A review by marshmallowbooks
Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig
Did not finish book.
I did not finish listening to this book, and I will say upfront that says more about me than about the book.
Commendations, first, for representations of autism and the reality it is in the lives of many. It's an important topic for more people to be aware of, along with the other harsh truths Ginny has had to face in her life. Things that are not easy to read about by some are far too well-known by others.
Likes: Although I do not have anywhere near to a real-life grasp on autism, what understanding I do have was confirmed by this book: Ginny has rules and habits and phrases and sorts them out in a way that makes very good sense to her. Many of the adults in her life (up to the point I got to) do their best to adapt to and support Ginny's approach to life, and do so with their understanding of her best interests in mind. They do what they can to explain things in ways they hope mean she will be able to understand, and allow her to progress in the world that has so much to offer.
Dislikes: Other reviews mention adults failing Ginny when she could have used their support most, and I did get to the point where I think that must have begun. Past that point, I just wasn't ready to find out what Ginny would do to make things right.
Also, by the time I stopped, I realized I was only about a quarter of the way done with the audiobook, and I thought I was about 2/3 of the way in. I read in other reviews that the book is ~500 pages long, and I wasn't in the mindset to invest that time.
Commendations, first, for representations of autism and the reality it is in the lives of many. It's an important topic for more people to be aware of, along with the other harsh truths Ginny has had to face in her life. Things that are not easy to read about by some are far too well-known by others.
Likes: Although I do not have anywhere near to a real-life grasp on autism, what understanding I do have was confirmed by this book: Ginny has rules and habits and phrases and sorts them out in a way that makes very good sense to her. Many of the adults in her life (up to the point I got to) do their best to adapt to and support Ginny's approach to life, and do so with their understanding of her best interests in mind. They do what they can to explain things in ways they hope mean she will be able to understand, and allow her to progress in the world that has so much to offer.
Dislikes: Other reviews mention adults failing Ginny when she could have used their support most, and I did get to the point where I think that must have begun.
Spoiler
Ginny talks incessantly and passionately about a "baby doll" from her life with her birth mom. Adults in her life do seek to understand, but I feel like they really failed her in their lack of fully exploring the meaning of the baby doll in her life. I caught on immediately that Ginny's "baby doll" was not an actual baby doll. And that adults were not asking the right questions because they felt they already knew all the answers (a sad situation that I'm sure is the case in many child-adult conversations, whether or not autism is a concern). I set up in my mind two possibilities of what "baby doll" might actually be for Ginny. As soon as I found out I was right about one of them, I was done listening.Also, by the time I stopped, I realized I was only about a quarter of the way done with the audiobook, and I thought I was about 2/3 of the way in. I read in other reviews that the book is ~500 pages long, and I wasn't in the mindset to invest that time.