, and to living again.