Review of My Brave Face

[Bisola Adeleke]

[Following is a volunteer review of "My Brave Face" by Heather Simpson.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Nurturing a child with any disorder or disease is a huge, emotionally exhausting task. It drains the parents, especially the mother, psychologically and takes a massive toll on the family as a whole. My Brave Face by Heather Simpson is a real-life story that contains six parts with twenty-six chapters. Heather went through a series of trauma since she was a child. In the struggle for survival, Heather’s mom and Tommy kept maintaining the shoe repair business of their late father. The religious differences between Heather’s mom and dad lead to complications. Men would rather not stay with Heather as soon as they discover the deformity in her legs. My Brave Face talks about a female with a painful bone disease known as Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) or brittle bones, she eventually got married to Ray and birthed Stephen.

Heather and her nuclear family were always traveling. Stephen was intelligent but could not enjoy the simplest of things without being in pain, such that any little fall will cause a bone to break. Despite Stephen’s bone disease, his parents still loved him and provided for all his needs. In My Brave Face, the author told the story of her laborious journey as a parent raising a child with bone disease. Find out about this journey that shaped her perspective on the deformity.

I liked several things about this book. The author's writing skill is so detailed. My Brave Face is a book of love, inspiration, history and comedy. I like the fact that Heather included pictures in this book because it added depth to the story and brought the book to life. The language used in this book was appropriate and the words were easy to understand.

The book was very well coordinated. I enjoyed the storyline from the beginning until the end. The story is emotional and encouraging. The main characters were relatable. Furthermore, I enjoyed My Brave Face by Heather Simpson. I gained so much knowledge while reading this book, some of which include medical vocabulary. Furthermore, I observed the differences between Australian and American English.

Not only that, but I found nothing to dislike about this book. It is very well written, with an original concept and an excellent storyline. The publishers did great work proofreading the novel. The book was exceptionally edited; I found no errors in it. As a result, I rate this book five out of five stars.

I recommend My Brave Face by Heather Simpson to people living with disabilities, lovers of history, likewise parents and caregivers of disabled children.

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My Brave Face
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[Alice Festo]

Just by reading your first paragraph, my emotions were already triggered. This book sounds touching and at the same time, one can see the courage of the main protagonist. It's sad how humans are quick to label others due to their shortcomings and make them feel belittled in society. It takes courage to change people's mindsets and perceptions. I commend Heather and her son Stephen for their bravery.