Girls Like Us by Gil Giles

[HoldenCaufieldsMom]

I started reading this book yesterday, stayed up late listening to Quincy and Biddy’s stories, and finished this morning. Although this book is fiction, it took me on an emotional roller coaster that warmed my heart and spiked my blood pressure from the injustices faced everyday by people labeled ‘special education’.

A quick synopsis: Biddy and Quincy graduate high school from their schools special ed program and live together post graduation. It wasn’t either of their choices, but as they learn more about each other they find balance and belonging. Biddy deals with her past as Quincy faces a similar trauma in the present that they must learn to face together, while also adapting to the real world of independence.

This book was a simple, but powerful read. It’s told from both Biddy and Quincy’s points of view, giving each girl a perspective that is dichotomously similar. Good books give readers a new way to look at life and this book does just that. A reason I couldn’t put it down is because I’ve never read anything like it, in the sense that it is about two people with mental handicaps that is close to my heart. My school is the magnet for the special education children in my area, I volunteer with a first grader with Autism, and a few close family friends have learning disabilities, which is why this story really resonated with my real life encounters. I don’t see the world the way these people do, making me ignorant. People commonly feel like kids in special education aren’t as smart when in fact they are just as smart, although in different ways.

Often times we face the same challenges as people with mental disabilities that this book highlights so well. Quincy has a hard exterior because she was hurt at a young age, causing her to hurt others in order to guard her own heart (Hence the title: Hurt People Hurt People). On the other hand, Biddy has faced hardships and cruelty, but remains a kind and sweet person, but don’t take advantage because she quickly learns how to hold her own after living with Quincy for a little while. Quincy and Biddy will latch on to your heart just as they’ve grown on each other. They finally find a place where they belong and the end of the book will give you misty eyes and a new view of the world.

[Kourtney Bradley]

Sounds like a really interesting read, so I'll have to add this to my list to check out! Thanks for your review on this one.

[HoldenCaufieldsMom]

Sounds like a really interesting read, so I'll have to add this to my list to check out! Thanks for your review on this one.

Thanks for the reply! I'd highly recommend it and it doesn't take much time to read it(: