Benjy

Slowly Back to Life…

I’m happy to say that as I drove around earlier this week, it was clear to see that the city is starting to come back to life again. People (with masks) were walking around. There was actually a little bit of traffic on the streets. Some stores were open. I feel like these are good signs for us as a country. I know we still need to respect social distancing rules, wear masks, and keep our activities to must-do/necessities, but it’s good to see this first step towards returning to whatever our new normal will look like.

Even with the signs of business and work resuming, I know we still must stay home and avoid social interaction as much as possible. So, if you are getting a little bored and have that extra time on your hands, I must recommend you read Benjy, by Kathy Esquivel.

Forgoing Sleep

I was given this book by a good friend on Christmas Day. She had not even finished reading it herself, but told me that I MUST read it and that she knew I would enjoy it. Now, over the holidays when most people have more free time, I’m usually at my busiest. Without school or therapy for Mateo; without help from Mateo’s Shadow, I always need to be engaged and alert. I have very little downtime. But I was curious about this book, so one evening after Mateo finally fell asleep, I decided to give it a quick peek. Big Mistake.

Seriously, I didn’t go to sleep until almost 2AM. Benjy hooked me from Chapter 1. It was a quick and ‘easy’ read. The story flowed. It had some mystery and murder; excitement and even struggles with romance. Kathy Esquivel drew a vivid and accurate picture of Belize, our culture, imperfections, crime situation, family-life. At times, I couldn’t quite figure out how the different story lines would tie together, but they did. She tied them together beautifully.

Mental Illness, More Complicated Than You Might Imagine

At the heart of this tale is Benjy, a young man struggling with mental illness. He deals with the misunderstanding and lack of knowledge about his disorder. You see how the family tries to ‘manage’ Benjy even when most don’t understand him. She showed how the family related to him and their love and struggles as well. She made clear to us too that he is more than his disorder. He can do more than people expect. And I can’t help but wonder that if we, as a society, KNEW more, then could Benjy have been more?

The struggles, the happiness, the inter-relationships displayed are so accurate for families who have children/adolescents/and adults with special needs, mental and/or neurological disorders. At times, I’ll be honest, it was a little hard for me to read. One of my biggest concerns that keep me from sleeping at night is worrying about how I will take care of Mateo as he gets older.

Hitting Home

We tend to talk about special needs and learning disorders as if it only happens and affects children, ignoring the fact that these children grow up to be adults. Adults with Autism: something that will become my reality in the not too distant future. Mateo is not going to go to high school, so what then? How do I keep him engaged? Can we work with him to find him some sort of ‘job’ so he can have a sense of importance and accomplishment? And what happens to him if something happens to me? Questions at the root of my insomnia. Questions that Kathy Esquivel did not shy from in Benjy at all.

Even if you aren’t Belizean, even if you know no one with a mental or neurological disorder, I would still highly recommend this book. It is well written; a wonderful engaging story that will entertain you from start to finish. It’s a 5 star, must read!