Free as a Bird

Fiction - YA, Social Issues, Kids, Teen, Fiction
Cover of the book Free as a Bird by Gina McMurchy-Barber, Dundurn
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Gina McMurchy-Barber ISBN: 9781770705791
Publisher: Dundurn Publication: February 22, 2010
Imprint: Dundurn Language: English
Author: Gina McMurchy-Barber
ISBN: 9781770705791
Publisher: Dundurn
Publication: February 22, 2010
Imprint: Dundurn
Language: English

Born with Down syndrome, Ruby Jean Sharp comes from a time when being a developmentally disabled person could mean growing up behind locked doors and barred windows and being called names like "retard" and "moron." When Ruby Jean's caregiver and loving grandmother dies, her mother takes her to Woodlands School in New Westminster, British Columbia, and rarely visits.

As Ruby Jean herself says: "Can't say why they called it a school -- a school's a place you go for learnin an then after you get to go home. I never learnt much bout ledders and numbers, an I sure never got to go home."

It's here in an institution that opened in 1878 and was originally called the Provincial Lunatic Asylum that Ruby Jean learns to survive isolation, boredom, and every kind of abuse. Just when she can hardly remember if she's ever been happy, she learns a lesson about patience and perseverance from an old crow.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Born with Down syndrome, Ruby Jean Sharp comes from a time when being a developmentally disabled person could mean growing up behind locked doors and barred windows and being called names like "retard" and "moron." When Ruby Jean's caregiver and loving grandmother dies, her mother takes her to Woodlands School in New Westminster, British Columbia, and rarely visits.

As Ruby Jean herself says: "Can't say why they called it a school -- a school's a place you go for learnin an then after you get to go home. I never learnt much bout ledders and numbers, an I sure never got to go home."

It's here in an institution that opened in 1878 and was originally called the Provincial Lunatic Asylum that Ruby Jean learns to survive isolation, boredom, and every kind of abuse. Just when she can hardly remember if she's ever been happy, she learns a lesson about patience and perseverance from an old crow.

More books from Dundurn

Cover of the book When Boomers Go Bad by Gina McMurchy-Barber
Cover of the book Firing Lines by Gina McMurchy-Barber
Cover of the book George Mercer Dawson by Gina McMurchy-Barber
Cover of the book Mackenzie, Lost and Found by Gina McMurchy-Barber
Cover of the book Let's Dance by Gina McMurchy-Barber
Cover of the book The Cherry Blossom 3-Book Bundle by Gina McMurchy-Barber
Cover of the book The Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore by Gina McMurchy-Barber
Cover of the book The Whiteoak Brothers by Gina McMurchy-Barber
Cover of the book Mediating Interpersonal and Small Group Conflict by Gina McMurchy-Barber
Cover of the book Maurice Duplessis by Gina McMurchy-Barber
Cover of the book A.Y. Jackson by Gina McMurchy-Barber
Cover of the book Spin by Gina McMurchy-Barber
Cover of the book Worth Travelling Miles to See by Gina McMurchy-Barber
Cover of the book Saving Crazy by Gina McMurchy-Barber
Cover of the book Shroud of Roses by Gina McMurchy-Barber
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy