REVIEW: Wonder by R.J Palacio

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

 

This was one of the most inspiring books that I have ever read.

 

“I think there should be a rule that everyone in the world should get a standing ovation at least once in their lives.”

If you haven't read this book yet, I encourage you to pick it up as soon as possible. It will inspire you and encourage you to be a better person and more aware of other people's feelings.

August Pullman is a normal kid, smart, friendly, and funny, but the thing that sets him apart from other kids is what is on the outside.

He has many different genetic problems that make him look monstrous. Horrific. Not human. And everyone at school acts like he has the plague- they flinch if he touches them and can't even bear to make eye contact with him. Even though it is not his fault that he was born that way, he pays for it every day.

How often do we judge people from how they look? How often do we turn away our eyes because we can't bear to look, or how often do we make fun of others because of disabilities or deformities that they have?

 

“The best way to measure how much you've grown isn't by inches or the number of laps you can now run around the track, or even your grade point average-- though those things are important, to be sure. It's what you've done with your time, how you've chosen to spend your days, and whom you've touched this year. That, to me, is the greatest measure of success.”  

I have experienced these feelings firsthand in my life. I have cerebral palsy. Although it does not affect how smart I am or how I think or anything like that, but it does affect many physical aspects of my life.

Even though some people may not mean to stare or be rude, that doesn't mean that I am oblivious to the stares when I turn my back, or the whispers as I walk through the hall. Whenever I run, I always feel stares on me, or even just walking down the halls. {I don't walk like other people do, and the difference is pretty obvious.}

Now that I'm older, people have gotten kinder and more sympathetic, but back in elementary school, I got bullied a lot. In first and sixth grade, it was especially easy to bully me because I had surgeries that required me to be in a wheelchair. I'm not saying that everyone was mean- most people were really nice. However, there were a few people who thought it was funny to whisper mean things to me when the teacher was looking away.

I'm here to tell you that all the people I've met with physical disabilities have been the sweetest and friendliest people that I've ever met. Don't judge people because of what you see on the outside- they can't change it and it hurts their feelings when you bully them.
I'd rather be seen as a girl with cerebral palsy that everyone can count on to be a good friend than a bully with nothing wrong with her.

“Kinder than is necessary. Because it's not enough to be kind. One should be kinder than needed.”

 

Be kinder than is necessary. It will make you a better person.