Reader Response

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 Reading about Arnold's story and how he interacts with the world was a strangely fascinating experience. Arnold's life is harsh and quite cruel at times (in more than just the cruelty of other people) yet he manages to soldier through it. It's somewhat interesting to me that Arnold doesn't mention his Hydrocephalus much beyond the start of the book. It may be he doesn't consider it an important part of himself, but, technically, Arnold has a disability of sorts because of that condition. I did some independent research, and his condition, even when treated, causes impairments in all aspects; development, physicality, mentally, Hydrocephalus attacks all of it. Now, Arnold is affected by this, but i think he makes light of the fact he was born with "water on the brain" (page 1) and that he was at high risk of dying during the operation to remove the excess fluid. A few pages later Arnold mentions how he grew too many teeth, how his skull was larger than 'normal' (in quote-unquote fashion because i question any singular definition of normal) and how he has seizures, but from what i saw later in the books, Arnold tends to overlook this disability. Why? I can't tell. Maybe because he's acclimated to it and doesn't notice it? Maybe because he's trying to focus on what he feels are more important matters? I think a point still stands, however, that Arnold has to overcome not just his societal consciousness being split between Reardan and The Spokane Reservation, the poverty he lives in, and his own experiences with adolescence.

He has to do all of that, while trying not to have seizures, with eyes that have opposing clarity (one nearsighted, one farsighted, said on page 3, drawn out on page 5). 

Now, this might seem like a minor point to make, but i think it is important to note that Arnold doesn't get any breaks in his story. Well, not many, at least. And i relate to that because while i don't have a disability and i'm not exactly poor, i can say that i'm lucky to be here in college. I can't pay my way here without scholarships. And like Arnold i got messed with a lot when i was younger because i was different from everyone else. "Jocks" don't like it when you have a massive body and don't like sports much. "Nerds" don't like it that you're bigger and not as smart of them. and everyone else tends to fall somewhere around those two big groups. Populars hang more with Jocks, Rebels hang more with Nerds. So i can relate to trying to find your way in this world; i spent years struggling with it. I raged. i wept. I wondered if i would ever fit in. I was smart enough to not be liked by some people, but dumb enough to where the geniuses couldn't stand my barbarian presence. That kind of isolation, especially during early adolescence, works on a mind far more than most people probably let on...

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