Social Justice in My Reading Life

     Don't judge a book buy it's cover. Not only is this a lesson we have all heard his is the main theme it R. J. Palacio's Wonder. The protagonist Auggie has a deformed face and when he starts middle school he faces students only judging him by his appearance. He struggles to fit in and is constantly feeling self  conscious. Instead of focusing on his amazing personality the students don't even get the time to know him. On the outside he was maybe a little alarming. Still on the inside he had a kind heart and was honestly just a normal kid.

      Instead of thinking about how hard it was going to be for Auggie and showing him respect. People came up with this game where you couldn't touch Auggie and if you did you got some kind of "cootie." How do they think that would make him feel? They didn't have to become his best friend but they could have made an effort to be kind. This relates to everyday at school students face. You don't have to go above and beyond and become best friends with a bullied or quiet person. But you can show some compassion or do smaller things to help them out. The the book there were students that stood up for Auggie. Jack was asked to show Auggie around at the beginning of the year. But as time went on he learned how great of a person Auggie really was. He didn't feel ashamed of his friendship with Auggie and didn't care what others thought about him. Then more and more people started getting to know Auggie. It's always harder for the first person to stand up but then people start to follow the lead. He became more comfortable with himself and gained a lot of self esteem. What seems like a little act of kindness to all those students was something so much more for

     This doesn't only apply to your looks but also the color of your skin or if your gay or straight. Limiting yourself to only some people because of their appearance is unfair. Society puts to much pressure on people to look, dress, and act a certain way. Magazines, television, and the internet are all ways teens see what is desired in terms of looks. But we can't all fit into that perfect category. It's important for teens to realize that its what's on the inside that counts.