Wonder

'You can't blend in when you were born to stand out.' What a powerful message given to us from this powerful, loving, emotional and up-lifting novel. I have no doubt that the majority of you have either read the book, watched the movie or simply heard the title 'Wonder'. August, also referred to as Auggie through out the novel is a young boy who has a rare facial condition 'Treacher Collins Syndrome'. The novel is cleverly written, as readers we get an insight to each young character; 

- August  

- Jack

- Olivia (Via)

- Miranda

- Justin 

- Summer 

It is safe to say that the story pulls on your heart strings. The use of the multiple Point Of Views allows us to acknowledge that in reality, not everything is about us. Yes, we may be having an awful day, week or month. Yes, we may be feeling sick, run down or tired and yes, we may be grieving, facing heart ache or dealing with other life issues. However, so is everyone else and the way we act, or the emotions we are facing can cause a huge toll onto our loved ones. For example, Olivia, August's sister through her P.O.V we learn that she feels left to the side and forgotten about in her household as everyone is so fixated on Auggie and ensuring that he is okay and that nothing is bothering him. At this point, a part of my sympathy for August disappeared and moved to Olivia. She simply wanted to feel loved as much as August, she wants her parents to show the same interest in her life as they do in Auggie's. Despite coming from a loving, homely and comforting family Olivia still felt left to the side.

Although I adore every aspect of this stunning novel, however, the focus on kindness and the importance of kindness has to be the best part of Wonder. It is a known fact that an act of kindness really can make a difference. For August, if he wasn't shown kindness from characters such as Jack, Summer and his other class peers, he may not have stayed at school and his childhood could have turned out completely different. As well as this, if Justin did not show kindness towards August, Olivia's relationship would have been potentially crumbled. If Miranda hadn't shown kindness and selflessness towards Olivia during the night of a performance, Olivia would not have had her standing ovation on stage like she did. Small acts of kindness are able to create a massive impact on people's lives and those around them. The powerful message of always choosing kindness is extremely powerful and is something that needs to be addressed more.  Especially now, we are all going through some of the toughest days and sometimes, kindness is the uplift that we need. 

Appearance. Appearance means nothing. It may be corny, but it is what is on the inside that counts. August is one of the most kind, lovable and caring soul. His facial condition has no affect to who he really is. That is what makes him so special. He does not let his condition effect his personality. We could all learn from this, to not let our problems get the better of us but to keep faith and hope in who we are and to simply trust the process. To end this post I am going to conclude the same way I started and leave you with another quote from the beautiful novel 'Wonder'. When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind.'