Read this when
The State of Grace
Ever feel like everyone else got a copy of the rules and yours got lost? Grace gets what every masking kid thinks. 🐴
Who it's for
Grace, a fifteen-year-old autistic girl written by an autistic author, narrates the exhausting work of passing as neurotypical: remembering not to stare, not to be rude, not to drift off, while noise and change pile up.
Feelings it meets
What it is
The State of Grace is a 2017 young-adult novel by Rachael Lucas, published by Macmillan. Fifteen-year-old Grace is autistic (the publisher describes her as having Asperger's) and sees the world a little differently; she is content with her horse and her best friend until a romance with a boy named Gabe sets off changes in her life.
Where to find it
In print; widely available from libraries (Libby/Hoopla where licensed) and as an ebook; audiobook availability varies.
Before you start
Heads up: Meltdowns and a parent's drinking.
Age: Ages 12+
We wear the mask that grins and lies, It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,—Paul Laurence Dunbar, “We Wear the Mask”
