Dr. Villapando told me to get a good attorney. He wasn't serious. But I am. I'm going to sue my parents.
Juniper Jade's parents are hippies. They didn’t attend the first Woodstock, but they were there for the second one. The Jade family lives an all-organic homeschool lifestyle that means no plastics, no cell phones, and no vaccines. It isn’t exactly normal, but it’s the only thing Juniper has ever known. She doesn’t agree with her parents on everything, but she knows that to be in this family, you've got to stick to the rules. That is, until the unthinkable happens.
Juniper contracts the measles and unknowingly passes the disease along, with tragic consequences. She is shell-shocked. Juniper knows she is responsible and feels simultaneously helpless and furious at her parents, and herself.
Now, with the help of Nico, the boy who works at the library and loves movies and may just be more than a friend, Juniper comes to a decision: she is going to get vaccinated. Her parents refuse so Juniper arms herself with a lawyer and prepares for battle. But is waging war for her autonomy worth losing her family? How much is Juniper willing to risk for a shot at normal?
A fantastic read, with a couple of caveats.
Vaccination is, for some reason, a huge issue. I'm firmly on the side of 'yay vaccines' and I genuinely don't understand people who refuse to vaccinate. I have honestly seen a facebook post saying 'my child died of (preventable disease) and some people are saying I should have vaccinated them but I'm glad I didn't because that only would have made things worse!' Although I absolutely believe in bodily autonomy, I also don't believe there's a question about the results of wide scale vaccines.
Long winded, my apologies, but I'm meandering towards; I really enjoyed this read. Although it wasn't as much about the actual issues as I'd hoped, I'm still really glad it's been written. I strongly disliked June's parents, who claimed to be trying to raise free thinkers but absolutely refused to listen to any point of view that didn't match theirs. Although I was vaguely sympathetic towards them when the notice for court arrived with no warning, but then again they probably wouldn't have listened to a warning...
SPOILERS
I did think it ended very abruptly. After all that build up, the story just ended without us seeing how June's family reacted to anything. I'd have liked to see what they thought and whether the siblings came around.
END OF SPOILERS
Overall, I really enjoyed this read and I think it'll lead to some very valuable discussions. Definitely worth reading.
A Shot at Normal publishes on the 16th February, 2021.
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