All these things can shatter a world in just a few moments. But is it possible for the opposite to happen β for a life to be created in a moment instead of destroyed? Adult memoir, pages. Lexile: not leveled AR Level: 6. NOTE: Despite the reading level, definitely an adult book. See content warnings for more information. The story of a boy who, in , slowly succumbed to a mysterious illness that left him paralyzed and unable to function. Except Martin was not totally gone, and slowly returned to full consciousness, aware of his surroundings but unable to control his body at all.
This was a surprising read. The subtitle and blurb probably already clued you in, but since I do review a lot of fantasy, let me be clear that this is an adult work of nonfiction. Race is rarely mentioned, although sometimes it can be guessed from a name or the description of a person.
Several content warnings. Pistorius himself also sometimes uses incorrect language, although that appears to be from ignorance rather than malice. During his time with no ability to communicate and little to no control of his body, Pistorius was physically, mentally, verbally, and sexually abused by multiple caregivers.
This comes up several times, but most just allude vaguely to the pain or bad memories. Chapter 35 covers in more detail some events of physical abuse, and chapter 36 discusses some of the times he was raped. It is entirely possible to skip one or both of these chapters which contain the specifics of different events and still read the rest of the book.
Another major warning is for suicidal thoughts and attempts. This is more scattered throughout as there are several points where Pistorius feels extreme despair, especially when he literally cannot communicate in any way and is living an extremely limited life despite being fully aware of his surroundings and mentally competent.
