WHERE YOU SEE YOURSELF, by Claire Forrest, Scholastic Press, May 2, 2023, Hardcover, $19.99 (young adult)
A girl won’t let life in a wheelchair dictate her dreams in Where You See Yourself, a contemporary young adult novel by Claire Forrest.
By the time Effie Galanos starts her senior year, it feels like she’s already been thinking about college applications for an eternity ― after all, finding a college that will be the perfect fit and be accessible enough for Effie to navigate in her wheelchair presents a ton of considerations that her friends don’t have to worry about.
What Effie hasn’t told anyone is that she already knows exactly what school she has her heart set on: a college in NYC with a major in Mass Media & Society that will set her up perfectly for her dream job in digital media. She’s never been to New York, but paging through the brochure, she can picture the person she’ll be there, far from the Minneapolis neighborhood where she’s lived her entire life. When she finds out that Wilder (her longtime crush) is applying there too, it seems like one more sign from the universe that it’s the right place for her.
But it turns out that the universe is full of surprises. As Effie navigates her way through a year of admissions visits, senior class traditions, internal and external ableism, and a lot of firsts — and lasts — she starts to learn that sometimes growing up means being open to a world of possibilities you never even dreamed of. And maybe being more than just friends with Wilder is one of those dreams… —Synopsis provided by Scholastic Press
Most people don’t ever question opening a door or walking up steps. A path — paved or unpaved — is just another way to get somewhere. But for someone in a wheelchair, these are all obstacles and considerations that must be taken into consideration before leaving the house.
Where You See Yourself makes this all abundantly clear through the eyes of Effie, a girl with big dreams. Through Effie, readers are quickly introduced to the frustration that a lack of accessibility brings.
Because at the heart of everything, Effie is just a normal girl wanting to do normal girl things — go out to lunch with her friends, go to prom with a boy she likes, and attend a college best suited for her chosen career. Effie’s friends keep her grounded and her family is beyond supportive, (maybe sometimes even too much).
As a disabled person herself, author Claire Forrest says she rarely saw disability portrayed in the books she read growing up as something that made her “feel happy, proud, or accurately represented. As a result, both my fiction writing and freelance often focus on the disabled experience.”
The world is better because she does.
Forrest’s writing is strong and assured and has an authenticity to it you won’t find in other places. Her pacing is spot on, and her YA voice rings true.
Where You See Yourself is the perfect mix of swoon-worthy romance, self-acceptance and the meaning of friendship. It’s a must-read YA.
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