The book was read. The book was being digested for thoughts. And it was almost not written about. That book was A Smart and Courageous Child by Miki Yamamoto. It is an odd, unusual, emotional, relatable, out there story. Everyone gets out of it what they put in, where they are in life, their likes and dislikes and hates and loves. It is an experience to read but what that experience that is, is up to you.
A couple learns they are going to have a baby. At first, they are excited, then nervous. Then over ambitious not just for the child (which is understandable) but themselves as well. They are going to teach the child everything (even things they don’t know) and they are going to basically make the child have a life filled with English lessons, and dance and piano, and drama and art and math and science and saving the world. Nothing is going to stop their child. Oh no! She is going to be the smartest, fastest, fanciest, cutest, bravest, world saving, bestest child ever. Mom-to-be puts books and magazines of famous, world changing children in the crib. They had just learned they were pregnant, so months are still to go before she will arrive, and already buying all the parenting books and magazines, baby clothes and cribs and all the supplies. But you can’t be over prepared, right? Then October 2012 happens and Malala Yousafzai is shot. And the downward spiral of fear kicks in and the story really gets going.
This story is both inspiring and confusing. It is funny and serious. There are ups and downs and things that you’ll agree with, disagree with and wonder about. Eventually the characters will have several breakdowns, leading to the final revelation and it’s up to you, the reader, to decide if this is logical or not. There were several observations I had about the culture, attitudes of the couple, gender and even the medical profession. Though available, it was read via an online reader copy, which I wonder if it affected my opinions on things, as sometimes it was difficult to read the smaller text that could be crowded into the speak/thought bubbles.
The other part that made things a little hard to read for me were the illustrations. I personally was not a fan, but they do fit the overall tone of things and you’ll most likely have a like or not so much like feeling about them. I will be looking into finding a final copy just to compare the areas that were issues for me.