CANARIES AMONG US

A mother’s fight for justice for her neurodivergent child.

In her debut book, Taylor, a mother who’s held “some high-pressure jobs,”provides a riveting account of what happens when a school does not live up to the values it promotes, particularly when it comes to neurodiversity and inclusion. The book begins with her discovery that her daughter, Hannah, had been bullied at school and then chronicles her uphill battle to hold those involved—and those in authority—to account. She writes that Hannah was different from many of her peers; a neuropsychologist told the author that her daughter had limited short-term memory, situational anxiety, and a sensory processing disorder. Taylor did not want her daughter to be forced to fit into a so-called “normal” that didn’t allow for her differences. However, the author says that she found herself having to deal with indifference and even hostility from teachers and school administrators; at the same time, she was anxious about being stereotyped as an overprotective “helicopter parent.” She also found no justice regarding the bullying situation, even amid revelations that other kids at the school were being targeted. Taylor took strength from allies she found as she pursued a larger quest for inclusion and accountability. Overall, this is a powerful book that offers a brilliant exposé of how, even after the rise of anti-bullying efforts, enforcement remains a challenge, and it illustrates what happens when anti-bullying efforts are finally honored. It may also be painful at times for neurodivergent readers who didn’t have a similarly supportive caregiver to go to bat for them. Overall, it’s a much-needed call for people to recognize the needs of the bullied, and it often does an excellent job of demonstrating how the concept of making amends is not taken seriously. This book doesn’t offer a simple happy ending but it effectively illustrates the possibilities of hope.

A necessary book on the intersections of neurodivergence and bullying.