Review of Don't Call Him Retarded

[Savina Visintin]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Don't Call Him Retarded" by Camelia Wall.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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Camelia Wall recounts her experience as a caregiver in the short but interesting book Don't Call Him Retarded: I Cared for Him over 20 Years. The title refers to the author's relationship with Alec, a man with many disabilities, whom she welcomed into her home and cared for for over two decades. In these pages, she tells how she learned to relate to Alec, explains how the system works, highlights its problems, and recalls her experience during the pandemic. A deep faith in God and many observations for those who want to become caregivers can also be found on these pages.

I have to say that the message of this book is what struck me the most. The author does not limit herself to recounting her experiences with Alec but offers the reader a meaningful and precise picture of what it means to take care of a person with a disability. She does not hide the problems of an imperfect system but aims at highlighting them. What stands out is Wall's sense of purpose, which I believe permeates the entire book. Furthermore, I agree with her idea that to care means to serve; this is not only profoundly Christian but also a way to improve our society.

I would also add that I am impressed that Wall discusses so many issues and manages to tell her story in so few pages. Few writers do this so well.

So far, I have talked about the positive sides, but unfortunately, this book has a negative side, which impacts my overall opinion — many typographical errors. In most cases, these are oversights, but sometimes they are more serious and have considerably slowed my reading.

For the quality and quantity of the typos, I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars. The idea is excellent, and the message is splendid, but better editing is needed to make the book flawless. I hope this will happen in other editions; meanwhile, I recommend Don't Call Him Retarded to all Christians interested in caring for people with disabilities.

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Don't Call Him Retarded
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