Wonder: August's Lesson (Ink Cloud, 2012) is a youth novel written by Raquel Jaramillo Palacio. It was recognized as book of the year by various media, such as The New York Times, Amazon, Barnes and Nobles o The Washington Post, to name a few. It has become an editorial phenomenon thanks also to the message it conveys of hope in the fight against bullying and Treacher Collins Syndrome. In 2017 the book was brought to the big screen by Stephen Chbosky and Jacob Tremblay played August.
The novel tells the story of August, a ten-year-old boy who suffers from a genetic disease that causes malformations in his face and skull.. When it's time to go to school for the first time, August must face kids his age and rejection. However, the love that surrounds him gives him strength and courage and he will be able to overcome his vulnerabilities by teaching everyone a lesson.
Wonder: August's Lesson
Meeting Auggie
August Pullman is a ten-year-old boy who has spent his entire school age studying at home.. The reason is that he has an illness that has kept him between tests and interventions to improve his situation. Auggie, as he is called at home, suffers from Treacher Collins Syndrome, a rare genetic disease that causes deformation of the skull and face, and other ailments that can prevent you from leading a normal life. But the boy has grown up in a kind of family bubble full of affection and tenderness. He has his parents, who protect and love him, his sister Olivia and his dog Daisy.
He is a child with great imagination, generosity and sense of humor. When his parents decide that the time has come to continue studying at a real school, new challenges appear for him. Then he must overcome the difficulties of entering the real world, with other people his age. He will overcome teasing and whispering and will tolerate some childhood cruelties which, however, will be able to overcome by dint of courage and the support of those who love him.
It's Auggie's story, though, The author uses different narrative voices to tell from all angles what the world is like seen with different eyes.. Some more characters intervene in Auggie's new adventure, dividing the novel into eight parts. The protagonist appears three times in the role of narrator, the rest of the book is shared by his sister Olivia, his best friends Summer and Jack, her sister's boyfriend, Justin, and an old friend of Olivia's, Miranda. This way The greatness of being able to see through Auggie's eyes, as well as the people who have known him, makes the novel a valuable testimony. of acceptance and rejection, of love and fear.
Wonderful inspiration
August, despite his illness, feels good, strong, loved and happy. He has lived a normal life beyond his appearance. He wants to belong, to be one more, but when he understands that he is not like the other children (physically) he realizes that things are sadder than he had thought. With all this, he keeps going. Because, after all, he already knows people's suspicious looks and comments. Going to school means a greater degree of independence and personal ease. Sometimes he will want to go unnoticed, but rarely will he succeed. His appearance attracts attention, he obviously knows it and the most important thing that this story teaches is the work of acceptance that Auggie has to do, starting with himself and ending with the people around him. Auggie's character is so special that he will be loved and admired, treated like one more. And that is a wonderful inspiration for everyone. It's the lesson Auggie learns and teaches.
Treacher Collins Syndrome goes beyond the physical imperfections it causes in patients born with this disease. In some cases it can also cause death and many times patients have difficulty leading an ordinary life, because they cannot breathe well, swallow or even hear. However, August's lesson It is not a book that focuses on the disease, RJ Palacio has used this topic as a pretext to tell a story of improvement and normality of an extraordinary person.
Conclusions
August's lesson It is a novel of acceptance that shows how we are on the outside and how we feel on the inside. A youth novel without age range that surprises with the way it tells of life with a deformity in the head and face. The perspective with which we see someone different, but at the same time just as extraordinary (or more) than any other human being. A book with admirable values that turns Auggie into the mirror where we should all look at ourselves.
About the author
Raquel Jaramillo Palacio is an American writer of Colombian descent.. He was born in New York in 1963 and studied Illustration and Graphic Design. Before devoting herself to writing she designed the covers of other authors' books. The saga of Wonder is composed of Wonder: August's Lesson, Wonder: Julian's Story, Wonder: Christopher's Game, Wonder: Charlotte has the floor, 365 days of Wonder. Mr. Browne's Book of Precepts, and Wonder. we are all unique. White bird It is his first graphic novel.