from the back of the book:

Rural Kentucky in the 1950s is not an easy place to grow up, and it's especially hard for ten-year-old Icy Sparks, an orphan who lives with her grandparents. Life becomes even more difficult for Icy when violent tics and uncontrollable cursing begin - symptoms brought on by a troubling affliction that goes undiagnosed until her adulthood. Icy's adolescence is marred by the humiliation of her illness, and its all-too-visible signs are the source of endless mystery and hilarity as everyone around offers an opinion about what's troubling the girl. Eventually, Icy finds solace in the company of Miss Emily, an obese woman who knows what it's like to be an outcast in this tightly knit community. Narrated by a now-grown Icy, this novel shimmers with warmth and humor as it recounts a young girl's painful and poignant journey to womanhood - and the many lives she touches and enriches along the way.

Orphaned and raised by her grandparents, Icy appears to have a normal childhood full of love and a support system. When school becomes more stressful for Icy in the fourth grade, the mental illness she had been able to keep a secret until now rears its ugly head and Icy is sent to a mental hospital for doctors to figure out what is wrong with her. With the support of her grandparents and Miss Emily, a close family friend, Icy learns to have faith in herself to manage her disability.

Having a background in Special Education, what resonated the most with me while reading this novel was the time Icy spend at the children's hospital. In the 1950s, children with any disability were sent away to hospitals/homes to be raised and taken care of. The other patients in Icy's ward are children (such as the girl with cerebral palsy or the boy with autism) you would find living at home today and attending regular schools, albeit in special education classrooms.

From the beginning I knew that Icy had Tourettes. The author's description of her episodes and the uncontrollable urges she had to jerk and swear are classic signs of Tourettes. The author tells Icy's story without labeling her condition until the epilogue. I would find it interesting to read a journal entry from someone who didn't know right away that Icy had Tourettes and it took them awhile to figure it out.

sending to dabercro

Waiting for me at the post office when I returned from vacation. Thanks Aberpeter!

Quit an interesting read. I, too, figured out early on that Icy was suffering with Tourette's. What stood out to me was the way her grade school teacher treated (abused) her. What a different time it was in the 50's. Also, the treatment and abuse Icy and some of the other children received at the children's hospital was deplorable. It was a different time and a different way of thinking and dealing with people that were "different".

Reserving for bookstogive's General Literature VBB.

Chosen from the General Literature VBB. Sending to Shroffland in GA.

Just received as part of bookstogive's GeneralLiterature VBB. Thanks for offering it, dabercro!

Note - I don’t rate books, but prefer to share impressiions.

My cousin has Tourette’s, and chose to learn to manage his symptoms through extensive martial arts training, which I suspect gives him more awareness of his body, as well as the ability to ”flow” through the tics as he needs to.

Though I am not at all surprised at the 5th grade teacher’s use of corporal punishment and lack of understanding, the treatment of disabled children by untrained aides in an institutional setting is not surprising at all, having worked with children in such a setting as a therapist myself.

My only wish is that the author had not rushed the last fourth of the book, and told us more about Icy’s college experiences how she developed her own self-confidence.

This title is now part of booklady331’s Already Been Crossed VBB

Thanks for sharing this book from the ABC VBB.