Heartbreaking and Important Historical Fiction

Image copied from Goodreads

So, I know I mentioned several genres for my review today and this book is none of those. But it is a very appropriate one to recommend, I think, for Mother's Day. All He Knew by Helen Frost follows the journey of Henry a boy who is struck deaf by illness at a very young age. As he approaches school age, his parents seek outside help for his education as the small town they live in cannot offer him the services he needs to learn to read and write in the local public school system. In the 1930s and 1940s when the story takes place, this was all too common. His mother takes Henry to a school for the deaf where they insist on testing him to see if he is teachable or not before admitting him. Something that seems counterproductive nowadays, but again something that was likely all too common then. Not understanding the test, Henry fails it and his parents are told he is unteachable and the best thing they can do for him is to institutionalize him at Riverview, a home for the feeble-minded. 

I knew going in from reading the blurb that this book would be a challenging read. Not because it is a particularly long book. It's not. It is a novel-in-verse, utilizing mostly free-verse forms of poetry and it is geared toward middle school aged or middle grade aged readers, those between 8-12 years old. For those reasons, it is not hard to follow or understand for an adult reader at all. The challenge comes in reading about a boy, who today would be seen as just as capable mentally as any other child, being treated as less than because his family is poor and he cannot hear. It is hard to face that only a couple of generations ago that this was all too common an occurrence. That parents like Henry's were told to put them in an institution where they were often neglected, abused and where they were not given a basic education of any kind. That is hard to face as a contemporary reader. It is hard to face because it seems there are some people today who still believe this is the best option for those with disabilities. It is a mistake of the past that we seem in danger of repeating. But in reading books like this one, young people are offered an important glimpse of what people like Henry are capable of and can see how resilience and determination can help them overcome their own seemingly insurmountable challenges. 

In the story, a conscientious objector (CO) during World War II by the name of Victor helps Henry and helps others see that he is not in fact unteachable at all. The ending offers readers hope that others like him were able to experience positive changes after the war. The author's note informs us that the person who inspired her to write this novel did not in fact, escape his circumstances. But that is not Henry's story and in passing on this recommendation for this beautifully written novel, I hope that it does not ever have to be the story of anyone with a disability, whether it be physical or mental, ever again. If you love historical fiction with a powerful and ultimately uplifting message, I urge you to read this book by Helen Frost and to pass it on to young readers as well. I also wish all who are mothers and all who mother, a beautiful, safe, and very happy Mother's Day!