The Extraordinary by Brad Schaeffer is a truly extraordinary book. A work of fiction, The Extraordinary tells the story of the family of a marine veteran, through the voice of his mostly non-verbal teenage son. If you've been following my reading journey, you'll know that I've recently read Love Anthony by Lisa Genova and that one of my favourite children's books is Out of my Mind by Sharon Draper. This book brings those two stories together in a way I could have never imagined possible.
(Click the hyperlinks to re-read those blog posts and see the connections to this story)
Wes is very much locked in his own world. He speaks only through echolalia, repeating phrases or words he has heard before, and occasionally says "yes" or "no" and a few other short words or phrases in context. He has a tablet and is learning how to use programs which involve matching pictures and words, but he has not been given a program like proloquo2go or any other high tech AAC (communication) device. He has some visual cards, to help him get dressed, for example, but there are very few opportunities for him to effectively communicate with the world around him. Wes has a strong connection with his father and struggles to connect with his older sister, Becca, brother Thomas and his mother. His father calls him "extraordinary" and seems to be the only one who truly understands what Wes is capable of.
Wes's father goes on another tour to Iraq as a marine and returns severely injured, both physically and mentally. When he succumbs to depression and commits suicide in a very public place, the impact on his family is catastrophic. Despite being told solely from Wes's point of view, readers see the effect of his death on each of the family members through Wes's observations and his attempt to understand what is going on around him. The year after their father's death includes many challenges for this family, but also gives them opportunities to become closer to one another as they heal.
Without giving away too much of a spoiler, the family is given the opportunity near the end of the story to see just how "with it" Wes actually is and it causes his family members and even his teacher to realize that, whether intentional or not, the way they have treated him has been extremely unfair. In Out of my Mind, the main character, Melody, faces similar challenges as she is unable to communicate and while she is extremely intelligent, she is also extremely underestimated by (many of) those around her. When speaking with or supporting people with disabilities, it can be difficult to speak in age appropriate ways, especially to those who we can confirm have cognitive impairments. That being said, people deserve the dignity of being spoken to without being condescended or treated as if they are a less than. In both stories some of the special ed teachers are able to see some of Melody/Wes's potential, but both adolescents are treated very poorly by several other teachers, community members, and in Wes's case, even family members. Once they realize what Melody/Wes are capable of they feel embarrassed about their previous interactions. I hope that novels like these help readers be more aware of this in their own interactions with people with exceptionalities.
Wes's school also infuriates me! He has to attend a "special school" where he has a one-to-one primary instructional aid or teacher of some kind because he can't attend a regular public school. I understand that this is more common in the states and also in middle/high school settings in Canada, but it frustrates me that not only is he segregated from heteronormative same-age peers, he also isn't being given proper supports to enhance his communication skills. Part of me was thinking maybe the novel was set closer to 9/11 (because of the Iraq tour), but it was set in 2017... Some other communication aids definitely existed then! What is the point of the special school and saying his needs couldn't be met at public school if he is not even getting any individualized supports...? Ok rant over.
My final point of contention with the characters in the story has to do with when Wes gets beat up physically. I don't want to give too much away, but he is severely injured and his mom doesn't take him to a hospital. Readers find out later that this is because she is worried about child services coming to question her. Well, yeah, that could definitely happen, maybe you deserve it. Accidents happen, but this was no accident, and I feel like social workers would be much more concerned about failure to provide medical care than preventing a teenager from getting in a physical fight. People make stupid decisions when in fight/flight/freeze, but your first priority as a parent is protecting your children and that includes ensuring their medical needs are met, no matter what kind of repercussions might come of it.
I also just finished reading and reviewing Suffer! by A.C. Sloan, which features a teenage character with high functioning autism, and I commented on my feelings about her being referred to as "rain girl" (rain man reference). I thought it was interesting that this reference was also included in The Extraordinary (p. 162). It's surprising to me that a movie from the later 1980s is still a common reference for people when it comes to autism. A lot has changed in relation to our understanding of ASD in the last 30+ years!
I also love all of the Von Trapp references in this story. Wes is very fixated on his favourite movie, The Sound of Music and often shares lines or sings songs from the movie. It is extremely annoying to his family members, but is clearly a source of comfort for him. As a fan of musicals, and this one in particular, it was a nice additional touch for me and might help some readers relate to Wes who wouldn't normally relate to a teenage boy with autism.
Near the end of the novel, Wes speaks to his deceased father in the heartbreaking way any young person speaking to a lost parent would do, at the cemetery. In this scene Wes's communication difficulties do not get in the way and he is able to have a full conversation with his father. His father tells him to open up more to his family and this impacts his future relationship with his siblings and mother. This one line really got to me:
"(your mother)'s the key to your happiness now. I'll wait for you on the other side. Now go live your extraordinary life and let them see who you really are" (p. 196)
I just thought that message was so beautiful, especially the last line. I love that Wes is able to feel the love of his father even after his death and also recognize how extraordinary he is. On that note, I also just want to mention how much I love that the author used the term extraordinary. It's much like the term "exceptionality". Disabilities can also have positive abilities, which is why exceptionality is a term many are trying to bring into common language. I love that extraordinary usually has a really positive connotation and in this case gives Wes a really positive affirmation. Great job Schaeffer!
This book is beautiful. Readers will find many touching descriptions and interesting connections, made by a person many would least expect to observe. The writing is incredible, and the story line is powerful. I often tell adults to read Out of my Mind because sometimes kids books give the clearest message, even when read by an adult, but I think that The Extraordinary would meet the same goals, and thus I highly recommend it. To be safe, you should really just read both! At just over 200 pages, The Extraordinary is short, but feels the perfect length. Definitely worth adding to your TBR!
Thanks to Erin Clements at Darcie Rowan PR for the opportunity to read and review this beautiful book!
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