 | Conditions of a heart Author: Mangle, Bethany | |
| Price: $10.65 | ||
Summary:
After an incident leads to her suspension, eighteen-year-old Brynn's high school persona that hides her secret disability is shattered, and she begins embracing her true self on her journey to self-acceptance.
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (01/01/24)
School Library Journal (03/00/24)
Booklist (+) (02/15/24)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 02/15/2024 *Starred Review* When 18-year-old Brynn Kwan, a scholarship student at a prep school in New Jersey, is punched in the face trying to stop a fight at a pep rally, not only does she subluxate her hip and dislocate her shoulder (thanks, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome) but, because the other student’s parents are lawyers who have donated a lot of money to the school, she and her friends are blamed, and she’s suspended for a week. She's also banned from participating in any senior activities, including her beloved yearbook and student council. With all of her health conditions getting in the way of her dreams of going to a good college and being a doctor, after a week out of school, she contemplates dropping out before channeling her rage into fighting the systemic inequalities and finally letting her classmates know about her invisible disabilities. Mangle’s third YA (Prepped, 2021; All the Right Reasons, 2022) brings in pieces of the author’s own life (hEDS, POTS, ADHD), connects them to COVID-era changes in accessibility, and masterfully sets it all against a backdrop of prep-school suburban New Jersey with an all-too-realistic relationship breakup. This book is highly recommended for its portrayal of invisible disabilities, neurodiversity, and the impact of the purported end of the pandemic” on disabled populations. - Copyright 2024 Booklist.
