By: Zeela Shoaib
“Holding Up the Universe” is written by Jennifer Niven who is also the author of the bestselling book “All the Bright Places”. This book yields its own charm and stands separately from others as its story revolves around an overweight girl and a boy with a damaged brain.
This novel plays with the strings of your heart as it revolves around bullying and shows how damaged our society is. It carves a realistic image of an ordinary high school where being fat and having a neurological disorder is considered as a shameful label. The book is beautifully written, which loudly shouts that you are wanted and leaves the reader thinking about how we judge others on the types and number of flaws they have.
This book is empowering for the readers as it depicts a strong character, Libby Strout, who has been labeled as America’s Fattest Teen, who boldly wears her weight as a crown and proves that she is wanted. Another main character, Jack Masselin, suffers from a neurological disorder called prosopagnosia (face-blindness), which compels him to adopt a charming and too-cool-for-school attitude. However, when Libby and Jack’s path cross, a beautiful bond comes into existence which steps out of the typical, cliché friendships.
This novel is recommended to all those who believe that there is more to this world than just physical appearances and being cool. More people should read it to understand that we should not feel cornered or imprisoned by all the labels set by our society. By learning to accept each other the way we are, we all will grow emotionally and head towards being a better society where everyone is loved and wanted.
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