Wonder by R.J. Palacio

I had actually read Wonder by R.J. Palacio years ago right before the movie came out in 2017. But our headmaster, Mr. Hinton, asked us to read it over the summer. I think he wants us to get into the head of students who might feel like outcasts.

The book is as good as I remembered it. It tells the story of August, who was born with severe facial birth defects, starting school for the first time in 5th grade. His older sister, Via, is starting high school at the same time. Although the story focuses on Augie, both have their challenges to overcome. 

Initially, Augie is treated in exactly the way his parents feared. He is shunned and seen as a carrier of "the plague." Students are cruel and yet in the midst of that, one sweet girl, Summer, reaches out to him. Through his sheer courage and determination, August ends up winning over the school. The bad guy is vanquished and all ends well. In Shakespearean terms, it's a comedy, not a tragedy.

Wonder shows, what may be exaggerated for effect, the cruelty everyday humans are capable of. But in August, it also shows the courage we are capable of as well. He is not impervious to the "slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" but he is able to pick himself back up and face the foe time and again. But more than that, I think the point is to be Summer. To reach out to the outcast and the hurting and be the person offering strength and friendship. The outcast and the hurting, however, are not always as obvious as Augie. Via's hurting too, but because she's the "normal" one, no one sees it. This book is a call to be kind. You never know the struggles someone is going through. 

Bring tissues.