Mariangela Di Fiore

«He recibido dibujos de todos mis amigos y amigas de la escuela infantil. Pero hace mucho tiempo que no los veo, así que en realidad ya no sé si seguimos siendo amigos. Cuando me puse enferma, tuve que dejar de ir a la escuela infantil. Y ya no me da tiempo a volver, pues en otoño empezaré el colegio. Si me dan permiso, claro».

Vilja tiene cáncer. Y, aunque cuando estás muy enfermo tu vida se desmorona, en el hospital pueden pasar cosas maravillosas.

Un retrato tan delicado como necesario sobre una realidad punzante, que ojalá no existiera: el cáncer infantil.… (altro)

I saw the film "The Elephant Man" years ago and it broke my heart to see the tragic life he led. Joseph Merrick is a man horribly deformed in childhood by disease that continued to get worse and worse as he grew older. He was nicknamed "The Elephant Man" because of his deformities. This book is not suitable for younger children, but older ones studying biographies or genetic disorders or even social justice would certainly get a lot out of this partially fictionalized picture book biography.

Merrick's life from birth to death is covered, and highlights the resilient person he was, overcoming abuse and the everyday physical obstacles from his affliction. My heart broke at the way this man was treated and how he was forced to work in freak shows to make a living. He is portrayed as a gentle, sophisticated man who wrote poetry, read books, and loved discussing the arts with his visitors to the hospital where he lived out his final years. The book discusses how patiently he constructed a cathedral from a model kit and kept it on display.He was only 27 when he died, but he is still remembered. The fact that he never gave up, even when he was abandoned in unfamiliar terrain, and that he still found small measures of joy in his daily life left me, for one, inspired, and grateful for the companionship that comes my way each day. The illustrations capture his deformities while retaining his dignity. Originally published in Norway.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.… (altro)

Elephant Man by Mariangela Di Fiore is a touching story of Joseph Merrick's life. This has always been an intriguing story and these authors have been able to make the times, places, feelings, pain, and the rare joy that Joseph experienced come to life. It was good to see so many images of him in the book. I especially liked the image of what the experts think he probably looked like if he didn't have the disease. This book was filled with compassion and tenderness that shined throughout the story. Great job. I received this book from NetGalley for a honest review and it in no way effected my rating or review content.… (altro)