Girls
Like Us
By
Gail Giles
I putting
on my teacher hat for a moment because there is no way that I am going to be
able to separate this book and being a special education teacher. It is just NOT POSSIBLE. All of my reactions
to it came from that intense inner teacher voice.
This is a
book that asks hard questions. It points
out some hard truths. It acknowledges
that being disabled makes you more vulnerable.
Your choices are limited. The
world seems to see you as prey. Trust
can be dangerous. All these things are
true. It also shows that needing help
does not negate independence, personhood, or bravery.
Biddy and
Quincy are incredible complex and real characters. Their pain is so real and their vulnerability
so apparent to us as readers that this is not a comfortable book to read. It makes you examine the people around you
that you have been trained not to look to closely at. There are some terrible
things that happen in this book. And
what makes them even more terrible is how commonplace they can be.
One aspect
of the book that I found particularly poignant was the examination of
intentions. There are characters with
the best of intentions in this book who still manage to be incredible
condescending and controlling. I liked that both Biddy and Quincy are shown as competent
helpers. Miss Elizabeth needs them as
much as they need her and one another.
I have seen a couple of reviews where the
character of Miss Elizabeth is supposed to be a savior character. I really didn’t see her at all that way. I think that at first she thinks that she is
doing them a favor but learns through the events of the book that kindness
without respect isn’t kindness but manipulation.
There were
some things that I wasn’t very fond of.
I didn’t really enjoy the accents in the book. I know that it was supposed to be audio
journals but it kind of bugged me. But I
am not from the south so that accent would always be jarring to me. I also thought that the two characters’
voices were not as distinct as they could have been. If I was reading quickly and didn’t look at
the chapter heading to see who was narrating sometimes I got confused for half
a page or so. Relatively minor quibble.
That isn’t
to say that there aren’t moments of lightness and humor. The ultimate message of this book to me was
the idea of finding your voice, your place in the world, and the people that
you make into family. This book has reenergized me as teacher and reminded me
that the most powerful thing that I can help my students develop is the ability
to advocate for themselves.
From Goodreads:
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