Hi there. I’m here today to talk about a book which follows the life of an autistic teen based on a true story, and the journey she must go on in order to prove she does, in fact, belong. **And as always, the work to support the Black community is not done, whether there is media coverage for it or not, so here is the link to click in order to support the Black Lives Matter movement in any way you can, and thank you to StarlahReads for compiling these resources. You can also visit the description of this video by booktuber Jess Owens, which has links to several additional resources about global events.**
Around December of last year, a package showed up at my door from Shadow Mountain Publishing, which contained Real, a book that I had heard nothing about. I racked my brain for a bit trying to piece together how this book came into my possession, because I am certainly not on any mailing lists for publishers, and then I realized that there was a giveaway for this book featured in YALLWRITE back in November. Things made a lot more sense. Anyway, Real, a contemporary story by Carol Cukec and Peyton Goddard, is partially inspired by Goddard’s life – the blurb says it speaks to all those who’ve ever felt they didn’t belong and reminds readers that all people are worthy of being included. In my opinion, I think everyone should pick up this book. I should also note that I put ARC in quotation marks in the title because this book has since been released, but I am still reviewing my unfinished advanced copy.
from the book’s Goodreads description: “Charity may have mad math skills and a near-perfect memory, but with a mouth that can’t speak and a body that jumps, rocks, and howls unpredictably, most people incorrectly assume she cannot learn. Charity’s brain works differently from most people’s because of her autism, but she’s still funny, determined, and kind. So why do people treat her like a disease or ignore her like she’s invisible? When Charity’s parents enroll her in a public junior high school, she faces her greatest fears. Will kids make fun of her? Will her behavior get her kicked out? Will her million thoughts stay locked in her head forever? With the support of teachers and newfound friends, Charity will have to fight to be treated like a real student.”
Charity is a non-vocal autistic teen who’s struggled with control over her own body. After being deemed “too special” at her old school she is sent to Borden Academy, a private institution masquerading as a school but felt like a prison camp for disabled kids. Charity tries to express the issues with Borden to her family, but cannot communicate, and is only freed from its confines when her mother visits the academy unexpectedly and sees the school for what it truly is. She then fights for her daughter to be awarded a “normal” public education, but is met with roadblock after roadblock until Charity passes an assessment with the help of special education coordinator, Celia, that allows her to attend school on a trial basis for one month. She meets Anna, her aide who will help her with motor function, and several other kids in the EPIC (every kid is awesome room) who each have their own disabilities and accommodations. She learns about facilitated communication, which leads to the message “I AM INTELLIGENT” burning through the screen and opens the door for people to see Charity in an entirely new light. But not everyone can be so kind. There are forces at work in the system that don’t believe people like Charity can benefit society, so are actively trying to segregate them and keep them away from “normal” students. It seems like every day, Charity has to prove to someone else that she belongs there, that she deserves an education, just as much as anyone else.
This book has already sparked some really important conversations in my personal life. I firmly believe that we are not educated enough about autism and other disorders, which causes so much bias and discrimination that we may not even realize. After Charity was able to use facilitated communication, people started treating her differently, and behaving differently around her, simply because now she was able to verbalize her thoughts. That doesn’t mean her thoughts weren’t in her head before, swimming around and collecting every slur she heard uttered because people thought she couldn’t hear or comprehend. It should not have taken that much for people in Charity’s life to treat her like a person. And more students like Charity would greatly benefit from a proper education if more accommodations would be accessible to meet their needs, instead of creating private institutions under the guise of assistance but treating these individuals as lesser beings. I do acknowledge that some do need specialized educational programs that standard schools are unable to offer, but if more needs could be met, the world would be such a better place. At least twice in this novel, we see Charity’s parents take her to a medical facility, only for the professional in the room to tell them their daughter was incapable of anything and would benefit from being put in a private institution – this was not okay, and shame on the medical professionals who don’t take the time to educate themselves about disabled individuals so they are able to adapt their care if necessary. The villain of this story was truly disheartening to me, because I couldn’t quite comprehend how a person was so threatened by Charity’s presence in the classroom they would actively go out of their way in order to frame her as incompetent and incapable in a school setting. People in life can be so cruel, and I can only hope that with the progression of time, and proper education about disabilities and special needs, that the world can be a more forgiving place.
In conclusion, this book made me feel so many emotions. Even though it was not previously on my radar, I am so glad I won a copy and gave it a chance, because I think it sparked some serious and important conversations and biases that need to be addressed and talked about. I’m even considering picking up Peyton Goddard’s memoir (written with her mother) I Am Intelligent: From Heartbreak to Healing – A Mother and Daughter’s Journey Through Autism. This review may have just been me rambling about how far we have to go as a society in order to make the world a better place for disabled individuals, but I hope it made at least a little sense. Real was released out into the world on February 2nd, 2021, so if you’re at all interested I highly suggest picking up a copy for yourself.
As a note, I have also been working on my own education in regards to autism specifically, due in part to the controversy surrounding musical artist, Sia, and her recent movie, Music. I have come across two channels on YouTube featuring autistic creators that I wanted to shout out, and they are Princess Aspien and Paige Layle. Check them out, or other autistic creators on the platform, if you’re interested!
Where to find Real:
Bookshop
Amazon
Goodreads
Carol Cujec’s site
Shadow Mountain Publishing
Thoughts About Things 