“You can’t blend in when you are born to stand out.”
These words caught my attention and this was exactly what made me pick the book ‘Wonder’ from the shelf in the bookstore. In my collection dominated by mystery reads, I found this book a lot more interesting and helpful. That is why this is a personal favorite of mine.
‘Wonder’ written by R.J. Palacio is the journey of August Pullman, a 10-year-old deformed boy, through middle school. Auggie is different from others. He has a face that continues to be deformed despite the many plastic surgery attempts of doctors to change his face. He is witty, friendly, brave and is blessed with a super sharp brain.
While we have read many stories that talk about people who are being troubled, in this book the author has chosen to tell the tale in the words of Auggie and the different people who are involved in his life. This gives us different perspectives on the situations that Auggie has to live through.
The author brings out the emotions and struggles of kids who are bullied. The way their enthusiasm and love for school and friends get lessened by the actions of few. I can understand this feeling very well as I have had experiences that are similar yet milder. That’s a story for another day.
The book has some lovely precepts. I am listing some of my favorites here.
Wonder has helped me understand that you should never judge a person by their looks. A person should be rated based on their deeds and not their looks or riches. One of my favorite lines from the book is
“Your deeds are your monuments”
It also teaches us an important lesson to stand by friends when they need you and be a true friend. For those who are not our friends, we can at least treat them well.
“It is not enough to be friendly, you have to be a friend”
Reminds me of the lines from a song, ‘you can count on me like one, two, three… And I will be there’
Another thought from the book that I really loved is we should not try to be someone we are not, being ourselves is the best thing to be.
“Never try too hard to be cool, because that always shows and that’s uncool”
Wonder is a book I would recommend you all to read. It is not just a wonderful read, it has the power to move hearts and change minds.
Let me know your experience of reading Wonder. Leave me a comment here or on my Instagram handle. Till I get back with a new post, it is bye from Diya.