Let’s dive into a quick overview of a book featuring AAC:
Book Title: Say What You Will
Author: Cammie McGovern (the author’s oldest son is autistic; she is also one of the founders of a resource center for children and young adults with disabilities and their families)
Published in 2014
Age Range: young adult novel
How AAC is Featured: Amy, one of the main characters, has cerebral palsy and is non-speaking. She uses a speech-generating communication device, as well as multimodal communication.
Note: I am not an AAC user, nor am I a parent/guardian or caregiver of an AAC user. I am a speech-language pathologist. So I am coming at the book from this perspective. I originally read this book shortly after it was published. I recently reread it as a refresher to write this post. It is available at my local library through the Libby app.
The story focuses on Amy’s last year of high school and first year of college. We learn early on that Amy is smart and has been integrated with her typically developing peers in school. We also learn that she has been sheltered by the well-meaning adults in her life. Especially her mother. Amy has been so focused on academics that she hasn’t realized the extent she has been sheltered from her peers. Until she has an unexpected conversation with Matthew at the end of their junior year.
Matthew, one of Amy’s classmates, struggles with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Chapters alternate telling the story through the voices and perspectives of Amy and Matthew.
Amy’s character is set up as “the smart girl trapped in a disabled body.” As the story progresses, we see that she is “book smart” but lacks experience interacting with and relating to peers. In many ways, especially socially, she is naive. The author throws a lot into this story – so at times it feels a bit over the top. But in some ways that fits with Amy’s goal for her last year of high school. Themes include ableism, presuming incompetence, peers being paid to help Amy, alcohol, sex, drugs, teen pregnancy, and more.
I appreciate the author’s attempt to touch on ideas like dignity of risk and autonomy. Just because Amy is disabled doesn’t make her a saint. At times, Matthew is used as a vehicle to point out how wrong some things are. Other times, it is left to the reader to recognize. We get to see that Amy is fully human with similar thoughts, feelings, wishes, desires – and failings – as others her age.
Have you read it? What did you think of it?
Share your comments or questions.