For Better Hearing & Speech Month this year, I read I Raise My Eyes to Say Yes: A Memoir by Ruth Sienkiewicz-Mercer and Steven B. Kaplan. I wrote a blog-review of it a couple of weeks ago. It had a huge impact on me. It was quite an emotional read, and I processed through my reactions and thoughts with a couple of friends over coffee. In the course of those discussions, one of my friends asked if I had heard of the book (affiliate link) Petey.
She lent it to me a few weeks later. [Disclaimer: I borrowed the book from a friend who had purchased the book; I received no compensation for this review. The opinions are mine.]
Whereas I Raise My Eyes to Say Yes is clearly written for adults, Petey, by Ben Mikaelsen, is a book written for children (YA/chapter book with no pictures). This book is based on the real life and spirit of Clyde Cothern, who was born with cerebral palsy in 1922 (28 years before Ruth was born). Clyde’s story has been fictionalized in Petey, but on the author’s website he shares that the book is 90% true story. Something to keep in mind while reading this book.
Petey is divided into two parts:
Part One covers the first 50-some years of his life (growing up in a mental institution, having been misdiagnosed as an “idiot”, which at the time was an actual diagnostic term used to describe cognitive impairment). As with Ruth, Petey was assumed to have significant cognitive impairment based on his physical appearance. This diagnosis was proclaimed when he was an infant. He was written off as having no capacity for even “minimal sensory appreciation” and it was concluded that “any rehabilitative efforts would be futile.” So no efforts were made. For years no one questioned or challenged that initial presumptive diagnosis – incompetent and unable. He received no therapies and no education. Being unable to communicate (at least in a way interpreted as meaningful), Petey had no way to say, “Hey! You made a mistake. My mind is here – trapped in this body!” These years, however, were sprinkled with a few caregivers who were able to see past his physical disabilities and connect with him in a meaningful way. And he had a “best friend” – a fellow resident he met when both were preteens. It was a friendship that was life changing for the pair of them. These people were his family; the people he loved. The people who made him feel human and feel loved.
Part Two is about Petey’s life after he was moved out of the mental institution to a nursing home in the late 1970s until his death. He was in a wheelchair, completely dependent on others, and struggling to communicate with the people around him. He was done connecting with (loving) people; everyone he had ever loved had moved on and out of his life. He was tired of being hurt by the loss he felt as each exited his world. Until Trevor, an 8th grade boy, protects him from neighborhood bullies and stands up for him. Now a 70-year-old, Petey finally lets someone into his heart again. And again, a friendship blossoms that is life changing – for the pair of them. Petey’s world is thrown wide open and filled with new experiences and memories to cherish. With encouragement, Trevor learns to look beyond Petey’s scary body and limited communication to discover a wonderful human being full of zest for life. Trevor finds an “adopted grandfather” and sense of belonging – of feeling loved – that he desperately needed. Petey, physically disabled with limited communication and completely dependent upon others, changed Trevor’s life.
This book beautifully illustrates what can happen when we presume competence. When we look past the exterior and truly see the human being within. When we stop treating individuals with disabilities as “other”, “different”, “less than”. We all have a purpose.
When I began reading this book, I felt the same rush of frustration and indignation I felt when reading Ruth’s story. This story was transformative, however, and by the end the feeling was inspirational and heart-warming. One of the reviews of this book I read on Amazon said, “If there was one book I could recommend that everyone read, it would be Petey.” I agree! This is a must read book for everyone, late elementary school aged through adult. We need to start the conversation about inclusion, and acceptance, and presuming competence in childhood. Petey offers an excellent opportunity to open and/or continue the conversation.
So - what do you think? Are you inspired to read this book? I hope so!
You might also like this post:
I Raise My Eyes to Say Yes: A Memoir [a book review]