Nyla_Smokeyface reviewed Rules by Cynthia Lord
Review of 'Rules' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
Honestly, I didn't like this book that much.
Now, I read this years ago so my memory is pretty spotty. Partially because I didn't care that much for this book.
I read it for summer reading and it was tolerable enough to sit through, not like the Underneath where I had to drop the book because I just couldn't stand it.
However, it kind of left a bad taste in my mouth.
Firstly, the autistic brother, David, was really, really pushed to the side. He is shown as nothing but an embarrassment and annoyance to Catherine, which I'm sure sends some lovely messages to autistic readers :)
I always hated it when media is like "Oh, a character has a disability or mental disorder? Let's portray the struggles the family goes through! Nevermind the struggle THE CHARACTER WHO ACTUALLY HAS THE DAMN DISORDER goes through!" I felt that the book …
Honestly, I didn't like this book that much.
Now, I read this years ago so my memory is pretty spotty. Partially because I didn't care that much for this book.
I read it for summer reading and it was tolerable enough to sit through, not like the Underneath where I had to drop the book because I just couldn't stand it.
However, it kind of left a bad taste in my mouth.
Firstly, the autistic brother, David, was really, really pushed to the side. He is shown as nothing but an embarrassment and annoyance to Catherine, which I'm sure sends some lovely messages to autistic readers :)
I always hated it when media is like "Oh, a character has a disability or mental disorder? Let's portray the struggles the family goes through! Nevermind the struggle THE CHARACTER WHO ACTUALLY HAS THE DAMN DISORDER goes through!" I felt that the book Wonder did this very well because it switched point of views. For the most part, we get Auggie's struggle of being deformed. But we also get some insight into his sister Via, who adores him but wishes that her family would pay attention to her too, which is why she had such a connection with her late grandmother because she gave her love that she lacked her whole life. However, we never hear about David's own personal struggles. He's portrayed as nothing but an annoyance, which I'm sure sends some great messages to people with autism. I get that having a brother like David could be a struggle for a family, but I feel like David's own feelings and struggles were being completely omitted.
There's no resolution to this book either. Catherine doesn't really learn to accept and love her brother. David isn't shown getting any better. She doesn't try to be more understanding to her brother. We don't really get a good conclusion.
I would NOT give this book to someone with autism. If anything, it'll insult them. I doubt that kids with autism would actually be able to relate to David. And like I said, he's portrayed as an embarrassment and annoyance, and I don't think kids with autism are going to leave feeling very inspired. If anything, this would make them actually FEEL like an annoyance and embarrassment, and even more so if they already feel like that.
However, I really did like the relationship between Jason and Catherine. That genuinely was a nice friendship. I like how they even had a possible love interest in each other, considering Jason tries to tell her that she looks pretty and they dance at the end. However, other than that I didn't really like this book very much. It kind of left a bad taste.
