A review by lbeller7
Fastest Woman on Earth: The story of Tatyana McFadden by Francesca Cavallo

4.0

This was a good introduction to Tatyana McFadden, disability, and the Paralympics for very young children. I think that even for a children's book, it could have gone deeper and discussed some of the tough stuff. I remember being a kid and playing sled hockey against Tatyana a few times a year. She was something else. I played goalie and she scored on me every time but once or twice. She was a force to be reckoned with. One of the things that made her story extra powerful was her adoption and her coming of age in a country where disability was not accepted at all. It was not all fun and games, walking around on her hands in the orphanage and kids in today's world are exposed to tough stuff all the time. If we want to teach about disability in a meaningful way, we need to show the whole experience, not sugar coat it. I still am happy to see Tatyana getting her story shared with even more of the world because she is a true bad ass.

*In exchange for an honest review, I received an advanced copy courtesy of Undercats Publishing and NetGalley.com.