Different is Not Bad, Different is the World: A Book About Disabilities

There was something wrong with my brain. What had previously been a shadowy suspicion that hovered on the edge of consciousness became certain knowledge the year I was nine and entered fourth grade. I seemed to be like other children, but I was not like them; I could not learn to read or spell.

In this first account of what it is like to grow up dyslexic, Eileen Simpson vividly recreates the frightening world of a child living in the limbo of illiteracy. Simpson’s lack of reading skills so exasperated her teachers and relatives that they began to think she was mentally retarded. She could get lost walking to the grocery store; at times she felt as if she had no control over her speech. It was not until she was twenty-two that her future husband, the poet John Berryman, finally named her mysterious ailment.

Simpson intersperses her narrative with nontechnical explanations of dyslexia and what is being done to treat it. But despite growing public awareness and advances in research, dyslexia remains a frustrating and frightening disorder.

What do a trapeze artist, an Arctic explorer, and a soccer player have in common? Meet the fifteen kids and adults profiled in That’s Like Me!, a collection of first-person accounts of successful people who learn differently. Whether it was reading, math, writing, or speech problems, each person shares his or her inspiring story of facing the challenge of school, while pursuing important goals. An invaluable resource list for adults and students included, as well as a place for kids to write their own success stories.

“Bad” Helen is in trouble. If she can’t improve her reading skills, she will be stuck in the sixth grade forever! An ace baseball pitcher and class clown, Helen must now face the fact that reading is not one of her skills. With the help of a sympathetic teacher, Helen decides to brave her classmates’ teasing and enter a special education class.

Katie Kelso is sick of being a dork. Now that she’s in seventh grade, she vows that her life will change. She’s going to become a P.K. — a Popular Kid. Soon Katie is up to her neck in problems. Spud Larson, the best looking boy in her class and the leader of the P.K.’s, seems to like her. But so does Brian Straus — sensitive, smart, mysterious Brian. What will happen if her mother turns out to have cancer? And what should she do about the literary magazine? Her teacher wants her to try out for it, but Katie has dyslexia, and she’s probably the worst speller in junior high.

Meet Eddie Minetti, human whirlwind and third-grader. He thinks, moves, and speaks quickly and it often gets him into trouble. One day at school, Eddie arrives late because he forgot his lunch, misses part of his spelling test, is accused of cheating, knocks over things, and loses the classroom’s pet rat and that’s only part of the morning! His exasperated teacher, Mrs. Pinck, says, “I’ve had enough, Eddie, enough!” That’s all it takes, and soon the entire class is taunting Eddie with his new nickname, Eddie Enough.

Here is a model of reading ideal for striving readers, focused on their personal interests, topic-specific reading, deep background knowledge, contextual reading strategies, and mentoring support. More important, the model moves away from a deficit approach to conceptualize striving readers in a new way. Chapters share success stories of readers who overcome their struggles and highlight instructional strategies and materials you can use to develop activities and lessons for children and adults. Use this research-based model in the classroom or at home to help your striving readers achieve high levels of literacy.