Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
Billed as "the true life Wonder story" this book documents Robert Hope's life as he learns to "own his ugly face." Hoge was born with a tumor in the center of his face, and under went extensive facial surgery at the age of four to fix his appearance. Hoge narrates his experiences in school and in life as he struggles to fit in. Told with wit and sincerity, this is a great book to teach kids empathy towards those who are different.
This is not a life changing memoir, but it does give you s perspective on how it feels to be different. 3/5 stars.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
I liked the ending but wish the points made at the end about choice and autonomy had appeared throughout the book instead of being thrown in like a last minute afterthought. The way he normalized his parents making his choices for him through the age of 14 is scary. Children should be able to make decisions on what they will look like for the rest of their lives and whether they want to consent to dozens of medically unnecessary surgeries!
I was extremely interested in reading this as I have known Robert for many years as someone interesting to talk to at Science Fiction Conventions. I had always wondered about his looks but being a politely brought up young lady, had never asked before exactly what had caused them. His memoir is a poignant, witty, self-deprecating look at life for the not-so-normal looking. I laughed with him, I cried with him, I marveled at how much his childhood memories mirrored my own as we grew up in similar decades, although I grew up in country Victoria and he in Brisbane. Some world events that had great impact on him had not even crossed my radar, but you can see that the personal strength he gained from being different has had a profound effect on his life and confidence.
I look at my life, at opportunities missed because of timidity and lack of confidence and I realise that if I had an ounce of his bravery and love of life I would be a very lucky person.
I thoroughly recommend this to everyone.
I look at my life, at opportunities missed because of timidity and lack of confidence and I realise that if I had an ounce of his bravery and love of life I would be a very lucky person.
I thoroughly recommend this to everyone.
I actually read the ya version of this book, but still, I enjoyed how Robert Hoge described his life from birth to a teen. He faced many challenges, but he came through them them stronger and as a better person.
I quite liked this! However, it felt a bit rushed near the end, and after such detailed accounts of Robert's younger years, I would have liked to know a bit more about his time between being a teenager and an adult. Otherwise a great book, especially for kids! If you know a kid who enjoyed Wonder, give them this next.