Monday Memories: My Thirteenth Winter

Welcome to my meme, Monday Memories, where I feature favorite books we've loved from the past. You can link to an old review, or write something new about a beloved book from your past. Really, what's important is not the book, but why it is memorable to you. So, have fun reminiscing, and leave a comment below, so we can all enjoy your memories.

I also wanted to let you know about another wonderful blog that you should check out. Ashley @ Books from Bleh to Basically Amazing does a weekly post called Memory Monday. She has been posting about her childhood memories of books. What's great about Ashley's site is that she is asking for guest posts for her Memory Monday event!  So hop on over there and check it out.

My Thirteenth Winter, by Samantha Abeel is a memoir about her struggle with a learning disability. I read this book when it first came out in 2003, and at that time I was a math teacher. Samantha was (finally) diagnosed with dyscalculia in seventh grade, and after that she received more assistance. She describes her difficulties, confusion, and alienation in great detail. She couldn't do things like tell time or make change.

As an educator, this book really left an impression on me. I have never forgotten it. I think that kids with disabilities would benefit from reading this, and certainly educators. It doesn't matter what the disability is, I think it made me more compassionate, and made me question a little bit more about why students were struggling. It might not be that they didn't apply themselves; there may be other issues.

This book isn't for everyone, but I had to share it, because it's a book I recommend often to my colleagues and it changed me. I really don't like many memoirs, but this one was exceptional.

Share one of your cherished book memories!

You can do a Monday Memories post on your blog. Copy my button and link back here, so others can see all the other posts.  Leave a comment below with the link to your post.

Or, just leave one of your Monday Memories right here in the comments.

Be sure to visit some other blogs that have posted their links. Thanks!

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