Wonder

I just finished reading the book Wonder by R.J. Palacio and, boy, did it take me on a roller coaster of emotions! This book follows the fictional story of August Pullman, a ten year old boy with a severely deformed face. He was born with a "previously unknown type of mandibulofacial dystosis caused by an autosomal recessive mutation in the TCOF1 gene, which is located on chromosome 5, complicated by a hemifacial microsomia characteristic of OAV spectrum" (page 104). Now, I have no idea what all of those ten dollar words mean, but that's not important. What's important is understanding how those mutations, deformations, and defects can change the life of a child so drastically.

The book switches between character perspectives including those of August, his sister Olivia, some friends Auggie makes at school, Olivia's boyfriend, and Olivia's best friend. I think all of these different perspectives are important for fully understanding Auggie's life and the impact he has had. I felt a lot of things while reading this book: anger at the way people treated him, happiness for the small kindnesses people are capable of showing, sadness for the losses the family faced, and encouragement because, if this ten year old boy can face the world with the hand he has been dealt, then so can I.

Through all of the emotions there was one that really stuck out to me, brace yourself because there are spoilers ahead! While reading Olivia's section of the book, there is a chapter titled "The Punnett Square", pages 105 and 106. This chapter discusses how the gene that caused August to be the way he is was recessive in their parents. The gene is also present, yet recessive, in Olivia. She goes into the odds of her or August having children with the gene, recessive or active. It also discusses how the punnett squares used by the doctors to come to these odds aren't entirely accurate because of various genetic things. That's interesting to look at; however, the most important part of that chapter, in my opinion, is the last sentence. After talking about how there are babies that fall under certain categories, Olivia says "Countless babies who'll never be born, like mine". Eight words that say so much, though there's no elaboration on the topic. This girl is only a freshman in high school and has already decided not to have children because of what happened with her brother.

When you hear people talk about children or adults who have disabilities, you often hear them discuss how difficult it must be for the individual or their parents. People often gloss over how hard the situation could be on the siblings, the friends, or the various other people involved in their lives. This book goes above and beyond portraying the many sides of the story and the various ways people are affected. I applaud the author and suggest this book to anyone and everyone!