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bookatarian97's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
dreaming_ace's review against another edition
5.0
This is a wonderful story. I'm not sure what it means that I relate more to Selah as an adult than I think I would have when I was in 7th grade. In 7th grade my own attitude was other people were just odd. (I mean they did not do their homework so why should I care about what they thought about me, which was pretty effective self protection in hindsight) I am glad I read this book and would recommend it to anyone who has ever felt different.
Here is a poem I wrote in response which feels fitting since the book is a story told in poems.
4/28/23 d
Reading autistic books
Relating to autistic books
Leading to tears flowing
Why is the world so hard
On all of us who are different
Why is the world so hard
Celebrate neurodivergence
Celebrate mental health struggles
Celebrate LGBTQA+ rainbows
Why is the world so hard
On all of us who are different
Why is the world so hard
Wishing I knew who I was
When I was younger, a child
My ace(ness) and autistic(ness)
Why is the world so hard
On all of us who are different
Why is the world so hard
Feelings around the heaviness
Of this world, of this time period
Feelings I didn't know I bottled up
Here is a poem I wrote in response which feels fitting since the book is a story told in poems.
4/28/23 d
Reading autistic books
Relating to autistic books
Leading to tears flowing
Why is the world so hard
On all of us who are different
Why is the world so hard
Celebrate neurodivergence
Celebrate mental health struggles
Celebrate LGBTQA+ rainbows
Why is the world so hard
On all of us who are different
Why is the world so hard
Wishing I knew who I was
When I was younger, a child
My ace(ness) and autistic(ness)
Why is the world so hard
On all of us who are different
Why is the world so hard
Feelings around the heaviness
Of this world, of this time period
Feelings I didn't know I bottled up
jnishi's review against another edition
5.0
This book was an eye opener to what it is like to be on the spectrum and to be neurodivergent. I loved it to bits and wholeheartedly agree it must be on every library and classroom shelf. It is all about accepting and loving yourself and what makes you different or "weird" and that it is perfectly wonderful to be different and to be neurodivergent. As a teacher reading this book it showed me just what a neurodivergent student might be going through and what I could do to make it better as a teacher and an ally. Beautifully written and even mentions dragons which I, like Selah the main character, also wholeheartedly love. Get it, read it, spread the word and the love.
libscote's review against another edition
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Selah has so many rules about how to be normal. She's trying so hard to hold it all in. One day, she snaps and lashes out, and everything changes. I thought this story did a good job of illustrating how "easy" it is for women-identified autistic people to pass as "normal" and how hard it can be for them to get diagnosed. I also think it illustrates some issues with schools and accommodations. I wanted to make some comments about charter versus public, but I'm not sure it's that simple.
mariahistryingtoread's review against another edition
5.0
A fantastic insight into how ignoring neurodiversity doesn't make it go away. Burying your head in the sand about a hardship or being discomfited by someone else's life experience only serves to lower the quality of life for everyone.
Selah is undoubtedly the biggest victim in her situation as she has not been able to access coping tools and strategies that would benefit her, but there is also an unquantifiable loss in the community because they are not aware enough (or willing enough to learn how) to accommodate her. This isn't about what she could do for them as a persons’ worth shouldn't be chained to their productivity. It's about how her unique perspective, presence and personality add something to the world that has a ripple effect on everyone in it. Diversity of spirit and mind is a wonderful gift regardless of what it's used for. It may not always feel like it, but the differences are what makes humanity special.
Selah deserves to exist unfiltered as much as anyone else. It was gratifying to see her not only learn that, but actively internalize it enough to share the sentiment with others.
Selah realizes she's autistic, and her mother and grandfather seem to fall somewhere on the spectrum as well. Despite this commonality all three of them have disparate responses, expectations and boundaries for the same exact situations.
I loved how this book acknowledged that while everyone's needs are different, everyone does have needs and that should be validated. Selah’s grandfather chose to be direct even if people got upset because how other people responded was none of his concern as long as he said his piece. Selah’s mother chose to stay quiet even when distressed as she could not handle how overwhelmed conflict would make her. Selah navigating her own path and discovering her courage is able to unite these two diametrically opposed forces. It's wonderful how something as simple as trying can change your life. Working together to find a compromise that takes into account both peoples’ predilections is underrated. Most of the time people assume it has to be skewed in favor of who has it ‘worse’; a metric that can be difficult or even impossible to quantify to the satisfaction of each party. I appreciated the general advocacy for compassion.
I can’t recommend Good Different enough. I am not autistic, but I absolutely identified with Selah due to my own neurodivergent difficulties which speaks to the accessibility of the story. Fundamentally, it is about feeling out of place which everyone can relate to on some level. Or if you’re one of the lucky few who has felt secure in their skin every moment of every day since you were born, then sit back and enjoy a well written, evocative narrative.
Selah is undoubtedly the biggest victim in her situation as she has not been able to access coping tools and strategies that would benefit her, but there is also an unquantifiable loss in the community because they are not aware enough (or willing enough to learn how) to accommodate her. This isn't about what she could do for them as a persons’ worth shouldn't be chained to their productivity. It's about how her unique perspective, presence and personality add something to the world that has a ripple effect on everyone in it. Diversity of spirit and mind is a wonderful gift regardless of what it's used for. It may not always feel like it, but the differences are what makes humanity special.
Selah deserves to exist unfiltered as much as anyone else. It was gratifying to see her not only learn that, but actively internalize it enough to share the sentiment with others.
Selah realizes she's autistic, and her mother and grandfather seem to fall somewhere on the spectrum as well. Despite this commonality all three of them have disparate responses, expectations and boundaries for the same exact situations.
I loved how this book acknowledged that while everyone's needs are different, everyone does have needs and that should be validated. Selah’s grandfather chose to be direct even if people got upset because how other people responded was none of his concern as long as he said his piece. Selah’s mother chose to stay quiet even when distressed as she could not handle how overwhelmed conflict would make her. Selah navigating her own path and discovering her courage is able to unite these two diametrically opposed forces. It's wonderful how something as simple as trying can change your life. Working together to find a compromise that takes into account both peoples’ predilections is underrated. Most of the time people assume it has to be skewed in favor of who has it ‘worse’; a metric that can be difficult or even impossible to quantify to the satisfaction of each party. I appreciated the general advocacy for compassion.
I can’t recommend Good Different enough. I am not autistic, but I absolutely identified with Selah due to my own neurodivergent difficulties which speaks to the accessibility of the story. Fundamentally, it is about feeling out of place which everyone can relate to on some level. Or if you’re one of the lucky few who has felt secure in their skin every moment of every day since you were born, then sit back and enjoy a well written, evocative narrative.
123erty456's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
busyknitting's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
princessreadsalot's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
danireys's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Literally want to give this more than max stars. What a wonderful representative book. There were a few scenes which gripped me into a meltdown myself. and as an adult reading this, I felt such a weird but wonderful mix of emotions watching Selah’s own understanding to full on embracement of her autistic self. I can’t recommend this enough