Lauren Walker from Tacoma City Council moderated the
discussion of Wonder by R. J. Palacio
at King’s Books on Wednesday evening. About a dozen attended, including two
children, their discussion was important, because the book is a children’s
book. The main character is August, or Augie, who
has a facial difference and, after years of home school, enters a middle school
or junior high named for Henry Ward Beecher.
The setting was New
York. According
to the story, the family had lived in Connecticut. When our discussion also included bullying,
Lauren Walker described experiences of her sons when they were in school in London in 1990.
Another person attending brought up the idea of Connecticut as a
literary enclave. Our discussion did not
continue long about literary Connecticut,
we stayed with the characters in our story. When I looked that up later, I
found that Mark Twain had lived in Connecticut,
probably the strongest historic figure of that group.
Henry Ward Beecher and Harriett Beecher Stowe were from Connecticut. Also from Connecticut were Robert Lawson, Walt Kelly,
and Edward Eager, among other authors I remembered from children’s books days. The format used in Wonder - alternating narrative - was used by Edward Eager in a book
called The Well-Wishers. Since today is Paul Revere's Ride day, I should remember that Robert Lawson wrote a book about Paul Revere's horse. Eleanor Estes and Madeleine L’Engle were from Connecticut. (When I took the train in the Northeast in
1997, it was not in Connecticut. My thoughts were of the area, though, of the
sight of a shrub beside the train I later learned was Staghorn Sumac).
Narration by Augie’s sister and his new friends alternated
with narration by Augie to tell the story of how they were supportive of him
and showed him empathy.
