Out of My Mind

I was told of a book several months ago about a little girl with special needs. I took the recommendations and filed it away. I don't love reading books about "special needs." Most people, when hearing special needs, think of 2 maybe 3 different things. They think 1) Downs syndrome. 2) Autistic and 3) wheel chair bound, drooling, seizures, blah blah... ( we are only like MOST of that) but we are never really clumped in with the "group" or we are way clumped and I just kinda am blah about it. Plus it is fiction. It isn't real life and the author just won't "get it."

After a date with Dallas ( we have had ONE.. that is right ONE) since we had Grayson, we went to the bookstore and looked around. I googled the book and really wanted to find it to see if I would be interested. It was a no go at the store, so I bought it on kindle.

The book is called Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper. It is a book for about 5th graders on up but I read it any way. I was so glad I did. Like the person who recommended it to me, she thinks that it should be read by teachers and students on every book list from 5th grade on.

The book is about Melody, a young girl who has severe cerebral palsy. The book is told by her. it is from her perspective about what is going on around her. it is about what is happening to her and how she finds her voice and the people who believe in her.

The book had parts in it that made me put it down, cry a little and go back to it. There were some very raw emotions. Things that SHE felt that her parent felt or things that she figured out about what she was hearing around her .She especially acted a certain way while she was in the doctors office because they didn't think she was any more than a vegetable.

She felt bad about the clothes her mom put on her. She felt less dignified that she had to have her underwear changed or wear a bib. She was not treated as though she was a person. A real person with ideas, likes and dislikes. But was treated as though she was a condition. And the condition was what people saw. ( the wheelchair, the muscles unable to do anything that she wanted her to do.)

I won't give away anything else of the story. It is a quick and easy read and I think anyone who knows Tyler or will be associating with him, or who teach him and love him should read that book. Because some where trapped deep inside him is the same situation. He has SOOOO much to teach US and so much to learn and so much to show us that he knows, but lacks a way to get it all out.

Really, what it came down to is that a person is a person. They have likes, dislikes, and they have a need for help. They need the help to become the best possible person they can be. The parents need someone who is willing to help them became the best possible parents. They need support. Everyone needs something.