mustread

mustread

☕ Book Break ☕ | In A Different Key The Story of Autism by John Donvan and Caren Zucker

Posted on by Donna Stone

~In A Different Key The Story of Autism by John Donvan and Caren Zucker~
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I have read a ton of books on autism and I learned things I didn’t know reading this book. The format is an easy to follow timeline. Far from being a dry history, I found it easy to read. This is a great nonfiction book for anyone interested in learning about autism or the history of autism. The book starts with case one, Donald Triplett, and ends telling us where he is today.

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This book dispels some of the myths surrounding autism, from the “refrigerator mother” to the vaccine controversy and the false idea of a sudden explosion in autism.
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I was fascinated by the unfolding of the history. After reading, I understood more about why it has been so difficult for our society to understand autism, and the obstacles in getting a diagnosis and assistance for this condition.
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A must read for anyone working with people on the spectrum.
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This book is well researched and written in an easy to understand and engaging style. An excellent addition to your bookshelf.
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I recommend this for anyone who works with people on the spectrum and for the curiously minded. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

☕ Book Break ☕ | All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Posted on by Donna Stone

~All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven~

“I learned that there is good in this world, if you look hard enough for it. I learned that not everyone is disappointing, including me, and that a 1,257-foot bump in the ground can feel higher than a bell tower if you’re standing next to the right person.”

Violet is struggling to come to terms with the tragic accident that took her sister’s life. Finch has his own set of problems. They meet on a ledge, both contemplating suicide. Finch, the boy labeled ‘freak’, talks Violet down. He saves Violet in other ways as well.

I was completely taken in by the character of Finch. I had previously read Velva Jean Learns to Drive and was already impressed by Jennifer Nevin’s ability to write with a strong voice, but this book, All the Bright Places, blew me away. I think Jennifer Niven is an amazing talent.

I love Finch’s push against labels, against the way people try to shove you into a compartment so they don’t have to look at you too closely and risk actually seeing the person. “It’s my experience that people are a lot more sympathetic if they can see you hurting, and for the millionth time in my life I wish for measles or smallpox or some other easily understood disease just to make it easier on me and also on them.” I am not familiar with bipolar or manic depressive disorder, but I knew from the beginning of the book that Finch had this issue. The portrayal of the mental illness was eye opening and heart tugging.

If you liked The Fault in Our Stars you would probably like this book. Brilliant and beautiful, it made me cry. So many sweetly sad truths with a dash of hope. Not a story I will forget any time soon. “It’s not what you take, it’s what you leave.” There is a movie adaptation of this novel in the works.

There is quite a bit of language in this book, but not as much as is probably heard on most high school campuses. Topics include suicide, teen relationships, mental illness.

☕ Book Break ☕ | Alice Bliss by Laura Harrington

Posted on by Donna Stone

~Alice Bliss by Laura Harrington~ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A beautiful coming of age story. Alice’s father has been deployed to Iraq and she misses him terribly. This story unveils all the emotions, following the lives and struggles of one family as they wait for their loved one to return. This novel had some odd point of view shifts, but is so heart tugging I still recommend it. You are going to cry. I feel like crying just thinking about this book!

☕ Book Break ☕ | Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

Posted on by Donna Stone

~Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate~ Lisa Wingate delivers. This book wrecked my productivity. Once I started I had to finish it. The Tennessee Children’s Home Society was a real organization that removed and sometimes even kidnapped children from poor families and sold the children to wealthy families wanting to adopt.
Twelve year old Rill is the eldest of five, and the siblings are taken away against their will to a boarding house of horrors while waiting to be placed. Rill knows her parents would never give them away. The story alternates between 1939, Rill’s story, and present day when Avery narrates as she unravels the past mystery of deep family secrets.
I had heard about the Tennessee Children’s Home before, but I didn’t realize the extent of the abuse. I was holding my breath hoping for Rill to get away. This one may end up being my favorite Lisa Wingate novel. It is definitely on my list.
This book will make you hate Georgia Tann, the woman who ran the Tennessee Children’s Home Society. I don’t think I can read another story about her for a while.