Literary Luminary- highlight special sections (like a close read)

Catherine is given a lot of responsibility regarding teaching her brother how to successfully navigate society, and she takes it very seriously, writing rules and reminding David of them as much as he needs to be reminded (taking them everywhere with her). She expresses this feeling of responsibility early on (Lord, 2006, p.11).

I think one passage that could use a close read was something I found to be a really profound longing/observation coming from a sibling of someone with a disability.:

"My own hands squeeze to fists. Sometimes I wish someone could invent a pill so David'd wake up one morning without autism, like someone waking from a long coma, and he'd say, 'Jeez, Catherine, where have I been?' And he'd be a regular brother like Melissa has--a brother who'd give back as much as he took, who I could joke with, even fight with. Someone I could yell at and he'd yell back, and we'd keep going an going until we'd both yelled ourselves out. But there's no pill and our quarrels fray instead of knot, always ending in him crying and me sorry for hurting him over something he can't help" (Lord, 2006, p.8).

Also, notice how Catherine describes every character's hair, even characters who are static and not important to the plot.

Another passage I found to be interesting is the following, because Catherine describes the one place she feels free to explore her emotions without agitating her brother David. Drawing with her colored pencils is her coping skill, and she very beautifully describes how she utilizes it:

"Sometimes I can change how I feel about something by drawing it. Drawing make me find the curves, the shadows, the ins and outs, and the beautiful parts. I solved my hating snakes by drawing their scales, tiny and silvery, overlapping and overlapping, until all I saw was how perfect they were. Can't say I'd want a snake crawling across me, but I don't have to run screaming to Dad every time I see a garden snake now" (Lord, 2006, p.19)

Catherine has a lot of empathy for a girl her age. I was moved by the following thoughtful passage about Jason's communication board:
"She takes a little card and a pen from her purse. Watching her, I wonder how that'd feel, to have to wait for someone to make a word before I could use it. And to have all my word lying out in the open, complete strangers able to walk by and see everything that mattered to me, without even knowing my name" (Lord, 2006, p.43).

Catherine also shows empathy and wisdom in the following complex thought (which took me several time to read and understand):
"I want to show Jason I'm sorry for not-looking at him the same embarrassed way I hate people not-looking at David" (Lord, 2006, p.46).