Book- Being Miss Nobody

'Being Miss Nobody' by Tamsin Winter is yet another excellent book exploring different perspectives. Selective Mutism (SM) is a severe anxiety disorder. The person who has it, finds it extremely hard to talk when they are around people they usually don't see.

Reading about books📚 on disability and other conditions which an average person does not have really is interesting. And Winter❄️ really gave perspective to how people with SM feel, as well as what others can do to help them.

Although I get confused with the amount of capitals in the book (I'm 15, I don't like analyzing books. Just talking about them🗣️) and a few details which should've been introduced early, this book is truly amazing and I love it. There are a few moments in the book which I thought was unnecessary and seemed unrealistic and extreme. Not every brilliant author is free from these moments. Sometimes writers✍️ get carried away. But only by the end of the book did everything make sense. Which highlights my point on some details being explained early.

If I had to pick three3️⃣ things which I loved about this book, I would choose the main character's (Rosalind) relationship with her family, the perspective and solution about people with SM, and the relatability of the main character to me, the reader.

First, the family relations👨‍👩‍👧‍👦. Usually, when it comes to siblings where one has cancer and the other doesn't, it is written in a really angsty and painful to read. But in this case, it was written beautifully and I wanted to tear up😿 when I realized that. The parents were supportive of the main character and did not neglect or shun her. And Rosalind's brother, who had cancer, did not despise his sister and she didn't despise him. In fact, Seb and Rosalind actually supported each other, instead of creating a wall of resentment between the two of them. And I am a sucker for cute and close sibling relationships.

Another thing I loved was the perspective the author created. Usually, people with disabilities and disorders are portrayed wrongly, exaggerated or just "get over" it. Here was a journey which described how she battled her disorder and gained courage. Winter described how Rosalind felt when she couldn't talk and provided a way on how to treat someone with SM without breaking the plotline. Kudos for that💗.

Lastly, the relatability of the character. When some of us think about people with a disorder, we think of it to the extreme and make them into some sort of people who are not capable of any common human emotions because on the outside it looks like it. But on the inside, there are entire worlds🌍 are going on, just like the rest of us. One thing I really thought was relatable about Rosalind's character, was her thinking that she would lose her one friend quite quickly. Now, I know for a person like Rosalind, it is a perfectly plausible reason, but the imposter syndrome of friendship affects literally every single person to ever have lived.

All in all, books like these should be read by everyone as it will help gain perspective of the minority groups and how to treat them with kindness. The big takeaways: what goes around, comes around, it's better to have a deep, good bond with your family rather than resentment, people are people, no matter what disability or disorder they have, the truth is better than hiding, psychology is amazing🧠 and writing is a good coping mechanism.

Summary of 2 sentences:

Rosalind, an eleven year old girl with SM, is struggling to gain the courage to speak up. But with the help of her amazing little poop-tastic brother, parents, next-door neighbor, and speech therapist, she creates an amazing plan which might or might not go the way she wants it to go.

Recommendation for reading 'Being Miss Nobody': 🧋🧋🧋🧋

Age Rating: all ages

Pages: 367 (in the version which is on the cover of this post)

Chapters: 51

Reading Time: 10.2 hours (according to Google)

My favorites (SPOILERS)

Favorite line: "From Octavia: Breathe. Never underestimate the importance of your breath. You can live without food for weeks and without water for days, but without breathing you would only survive a few minutes. Respect how powerful it can be Just To Breathe. Breathe, and the words will come when they are ready. People will wait. Take a deep breath. And Just Say It.

Favorite scene: When Seb put a protection shield around Rosalind and when Rosalind screamed "Ailsa" and pushed her out of the way and also at the end when she looked at the things all the people she loved said before going up on stage and speaking in front of a crowd for the first time. (I can't choose!)

My comments:

I cannot tell you how much I love the good family relationship this had and that the author didn't turn this into an unrealistic and cringey I-can't-talk-around-people-but-when-I-met-you-I-totally-felt-at-ease-and-can-talk-to-you-upon-first-meeting type of romance. And that there is no My-little-brother-has-cancer-and-my-parents-only-seem-to-care-about-him-and-I-know-I-should-feel-pity-but-I-hate-him-and-my-parents type of story. Because it shows that you can take care of a sick child while loving your other child and providing for their needs simultaneously, so I love the parents, the brother and basically the whole family for that.