Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper — Review

Book Synopsis:

Melody is not like most people. She cannot walk or talk, but she has a photographic memory; she can remember every detail of everything she has ever experienced. She is smarter than most of the adults who try to diagnose her and smarter than her classmates in her integrated classroom—the very same classmates who dismiss her as mentally challenged because she cannot tell them otherwise. But Melody refuses to be defined by cerebral palsy. And she's determined to let everyone know it—somehow.

My Review:

5/5 stars. From a technical or storytelling standpoint alone, this wouldn't be a five-star book. However, the portrayal of disability was one of the best I've ever read, and that makes the rating. Everything was so frustratingly relatable. I got very invested in Melody's story, feeling her hurt but also her joy. I read this book in just a few sittings, because the short chapters and engaging story made it easy to fly through. I also liked how the ending didn't make everything super perfect and happy, because that's not life. I don't think I will be reading the sequels, though.

There were a lot of characters in this book—doctors, teachers, and other students—that made me want to throw something. They made me so mad because they were real. I've seen people like that in real life, people who underestimate and discriminate. The realness of them made them so much more infuriating because it wasn't just a caricature. On the other hand, there were some amazing characters, like Melody's mom and Catherine, that had me internally cheering. I loved how Melody's mom advocated for her and other students.

Melody herself was a great character. She had personality beyond her condition. She had interests and made jokes. I also liked that she wasn't cynical and sad all the time, or completely positive in every situation. When teachers and students were horrible to her, she got sad, but she didn't make that her entire life.

There were so many relatable aspects to this novel, both good and bad. Although I don't have the same disability as Melody and our experiences differ in many ways, there was so much in this story that I've seen as a part of the disability community in general. People staring, struggling to get accommodations, people using you for an "inspiring story."

The plot of Out of My Mind is fairly simple but engaging. I read through it very quickly because I was rooting for Melody, wanting to know how things worked out for her. However, things didn't perfectly work out for her in the end, which I appreciated. People writing about characters with disabilities could make it so the character gets everything they want and deserve and everyone else learns a lesson. But that's not real life. This book has a good ending, but it doesn't go the way you might expect.

Content:

Language: God's name taken in vain (as an acronym); the r-word. This was my biggest issue with the book. It used the r-word multiple times. Although every time it was used, it was to show the ableism of other people, it still seemed like it was included too casually and frequently. I thought the author would've known better

Sexual Content: None

Violence/Gore: A character gets hit by a car but survives, this is not described in detail

Drugs/Alcohol: None