From: Laura Tillotson <ltillotson>
Date: Thu, 05 Oct 2006 14:31:11 -0500

So much excellent fiction is being published featuring characters with disabilities. One new title that affected me deeply is K. A. Nuzun?s A Small White Scar. Set in the 1940s, the story follows the twin brother of a boy with disabilities, and it is hard-hitting in its exploration of the intense complexity of a family with a special needs child. This fine book joins a number of other recent novels that take an honest look at life with a special needs family member, including A Small Corner of the Universe by Ann Martin, Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko, and Becoming Naomi Leon by Pam Munoz Ryan. As the parent of a child with a chromosome disorder, I have found these portrayals to be right on-target in terms of the challenges families face and the resilience that special needs kids so often possess. It?s truly wonderful to see how far this topic has come in the world of children?s literature, moving from merely being a subject of bibliotherapy to taking a place at the heart of memorable stories with no easy answers. --Laura Tillotson
Received on Thu 05 Oct 2006 02:31:11 PM CDT