young adult, contemporary fiction
When 15-year-old Harris moves from California to New Jersey with his family (lacrosse stud brother Ollie, overworked dad who's so important I can't even remember his name, and caregiving mother, Clare), Harris is determined to reinvent himself as more than the kid in the wheelchair. The first order of business is finding a new nurse so that his mother does not have to be his school companion. Miranda, a young nursing student and former student as Harris' school is beautiful, capable and sees Harris as more than his disability. Of course, nothing can be that easy, can it? No, of course not.
I really wanted to like The First Thing About You much more than I did.
First,
the good- the author, Chaz Hayden, writes about Harris with the
authenticity that only someone who shares these experiences can. Hayden
does not sugarcoat the experience of being in a wheelchair or living
with physical disabilities in high school, nor does he allow Harris to
pity himself. Harris is simply living the life in front of him and it's a
pleasure to read that.
My problem with the book was always
Harris' aide, Miranda. She's... awful. I know, she was going through her
own stuff but I didn't like her from the beginning and that made it
very difficult for me to have any empathy for her. It was tough to watch
Harris contort himself to try to comfort her or get her attention when
he was the one who should have been getting more care.
All that
said, I did really adore Harris' family and his other friends. Zander
and Nory were wonderful, but so much of the story was devoted to Miranda
that she overshadowed the good.
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