Poster Child: A Memoir by Emily Rapp Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Poster Child: A Memoir
Book Review: Uneven, but compelling in places
Summary: 4 Stars
There were parts of this memoir which were totally compelling---especially the parts about Rapp's earlier childhood. I think her telling of how a single bully in elementary school caused such devastating hurt to her should be required reading for all elementary school teachers and principals, to remind them how important it is to prevent bullying. I also was very taken with her descriptions of the workshops where her prosthesis were made, and her kinship with the war veterans there.
However, I felt a bit lost in places. It seemed like chunks of her life were left out or glossed over, and I didn't totally understand the roots behind the breakdown she suffered in South Korea. I also didn't really see what led her to go to divinity school, and then wondered why she didn't continue with a religious life. Perhaps some of the theological parts of the book were over my head.
I imagine this book would be a very important one for other girls and women in Emily Rapp's position, and I am glad she wrote about her life.
Book Review: Poster Child for A Full Life
Summary: 5 Stars
A beautifully-wrought account of growing up with one real leg and one fake one. Each chapter is almost a short story in itself - visiting prosthesis craftsmen who seem right out of Dickens; trying to hide a prosthetic leg under a mini-skirt at a high school beer bust; traveling the world to find herself; having a panic attack in the middle of all-Korean girls school in Seoul. Honest, funny, eloquent, and truthful - a coming of age story like no other I've ever read. Book Review: Her search for acceptance and her travels make for a spirited presentation
Summary: 5 Stars
The author was born with a congenital defect which required her left foot be amputated by the age of four: by age eight she'd had dozens of operations and lost nearly her entire leg - and become the 'poster child' for the March of Dimes. POSTER CHILD is her own memoir of her first thirty years living with a disability and struggles with self-image. Her search for acceptance and her travels make for a spirited presentation sure to be a hit with any public lending library.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Book Review: She Soars
Summary: 5 Stars
Emily Rapp's marvelous POSTER CHILD accomplishes what all great memoirs do: puts us inside another head, where we see how people are very different and yet somehow the same. Her prose is crystalline, unflinching and blessedly free from sentiment, thus quite moving. This book is the most rewarding kind of reading experience. Highly recommended (and I'll bet you'll want to give copies away to friends, too).Book Review: Beautifully written
Summary: 5 Stars
A beautifully written account of a young woman's life. Although her leg is amputated due to a birth defect, she struggles, survives, and thrives. I was most struck by her honesty in the telling of her story and of her own and her parents' courage. Deeply moving, very worthwhile.