Carol Cujec

Peyton Goddard

Inspired by a true story. My name is Charity. I am thirteen years old. I love sour gummies and pepperoni pizza. That last part no one knows because I have not spoken a sentence since I was born. Each dawning day, I live in terror of my unpredictable body movements which no one understands. Even with incredible math skills and a memory for perfect details, Charity is a person with disabilities. She can't speak and struggles to control her body but with the help of her teachers, Charity is finally able to communicate one sentence that will change everything: I am intelligent. Her stunning declaration marks her entry into public school where she faces enormous learning difficulties and must deal with the other students and their parents who don't understand her challenges and subject her to relentless bullying as they try to get her sent back to a special ed school. With the support of teachers and newfound friends, Charity will have to fight hard to be accepted. Real is a middle-grade novel that encourages compassion and understanding to regard all people as valuable.

Real

Robert Friedman

Dianne Goddard

"A gripping look into the lives of a mother obsessed with curing her child of autism and a daughter who retains full awareness of her situation"--

From Heartbreak to Healing-- a Mother and Daughter's Journey Through Autism

I Am Intelligent

This riveting memoir of extreme loss and unimaginable gain recounts the story of a child who, although unable to expressherself, lives fully aware of her limiting circumstances. Robbed of speech and bodily control, and despite her loving parents’ best efforts to help her, Peyton Goddard suffered neglect and ongoing abuse by many who dismissed her as autistic and severely mentally retarded. No one could have imagined that she possessed a brilliant mind in her uncooperative body until her first opportunity to communicate electronically at age 22 when she typed “i am intlgent,” a breakthrough reminiscent of The Miracle Worker. Today Peyton is following through on her vow to be an advocate on behalf of other devalued people. Her inspirational life helps readers transcend stereotypes and join her in the radical notion that, as she says, “All people are vastly valuable. Treasure all because great is each.”

Peyton Goddard

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