July Tag

Wonder

So this holiday I read 6 books. Some of them are great, some are not living up to my expectation. The wonderful ones are A Thousand Splendid Suns and To Kill A Mockingbird, which I highly recommend. Aand I happened to read a children fiction, this book Wonder, and it totally stunned me. I started reading it with a low expectation knowing it's written for children, but at the end I was grateful to have come across this gem. I was really moved by this book. This is the kind of book that makes you wanna change yourself. Be kinder. Spread love. Take time to know people around you. Be a friend.

So this is basically what's going on in the book:
August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school - until now. He's about to start 5th grade at Beecher Prep, and if you've ever been the new kid then you know how hard that can be. The thing is Auggie's just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. But can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, despite appearances? 

I really connect and sympathize with everyone in this book, especially Auggie. I thought the multiple alternating view point would be overwhelming, but it succeeded to create three-dimensional characters that felt so human. Palacio can really turn a simple story into a multilayer one. By the end of the book I was sobbing (and smiling). This is one reading experience that I would very like to re-experience again and again. I cannot wait to get my hands on The Julian Chapter (another book from the perspective of Auggie's bully). It has insane rating on goodreads and I really hope it will be as moving as Wonder.

the most thoughtful chapter of the entire book

This is a few passage from Wonder:

“Always be kinder than is necessary. Because it's not enough to be kind. One should be kinder than needed.” 

"Everyone deserves a standing ovation because we all overcometh the world."

“We carry with us, as human beings, not just the capacity to be kind, but the very choice of kindness.” 

“But I really believe, and Daddy really believes, that there are more good people on this earth than bad people, and the good people watch out for each other and take care of each other.” 

This book is my definition of faith in humanity.
Just when the world is turning cruel, deceiving, and monstrous everywhere you look, books like this come and remind your warm little passionate heart that it doesn't have to be cold and numbed from all the injustice, suffering, and violence you see at every turn. There is still hope. There are still numbers of goodhearted people around. And if you can't find one, be one.

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