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Room
A 5-year-old thinks the whole world is one room. His mom made sure he'd never know how bad it was. Then they get out. 🚪
Who it's for
Narrated by five-year-old Jack, who has never known anything but the single room where he and his mother are held, the book shows trauma through the eyes of a child whose mother has fiercely protected him from understanding it.
Feelings it meets
What it is
Room is a 2010 novel by Emma Donoghue, narrated by Jack, a five-year-old boy held captive in a small room with his mother, Ma, who was kidnapped seven years earlier by a man Jack knows as Old Nick. Ma has shaped Jack's understanding of the world to protect him, so he believes Room and its contents are all that is real.
Where to find it
In print; widely available from libraries (Libby/Hoopla) and as an audiobook. Still in copyright, so not on Project Gutenberg.
Before you start
Heads up: Implied rape and a suicide attempt.
Age: Ages 16+
The storm of the last night has crowned this morning with golden peace.Rabindranath Tagore, Stray Birds, no. 294
