Temple Grandin: How the Girl Who Loved Cows Embraced Autism and Changed the World
Montgomery, Sy. 2014. Temple Grandin: How the Girl Who Cows Embraced Autism and Changed the World. Clarion Books. New York, NY. ISBN 978-0544339095
PLOT SUMMARY
In this biography about the writer, scientist, and engineer Temple Grandin, the author describes what it is to grow up with autism. Temple’s parents knew she was different ever since she was a little girl. She was unable to speak until she was close to five years old and would have temper tantrums unlike children her age. She would become over stimulated with loud sounds, sharp odors, or when someone would try to touch her. However, she was creative and enjoyed building contraptions and projects. She also enjoyed spending time with horses and cattle since she believed they had feelings like hers. After having serious panic attacks as a teenager, she noticed how cows would calm down in a chute contraption in her uncle’s ranch. She decided to crawl into the chute where she discovered it also made her feel at peace. This became her life’s goal, to help animals all over the world and fight for their rights in the livestock industry. She became a writer and a professor and uses her voice to protect animals and encourage those with autism to succeed.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This biography was written in chronological order with flashbacks into Temple Grandin’s early life. She places emphasis on the different struggles she had to deal with growing up. Her inability to communicate at an early age led to many others believing she was mentally unstable. She also described situations where she knew she was different from her friends. She recounts times in her life where others would call her names and how that made her feel. Her anxiety played a big role in developing a close relationship with farm animals, since she felt they also had fears and that no one understood them. Her involvement in the livestock industry, and her persistence in creating change for them allowed her to voice her concerns. The book has great pictures of Temple as a child and later as she began to develop her engineering projects. The way she describes how she saw in pictures, makes her ideas come to life.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
Horn Book– "Montgomery's book not only tells the powerful story of one amazing woman's life journey, but also has the potential to help readers understand autistic people and animals."
Kirkus- "A well written, admiring and thought-provoking portrait."
CONNECTIONS
This biography encourages all people with learning disabilities or differences to focus on their individual talents and creativity to overcome obstacles.
Other related books:
Odd Girl Out by Laura James
The Way I see It by Temple Grandin
Activity: Have students research great inventors and scientists who were diagnosed with autism
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Free Lunch
Ogle, Rex. 2021. Free Lunch. Norton Young Readers. New York, NY .ISBN 978-1324016946
PLOT SUMMARY
Rex Ogle recounts the hardships he experienced growing up in poverty. As a sixth grade student, Rex wants to do what all other six graders do. He wants to spend time with his friends, play football, and enjoy his afternoons. However, what hardly anyone in his circle of friends realizes is that Rex is extremely poor and lives in a battered apartment with abusive parents. His mother is always accusing him of things, and never offers a kind word to him. His stepfather and mother have a troubled relationship which only makes matters worse. No matter how much Rex tries to understand his mother, he feels anger and bitterness against her, and sometimes feels his mother only has resentment feelings towards him. His only salvation is his grandmother, who unfortunately lives a few hours away.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
In this heart wrenching memoir Rex is authentic in sharing his innermost feelings with the reader. His emotions are raw and as a teenager, often appear extreme. A theme that resonates throughout the book is that of poverty. Rex hates that he is part
of the free lunch program at his school, and is embarrassed to accept this situation in front of his friends. He takes care of his younger brother, cleans the house, and tries to help out as much as he can, but nothing seems to make his mother content. The problem of eviction and living in subsidized housing is present in the story. Yet, what is most present is the theme of abuse and domestic violence.
REVIEWS
Kirkus Review- “A mighty portrait of poverty amid cruelty and optimism.”
School Library Journal- “Heart-wrenching, timely, and beautifully written.”
Booklist- “ Rich in lived experience.”
Awards:
2020 YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award
CONNECTIONS
This book reminds readers of the struggles millions of students across America experience from poverty and family abuse.
Other related books:
Roam by C.H. Armstrong
And Then Boom! by Lisa Fipps
Activity: Research about poverty in America and students who overcome this and persevere.
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Impossible Escape
Sheinkin, Steve. 2023. Impossible Escape. Roaring Brook Press. New York, NY. ISBN 978-1250265722
PLOT SUMMARY
Rudulph Vrba and Greta Sidnova are two Jewish teenagers who are forced out of Slovakia during World War II and endure plenty of trials and tribulations. Rudi is sent to Majdanek and then to Auschwitz Concentration Camp where he witnesses brutal and deadly acts against the Jewish community. By some form of miracle or mere luck Rudi survives several years in this living hell. His hope is to be able to escape to disclose all the horrors he has observed in the camps. He understands escaping is extremely dangerous, but he vows to keep his promise and let the world know the truth. While Rudi is trying to survive at Auschwitz, Greta, one of Rudi’s classmates, has escaped to Hungary with her family. They are living a secret life with forged documents and even pretending to be Catholic. However, remaining hidden is almost impossible with more Nazi soldiers zeroing into Hungary. Both Greta and Rudi fight to survive this historical nightmare.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Impossible Escape describes the horrors and brutal acts the Jewish community endured during World War II. Although death surrounds the story, Rudi’s hope of not only surviving, but being able to disclose what he observed at the camp gives a message of perseverance and hope. The author recounts what seems to be an impossible feat, to escape a concentration camp. With Rudi’s powerful memory, and his immense will to survive, he is able to accomplish his goal and save more than 100,000 Jewish of dying in the hands of the German Nazis. The book is told with simple, yet explicit details that outline both Rudi’s and Greta’s journey.
REVIEWS
Kirkus Review- “Passionate, absorbing, and unfortunately, more than a little relevant to current events.”
School Library Journal- “ Sheinkin has penned another must-read with this powerful and harrowing account.”
Horn Book Magazine- “In his latest masterful work of narrative nonfiction, Sheinkin’s tale of suspense is tinged with the physical and psychological horror of the Holocaust.”
Awards:
Sydney Taylor Book Award
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
A Kirkus Best book of 2023
CONNECTIONS
The book reminds us that when there is hope things will get accomplished even when things seem to be impossible.
Other related books:
The Blood Year by Elana K. Arnold
We Are Not Free by Traci Chee
Activity: Students can make a timeline of the events that happened during World War II and can also continue to research the lives of both Rudulph Vrba and Greta Sidnova after they survived the war.
