In this novel based on a true story, a boy with cerebral palsy struggles to find his place in a dysfunctional school system.

After he is born, Alan Jones suffers a severe stroke. Even if he survives, the doctors tell his mother, he will be in a vegetative state without the ability to interact with others. But she doubts the physicians’ predictions. When Alan is 2 years old, his mother has him evaluated by Dr. Shasta, who is delighted to discover his intellectual capabilities. Alan’s mother asks the physician if the boy possesses average intelligence. “Oh, no, I wouldn’t say that,” asserts Shasta. “I would say that he’s smarter than an average kid.” At first, Alan attends a school for special needs students. He repeatedly experiences abuse—first on the bus, when a mentally disabled student bites him, then at school, when an angry aide ruthlessly spanks him. Still, Alan thrives in the academic environment. By middle school, he needs new challenges. When Ms. Hawthorne, a school psychiatrist, evaluates him, she finds that the system has failed to give Alan the education he deserves. It’s determined that Alan should attend “regular school,” at least for part of the day. As Alan gets older, he becomes more and more independent, trying his best to fend and advocate for himself. When he enters high school, he’s the only special needs pupil among 3,000 students. While Alan’s proud of his accomplishments, he’s also lonely, “a clique of one.” He grapples with the pressures of being a standard bearer for the special needs community, and he desires what any high schooler wants: friends, a sense of belonging. He’s just like any other kid except that he faces an undue portion of difficulties.

Nankivell’s novel is a scathing rebuke of America’s education system, which has not only failed to provide appropriate educational opportunities for differently abled students, but also has exposed those pupils to ruthless and inhumane practices. The book shines when it examines what it’s like for Alan to go about his day, depending on others to help him with every bodily function. Through Alan’s eyes, the tale looks at the educators and aides who work with this population both critically and pityingly. The story explores how hard the duties are and how poorly the system compensates these employees, but it doesn’t allow such factors to excuse the cruelty it observes. In one particularly well-constructed passage, the author takes readers through Alan’s morning routine, from waking up early and being fed breakfast by his mother to getting strapped into his leg braces, put in his wheelchair, loaded onto the bus, and driven to school. Alan is at the mercy of others. Though he is kind and smart, the tale shows him at certain low points, when he can be vindictive and harsh. He’s not an angel—he’s a human being. But at times, the work strains to overcome a formulaic approach to telling the story of surmounting adversity. Again and again, Alan is embarrassed or made fun of, then gets his revenge when he proves his classmates—and sometimes his teachers—wrong. The writing is at its best when it hews closely to Alan’s physical reality; when it tries to generalize or draw larger lessons, the prose suffers.

An engrossing, painful, and disturbing tale of education against the odds.