One in a Millionby Claire Lordon
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Special thanks to Penguin Books for sending a copy for review.
Summary:
Something is wrong with Claire, but she doesn’t know what. Nobody does, not even her doctors. All she wants is to return to her happy and athletic teenage self. But her accumulating symptoms—chronic fatigue, pounding headaches, weight gain—hint that there’s something not right inside Claire’s body. Claire’s high school experience becomes filled with MRIs, visits to the Mayo Clinic, and multiple surgeries to remove a brain tumor. But even in her most difficult moments battling chronic illness, Claire manages to find solace in her family, her closest friends, and her art. A deeply personal and visually arresting memoir that draws on the author’s high school diaries and drawings, One in a Million is also a sophisticated portrayal of pain, depression, and fear that any teen or adult can relate to. With a sensitive preface and an author’s note connecting past to present, this true story of resilience strikes a moving balance between raw honesty in the face of medical and mental trauma and the everyday musings of a teenager (Goodreads).
Thoughts:
I like the illustrations a lot. Items and characters look like what they’re supposed to be, and the layout is clear, which makes the story mostly easy to understand and follow. For instance, the author successfully portrays how Claire gains and loses weight with the severity of her disease; I was surprised I could see the difference as I was reading. The word balloons also fit into the composition, so I enjoyed the art overall.
If I had to be picky, I’d say that some transitions between events feel too sudden. It feels like there is not enough wrapping up at the end of some of the scenes. This problem is especially evident at the end of the book which felt rushed. Still, most of the story has good pacing, so this only lowered my rating by a little.
While a majority of the pages have a white background, the author includes some “chapters” with a black background to depict the inner struggles she faced from Cushing’s disease. For example, there is a scene where she falls into a deep pit, and although she manages to climb to the top, she gets stepped on and sent back to the bottom. Her first fall into the pit represents the strike of her symptoms, and her climbing represents the little hope she has left in life. However, no matter how hard she tries, things do not go well, so she cannot escape the pit of despair and feels hopeless. Those pages strongly illustrate her depression and make me sympathize with her. Another example is how she compares a car driving over her to the agonizing pain she felt from her surgery. The imagery she used in these “chapters” was unique and effective; it made me feel like I was experiencing the same pain and emotions. These imageries are my favourite element of the book.
Although the book comes with a content warning, the depiction of illness and mental health issues, including suicide ideation, are all very upsetting. I would recommend young adults to read this book only if they are prepared for the triggers the warning mentions. You might even have to take a break during the read like I did.
The book is about a true story. Since the book contains heavy content about both physical and mental pain, I expected the book to feel longer than it is, but the story has a nice pace and I wanted to find out what would happen next. I like how the story is presented as short diary entries so I can follow along with the timeline. Moreover, the author avoided unnecessary dragging while perfectly displaying the symptoms of her Cushing’s disease developing and the mental toll it took on her. These reasons made me enjoy reading this book more.
Claire used to excel in both academics and sports, but during the most crucial teenage years, symptoms of Cushing’s disease started appearing which severely disrupted her life. I realized how difficult it was for her, as she struggled to fit in as a regular teenager while having to deal with doctor appointments and school work. Despite the intense anxiety, fatigue, and insomnia of the disease, she finds solace in her family, closest friends, and art. I pitied Claire but felt glad that she was surrounded by supportive people who were all understanding of her situation. Art also played an important role in Claire’s journey; it was a way for her to express her feelings and her passion. I rooted for Claire’s recovery and her dream to become an artist.
Although most of the time it was heartbreaking to know that some people my age are experiencing severe health issues, in the end, I was deeply inspired by Claire’s strength. Having to face the terrible odds of the disease, she eventually overcame her anxieties and worked her way to success. As a teenager reading this book, I learned to never give up and always live life to the fullest.
Reviewed by Renee L.