Lovey, A Very Special Child

Lovey, A Very Special Child by Mary MacCracken was better than I expected it to be. It was something of an autobiography, but certainly wasn't overly self-indulgent and egotistical like some other autobiographies/memoirs that I've read this year.

MacCracken worked as a teacher at a school for children with emotional/mental issues. The book focused on her experiences with the four children in her class, Brian, Rufus, Jamie, and Hannah (Lovey). Although it didn't really teach me much, it was an interesting and moving story. My only complaint was that too much focus was put on Hannah, the most emotionally disturbed character, when I found Brian and Rufus to be just as (if not more) interesting.

It was interesting to see the change in perspective since 1976 (the year of publication) regarding mental illness. We've certainly come a long way- in the 1970s, there were far fewer resources available for mentally disabled kids, and competent teachers were nearly impossible to find. Now, every district has at least one school psychologist, IEPs are an option, and there are many different specialized schools.

It made me think a little bit more about what summer job I might take. I wanted to do something meaningful that would provide me with some useful knowledge for college/life in general (ie. not just a generic retail/food service job). My sister worked at a camp for kids with mental disorders over the summer, and I've been thinking that it might make sense for me to see if I could work with her this year. I would be able to see the various disabilities/disorders up close, so that I could really become familiar with them. I think that would be at least somewhat helpful when studying neurology in college.

Right now, I'm reading Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger. I'm only about 50 pages in, and I already love it. I'll probably finish it today, or at worst tomorrow.

Total Book Count: 30
Total NonFic: 16 (53.3%)