Courting Greta by Ramsey Hootman
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Courting Greta by Ramsey Hootman
I did a search and found nothing, so here goes
Courting Greta (I'd link it here, but I'm new) is an extraordinary book about love, acceptance, and personal growth as seen through the eyes of a cripple. The protagonist, Samuel Cooke leaves a comfortable, accessible position of programmer at a firm he helped launch for that of a substitute Computer Science teacher job at a high school, where he meets Greta Cassamajor the gym coach who doesn't turn down his invitation to dinner that he extends mainly to get over the inevitable rejection. This sets in motion a most peculiar chain of events, which forces the both of them out of their long-established comfort zones as they contend with wholly unfamiliar happenings.
Being a cripple myself, I approached this book with cautious optimism; there are not a lot of books about us, and more often than not, the depiction of cripples in various media leaves a lot to be desired. I'm happy to say therefore, this is a book I can wholeheartedly endorse. This is not your run-of-the-mill rosy glimpse of a romanticized 'look, he thinks he's people!' cripple story(As seen in My Left Foot, Untouchables, Glee, etc). It cuts the crap, and faithfully reflects the internal turmoil cripples face, while not glossing over the physical issues. On top of the romance, it provides an accurate, if chilling foray into the cripple mindset, and I simply ADORE the book for it. I may be a bit biased, but the fact alone that such books EXIST, that for once in my life I could wholly identify with the protagonist, that there's one book where having a disability is not under or overemphasized but treated just as it should be treated makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
On a more critical note, Samuel tends to forget other people are people too, and this inevitably lands him in a heap of trouble. I'm not saying it can't happen, and I for example consciously work on not underestimating other people's troubles, specifically because the urge to disregard them is there, but the degree to which Samuel seems incapable of empathy is painfully comic in its extremes.
The supporting characters are barely fleshed out, a forgivable flaw given the depth of the protagonist couple, but a bit jarring nonetheless. The plot such as it is, was a little predictable too. I felt the book could have benefited from having more point of view characters. As it lacks outsider points of view, it would take several readthroughs to wholly appreciate the depth of the book.
In conclusion, I would say this is a gap-filling work that really stays with you. I would especially recommend it to those who would like to have an insider look on what's it like to be a cripple.
PS: Please tell me if you found the review satisfactory, as I'd like to be an active contributor to the review team someday. Thank You.
Courting Greta (I'd link it here, but I'm new) is an extraordinary book about love, acceptance, and personal growth as seen through the eyes of a cripple. The protagonist, Samuel Cooke leaves a comfortable, accessible position of programmer at a firm he helped launch for that of a substitute Computer Science teacher job at a high school, where he meets Greta Cassamajor the gym coach who doesn't turn down his invitation to dinner that he extends mainly to get over the inevitable rejection. This sets in motion a most peculiar chain of events, which forces the both of them out of their long-established comfort zones as they contend with wholly unfamiliar happenings.
Being a cripple myself, I approached this book with cautious optimism; there are not a lot of books about us, and more often than not, the depiction of cripples in various media leaves a lot to be desired. I'm happy to say therefore, this is a book I can wholeheartedly endorse. This is not your run-of-the-mill rosy glimpse of a romanticized 'look, he thinks he's people!' cripple story(As seen in My Left Foot, Untouchables, Glee, etc). It cuts the crap, and faithfully reflects the internal turmoil cripples face, while not glossing over the physical issues. On top of the romance, it provides an accurate, if chilling foray into the cripple mindset, and I simply ADORE the book for it. I may be a bit biased, but the fact alone that such books EXIST, that for once in my life I could wholly identify with the protagonist, that there's one book where having a disability is not under or overemphasized but treated just as it should be treated makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
On a more critical note, Samuel tends to forget other people are people too, and this inevitably lands him in a heap of trouble. I'm not saying it can't happen, and I for example consciously work on not underestimating other people's troubles, specifically because the urge to disregard them is there, but the degree to which Samuel seems incapable of empathy is painfully comic in its extremes.
The supporting characters are barely fleshed out, a forgivable flaw given the depth of the protagonist couple, but a bit jarring nonetheless. The plot such as it is, was a little predictable too. I felt the book could have benefited from having more point of view characters. As it lacks outsider points of view, it would take several readthroughs to wholly appreciate the depth of the book.
In conclusion, I would say this is a gap-filling work that really stays with you. I would especially recommend it to those who would like to have an insider look on what's it like to be a cripple.
PS: Please tell me if you found the review satisfactory, as I'd like to be an active contributor to the review team someday. Thank You.
