That Thing About Georgie

While I do read quite a bit, both for pleasure and work, I rarely come across a book that moves me quite like The Thing About Georgie. Today, while recommending another great Lisa Graff novel, Umbrella Summer, and walking the child to the shelf, I noticed The Thing About Georgie sitting next to it. I quickly added the book to the girl's growing pile of reading material, explained how the book was about a dwarf boy and how he learns to fit in with his class, and then grabbed her shoulders and said - don't skip to the end! With tears in my eyes, I walked back to the reference desk. In the instant it took me to sit down, I was taken back a few weeks to when I finished the book.

It isn't every day that I allow myself to finish a book in bed, but it happens. As someone who suffers greatly from 'stuffy noses' at night, I try not to cry too much before bed... but I guess I just didn't see this one coming.

The book was interesting from the beginning, each chapter starting off with a fact about what Georgie can or can't do just like a 'normal' child... such as:

Put your hands in fists... now try to tie your shoes. You can't? Well Georgie can't either.
- or -
Take a tape measure and mark a wall at 42" tall. Look at the items around your room that are taller than 42". Those are the things that Georgie wouldn't be able to reach.

In a polite way, the author of these tidbits of information makes understanding the plight of the dwarf a little more realistic. The rest of the story chronicles the every day events in Georgie's life through the school year, including a falling out with his best friend, the pregnancy of his mother, the impending arrival of his new baby brother or sister, and the torment of having to deal with the meanest girl in the 4th grade.

It isn't until the end that you figure out the author of the aforementioned handwritten information. As it turns out, one of Georgie's classmates has checked out the only book in the school library on what it is like to live as a dwarf, and is writing these bits of information as he or she learns them. As someone who comes from a family that includes children with special needs, it was 1) absolutely heartbreaking to read the story from Georgie's point of view... knowing that the way he feels about being different may be the way my family members feel, and 2) absolutely heartwarming to observe the humanity in those interacting with Georgie. Have you ever had your heart broken and warmed at the same time? It actually physically hurts.

I have to say, sometimes I cry through an entire book, but most times I just tear up a little at the end.... I sobbed through the end of this book, and then woke my husband up so that I could tell him about it. Most times, when telling a real-life story to a friend, I will say 'and then my husband asked me what was wrong', but in the middle of the night, I am not even sure I wait for him to ask - I just simply start to tell him.

A lot of what I read would be considered books for children, but though they are meant for children, I find them more satisfying than any adult title I have picked up (with the exception of Pride and Prejudice). There is something so innocent and gentle about the way they approach every day issues, and for the most part they tend to teach the reader how to deal with a problem in a way that is less than preachy. The thing about Georgie is.... he teaches children to accept life's problems, and that even if you have dug yourself into a hole, a friend's hand is all it takes to help you find the way back out.