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A review by crystal_staley
Census by Jesse Ball
emotional
hopeful
5.0
As the parent of a child with Down syndrome, I wanted to read this book because I knew it had a character with Down syndrome in it. I wanted to see how the character was portrayed. Plus it’s a dystopian type of story which is right up my alley. I was not disappointed at all. Jesse Ball wrote this for his deceased brother who had Down syndrome and it really is a love letter to loving someone with Down syndrome. We follow a man who is told he will die soon, so he signs up to be a census taker and takes his son with him as they set out to see the country. Along the way they meet all sorts of folks in the different areas they pass through which are labeled alphabetically. Some are good interactions and some are not. We also learn things about the man’s past and his life with his wife and son. This is told solely through from the man’s perspective. The story itself is quite ambiguous. We don’t know what happened in this world, we don’t really know why the census is being done or the true purpose of it and what the information is used for. I did not mind that at all but for folks that like more answers, this may not be the book for you. It’s quiet but beautiful. Simple but also layered. There is a lot to think about if you wish to dive in.
With my personal connection to Down syndrome, I absolutely loved reading about this young man. He was so loved by his parents. They were his champion while also knowing that he saw things differently and had extra struggles. Their lives were changed when he born and some things had to be rearranged. I identified so much with this and really haven’t had this connection in a fiction book. So many highlighted passages. I loved this book so much and know I will reread it again and again. It’s such a beautiful representation of life loving someone with Down syndrome wrapped around the slightly bizarre story of being a census taker in a changed world. So glad I finally read this one. Also the photographs at the end of the book had me bawling! Such love. I’m so thankful to Jesse Ball for writing such a beautiful tribute to his brother.
With my personal connection to Down syndrome, I absolutely loved reading about this young man. He was so loved by his parents. They were his champion while also knowing that he saw things differently and had extra struggles. Their lives were changed when he born and some things had to be rearranged. I identified so much with this and really haven’t had this connection in a fiction book. So many highlighted passages. I loved this book so much and know I will reread it again and again. It’s such a beautiful representation of life loving someone with Down syndrome wrapped around the slightly bizarre story of being a census taker in a changed world. So glad I finally read this one. Also the photographs at the end of the book had me bawling! Such love. I’m so thankful to Jesse Ball for writing such a beautiful tribute to his brother.