I want to try to make this not sound like a book report or anything, but instead convey why this book was so meaningful to me at a specific point in time. I'm also not going to do a plot summary, you can find that easily on Wikipedia and I'm not going to waste your time badly recalling it here. Spoilers below obviously.

I think some context is necessary here: I read this book when I was around 14, while I was attending a GATE school. I'm not saying this to brag, honest (if you knew anything about my high school, then saying you went there was not something to brag about). For most of my conscious life my academic performance was one of the most important things about me. It determined the school I went to, the way adults treated me, the kids I spent time with. My self worth revolved around it.

And now here was this book that said that your worth as a human being was not based on your intelligence. It's such an obvious statement but one I never really heard growing up. Back to Homepage