Slow to act, especially when anything is trending super hard, I finally read R.J. Palacio's Wonder (2013).I freaking love this story! It is uplifting, if a bit saccharine, and gives me hope in humans' capacity for good. In all, the story's message is simple: Be kind.
At this point, many are familiar with the story of August "Auggie" Pullman, a ten year-old whose facial deformities despite numerous operations have lead to his isolation with the rest of the world. That is, until his parents decide that middle school is the ideal time to literally expose Auggie to the world in hopes of jumpstarting his interaction with it.
Auggie, of course, is terrified. However, he faces his new world bravely. As expected, Auggie's peers (and a few adults) struggle to see Auggie beyond what's on the surface. With time and perseverance on the part of Auggie, especially, his schoolmates learn to see him for the beautiful and resilient wonder that he is.
Narrated by Auggie and some of the people around him, Wonder is an inspiring marvel that highlights humans' ability to adapt, learn, and grow. It is a must read for all wanting to understand what it means to be compassionate and empathetic, particularly middle school aged children.
I don't think my review can do this book justice, so I'll end by highlighting a few quotations that get to the core of what this story is about, lingered, and inspired introspection on my part:
Learning who you are is what you're here to do.
The only reason I’m not ordinary is that no one else sees me that way.
The things we do outlast our mortality. The things we do are like monuments that people build to honor heroes after they've died. They're like the pyramids that the Egyptians built to honor the pharaohs. Only instead of being made of stone, they're made out of the memories people have of you.
If every person in this room made it a rule that wherever you are, whenever you can, you will try to act a little kinder than is necessary-- the world really would be a better place. And if you do this, if you act just a little kinder than is necessary, someone else, somewhere, someday, may recognize in you, in every single one of you, the face of God.
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 think there should be a rule that everyone in the world should get a standing ovation at least once in their lives.
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