Review of Canaries Among Us

[Teresa Richardson 2]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Canaries Among Us" by Kayla Taylor.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Canaries Among Us: A Mother's Quest to Honor Her Child's Individuality in a Culture Determined to Negate It is a memoir written by Kayla Taylor. In it, she relates her family's journey to provide the best education for her child "who doesn't fit society's definition of 'normal'". The author begins with a note to make sure the reader knows she has not written of her experiences to get even with anyone or any school system. She also lets the reader know that names of those involved and locations have been changed. She has written this book as a way to let others know that they are not alone. The book includes a section titled Recommendations for Further Reading.

Anyone who has gone to school will see themselves or people they know throughout the pages of this book. Be that in a positive light or a negative one. As an elementary school teacher, I found myself talking with colleagues about this book. While reading it I also found myself recognizing students past and present, as well as my own child. The author did a very good job describing both the events and her feelings pertaining to those events. She also provided many citations of research to support her findings. Some of this research is related to issues such as bullying and anxiety, both issues that do exist in not only schools but also in work places and society in general.

I enjoyed reading this book and started to cheer for both Taylor and her child throughout their journeys. I would rate this book a 5 out of 5 and believe it should be required reading for anyone in a school administration position-whether public or private. There were no sexual situations or profanity used in the telling of events.

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Canaries Among Us
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