The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B

Toten, Teresa. The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B. New York: Delacorte Press, 2013.

Heroes can be found in the most unlikely places.  Adam Ross is one such hero. He doesn’t always feel like one.  He must constantly battle is obsessive compulsive disorder - the reason that he finds himself in group in room 13B in the first place. Some amazing things happen in this group.  Adam falls in love.  The perfect girl strolls right into that room and rocks his whole world.  He makes it a mission to get better for her and that commitment sustains him, right to the point where he does the heroic thing and (spoiler alert) gives her up.  His fellow members take on superhero identities and become superheroes to each other - walking up flights and flights of stairs because one of them fears the elevator; visiting a church together and finding their own individual kinds of comfort there ( priceless, those scenes at Adam’s church!). As Adam grows (both literally and figuratively) through group, his private life takes a somewhat dismal turn.  His mom hoards; his step brother struggles with his own compulsions; his own symptoms seem to worsen. His journey is difficult to watch, but ultimately uplifting.

This book is not a brand new one, and I can’t honestly remember what led me to add it to a recent book order.  I am, however, so glad that I did.  On the heels of Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman and Crazy by Linda Vigen Phillips, I am pleased to find another fresh, honest look at the impact of a kind of mental illness on a young adult.   I am already dreaming up a book talk slide where I can highlight these amazing works. I am also always grateful to find male protagonists that are believable and appropriate and engaging. Adam is so hard on himself and lives in a bit of denial, but he is so compassionate to the people around him.  He works so hard to do better.  His flaws and failures just make him real and more relatable to my readers.

I was not familiar with Teresa Toten at all, so I headed on over to her website to see what other books she has out there - quite a few for me to explore.  The site also includes a lovely biography that details her childhood wish to be a mermaid, and the rather twisty turny path that led her to be a writer.  I love a good author website.  While there,  I discovered a teachers’ guide to this title.  I will be mentioning this book to the psychology teacher here who expressed an interest in other fiction titles exploring mental issues.  It will be nice to have the guide to share!

Circling the Sun - Paula McLain

McLain, Paula. Circling the Sun.  New York: Ballantine, 2015.

I snuck in a bit of summer just a tad early this year and read an adult book. When I saw this, I couldn't resist. 

So this is definitely not a long narrative poem, but I sort of just kept thinking epic as I made my way through this factionalized account of Beryl Markham's life. Set primarily in Africa  and for a bit in London, we are introduced to Africa which very nearly functions as a character of its own when Beryl is just a tot. Her first of what seems like many profound losses occurs at age 4 with the leaving of her mother who returns to England with her brother letting her behind her to be raised on her father's horse farm. She grows up free, a tomboy, who inherits her fathers ease with training horses and channels her loss into great independence and strength. After choosing the wrong man to marry at age 19 when her father is leaving her and her precious farm, Beryl forges ahead to become the first certified trainer in Africa. Unhappy in her marriage she pushes hard for independence,, which she learns is not exactly the same as freedom, in the simultaneously liberal and unforgiving African culture of the 1920s.  These early trials and triumphs shape her into the largely controversial woman she would become. The woman who ultimately becomes one of the first women pilots and makes a record breaking flight across the Atlantic.  

I didn't always love or admire Beryl. I can't pinpoint exactly why, but I love that McLain portrayed her n such a painfully honest way that allowed us to see her faults and all. her losses make her tough;  perhaps I am uncomfortable with her because I am not that tough.  Yet I can admire her just the same. I wish I had more courage to go for my dreams. She makes decisions that are hurtful to others as well as herself. We all do, and she is making big decisions all on her own at a time when most young adults are still under the care of parents. And how she does learn. She accepts the consequences for all of her actions in a refreshing way. She grows  and moves on in ways that many couldn't. And that I admire. 

I also come to admire her Africa of the 1920s as well. Oddly, as I did some reading about Markham's and her friends in Africa the most often drawn comparisons was to Out of Africa . I didn't love that movie and haven't tried the books, so I am happy to be drawn to the setting so much through McLain's descriptions. I have already added Markham's memoir and Out of Africa to my wish list.  And I love reading more about the 1920s. This title certainly rounds out my impressions based primarily on The Great Gatsby and The Paris wife.

A solid read - adventure, romance, history. Well developed characters and a powerful and lovely setting. Motifs of love and loss. I picked this up because I so enjoyed The Paris Wife and I'm glad I did. Thanks to Net Galley for providing this novel in exchange for an honest review.