A review by thebookwormkatie
Same But Different: Teen Life on the Autism Express by Ryan Elizabeth Peete, Holly Robinson Peete

informative inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

4.0

What I really appreciated at the end of the novel was the note from RJ and Ryan’s mom. Holly expressed her nervousness with how RJ would handle situations that occur as he progressed through life, and how his diagnosis could impact his siblings. She continues to talk about how her anxieties are compounded as a mom of a Black son. “In a societal climate where young men of color are perceived as threatening, I often worry that my hoodie-living son will find himself in a dangerous situation that he can’t correctly process and will end up physically hurt, or worse. And I often fear that his intensions will be misunderstood and that he’ll pay an ugly price for that.”

This is why anti-racism needs to be taught. This is why disabilities should not be hush-hush, but rather understood, valued, and supported. Their disability does not define them. They are a person before they are their diagnosis.