Ugly

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Other than physical abuse, Briscoe’s mother also verbally harassed her “telling [her] for years that [she’s] ugly”. Although physical scars fade overtime, emotional trauma is more complicated to heal as there is no “medication” that could be bought to help heal the wound. Even the physical side of the abuse always had an emotional aspect that came with it which impacted Briscoe’s overall mental health. Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat." So Mary decided it was time to explain to the other 4 kids exactly what was wrong with their new little brother. Everybody cried, but they all said Robert should come home. However, they hadn’t seen him yet, just heard Mary’s and Vince’s descriptions of the horrific tumour in the middle of his face and the half-formed, shortened legs. He has, umm.. How many houses?? And he didn't bother himself help his children in any sort of way!! >< This cover is simply strange. Not to mention the odd illustration and text positioning. Nothing beats a vampire with a human head.

I agree with the people who said the book was repetetive. But with every book I read during the last weeks, I had this same thought: Gosh, that could be shortened...is it due to our society in which we don't take our time anymore to focus and observe things in detail, that we want books, novels to turn into short stories? Of course, it was repetative, for she wrote down a whole decade of her life, where she made the same experiences over and over again: the abuse, the trauma, health issues, people who don't want to see the truth. The repetition was her life and the literal device deepens that impression. Personally, I enjoy non-fiction books that discusses deep personal issues and traumatic experiences because it opens my eyes to the different possibilities to what life could have been like for me. In addition, the book ends with a chapter called “A Ray of Light” which reminds me that despite how dark things get in life, there will always be hope. The world Briscoe lived in is a reality that I may never experience in my lifetime which makes me realize that I should never give up trying to find the light on the other end of the tunnel because someone who had gone through worse was able to find it. Robert's character (of himself) also acts realistically for his age. I've found in some memoirs that when the author writes about themselves that the child version of themselves acts like an adult. Child Robert acts like a child, which is refreshing. Little Robert isn't having intense emotions similar to an adults, he is acting and thinking like a child throughout the novel. A+ for characterization!

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Narrated by the author, and he did a really good job of reading the book. Loved the tone and inflection. So, I think this book is incredibly important - not only for normalizing disabilities BUT ALSO not curing them for the sake of a heartwarming ending. While I do sympathise with Constance Briscoe, this book was poorly written. I got bored after reaching a few chapters. What I learned form this book is, being an unwanted is something painful one can bear. No matter how hard you try, you'll never be good enough. And, how true that if children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty (with or without an apparent reason). But, determination is key to success. I think Robert tells his story in a clear and concise manner and is especially well done for kids. Who often need the details in the clearest manner and the right action clearly defined by example. Using the bad behavior of the ladies in the elevator allows children to put bad behavior on adults, and be better than adults.

This is nonfiction that I believe is written for kids. There are cute illustrations and the language is easy and simple to understand. There are some pretty detailed descriptions of surgeries which may put people off, but I found them really interesting and I'm a pretty big wuss when it comes to anything medical. Apparently, some of the ones Hoge received were quite experimental and other people benefited from the groundwork laid by his own procedures, which is pretty cool. He's also incredibly relatable. His fights with siblings, his hobbies, and, you know, his desires to make friends and have relationships is something I think that a lot of kids from all walks of life want. Overall, the themes and creativity within this book were tremendous. Yes, I would have liked Robert to expand on many topics, but this book wouldn't have adapted well for children if he did.

Home for the Hoges was a bayside suburb of Brisbane. Robert's parents, Mary and Vince, knew that his life would be difficult, but they were determined to give him a typical Australian childhood. So along with the regular, gruelling and often dangerous operations that made medical history and gradually improved Robert's life, there were bad haircuts, visits to the local pool, school camps and dreams of summer sports. I feel guilty about writing this review because it's based on the real accounts of the author, for God's sake. I was extremely interested in reading this as I have known Robert for many years as someone interesting to talk to at Science Fiction Conventions. I had always wondered about his looks but being a politely brought up young lady, had never asked before exactly what had caused them. His memoir is a poignant, witty, self-deprecating look at life for the not-so-normal looking. I laughed with him, I cried with him, I marveled at how much his childhood memories mirrored my own as we grew up in similar decades, although I grew up in country Victoria and he in Brisbane. Some world events that had great impact on him had not even crossed my radar, but you can see that the personal strength he gained from being different has had a profound effect on his life and confidence.