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Publication Date: October 20, 2022

Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Genre: Nonfiction

ISBN: 978-1-63988-540-4

List Price: $12.99 Trade Paperback

Page Count: 74

As a kid, Kwarta found it hard to fit in among her classmates. During her adult years, she felt different from others. So, applying for a special education teacher’s position was a no-brainer. She was the only one to apply and was immediately accepted. Her junior high class consisted of the multi-handicapped deaf students with at least one or more other severe handicapping conditions. Her personal challenges became helping her students achieve the most basic goal—feeling normal and having fun: “All my students, not just Jackson, wanted to be just like the other kids, and worked hard to get there,” she writes. Kwarta’s writing is expert—particularly her keen eye for perception and psychological details, as when she describes Jazz’s struggle to escape the abuse she’s subjected to constantly or Mr. Big Guy’s big heartedness. On more personal terms, the memoir details Kwarta’s endeavors as she works through the constant challenges presented in the face of her students’ severe disabilities. The book also underscores the role of various therapists, counselors, and other special-need service providers. End notes include information about a brief history of important legislation for disabled children and adults. Suffused with happy, breathless stories, heartbreaking personal anecdotes, relentless resolve, and immense empathy and understanding, this is a bittersweet portrayal of a special education teacher “trying to do absolutely the best for her students.” Heart touching, poignant, and beautifully crafted; A triumph.

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