Petey

by Ben Mikaelsen
Category: "Fiction - General"
Pages:280
Year of Publication:1998
Date Read:03/02/2004
Notes:When Petey Corbin in born in 1920, no one knows about cerebral palsy. After struggling to care for her frail infant who is often racked by seizures, Petey's mother reluctantly places him in an asylum. There, he is labeled an idiot and ignored. Few people look beyond his twisted body to see the intelligence in his eyes. Then another young resident, Calvin Anders, arrives in Petey's ward. As he learns to understand Petey's garbled sounds, Calvin becomes his spokesman and best friend. Years later, however, they are separated when Petey is moved to a nursing home. Alone and withdrawn, Petey wonders if he will ever find another person who understands him.

Petey was chosen by the New York Public Library as one of its 100 Books for Reading and Sharing.
My Rating: 5

Reviews for Petey

Review - Petey

While I can understand how some people would find this book heartwarming (as my daughter did), and I can certainly see how it would raise awareness of cerebral palsy, which is a good thing. But still, it's a fictionalized biography (based on a true story) of a man who spends his life lying in bed and grunting.

Reviewed by Roger on 2004-03-03 14:58:35

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