Wonder

Show Notes

Lisa and her guest Kristin Schumacher have a compelling discussion about Wonder written by R.J. Palacio. Wonder is a middle-grade book about Auggie, a boy with a facial difference that he refers to as mandibulofacial dysostosis. This condition is more commonly knowns as Treacher Collins syndrome, which is a genetic disorder that impacts the face including the jaw and cheekbone. 

 This is a beloved children’s book but Lisa and her guest talk a lot about how the book depicts people with disabilities. 

 Here are some links to articles that Lisa and her guest discussed: 

 Wonder author R.J. Palacio discusses an ice cream incident happened to her family in real life that inspired her to write the book. 

 Inspiration porn is an informal term dubbed by the late Australian disability activist Stella Young for a loose genre of media depictions of disabled people. Young has a 2014 TED Talk, titled, “I am not your inspiration, thank you very much.” 

 Acts of kindness should be celebrated, says Psychology Today. One in four Americans has a disability, cited from the CDC.

 Everyone Hated It But Me books: 

 ·      Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri

·      Code Name Verity by Elizabeth E. Wein

·      Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

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 *The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.