This particular question is quite tricky. In fact, it is so much on my mind that there have been some instances that I personally feel uncomfortable responding to a prompt or even commenting on a subject because I don’t feel like I have any knowledge or connection to the issues being discussed. This probably has more to do with my personality but I think it is something that a lot of people might feel the same way about.
Looking at the concept outlined in the prompt for this bonus, I don’t think that it is or was okay for this woman to write a story about a child with physical deformities based off of her and her children’s brief experience with another child. However, I do wonder if the woman who wrote the story and ultimately sold the film rights to her story did so without ever talking to families, children or medical professionals that were directly affected by this disability or similar ones. I think that this is an extremely important question that would certainly make R.J. Palacio, the woman who wrote the book’s, story more credible and easier to accept her as an author of this story.
I briefly searched the internet for any instance of Palacio mentioning if she had been in discussion with people directly associated with the disability and disappointingly couldn’t find any concrete answers. I want to believe she has because otherwise it would be a bit concerning considering this book is extremely popular and Palacio profited off of not only the original Wonder book, but also 3-4 more of her books which focus on the same characters and disabilities, AND the film based off of her book. In an interview with NPR, Palacio did say that after writing Wonder, she has become “an advocate for children born with craniofacial differences.”
Obviously not every single person who experiences something worth retelling in a book or movie is interested or “talented” enough to be able to write their story for a wider audience. Therefore, I see the necessity for proven authors and screenwriters to write these stories for these people. My only stipulation would be that these authors and screenwriters must have some connection to the story they wish to write about. I would hope that they would be able to speak to the person, people or people related to or close to the person whom the story is being based off of. This would give them not only a personal connection to the topic they’re writing about but also give them the opportunity to ask questions about the topic to a real living subject rather than information they found just from research.
In a piece for the New York Times, Anna Holmes discusses this topic by comparing empathy and exploitation but also says that, “Sometimes empathy and exploitation find expression in the same place.” I think that this perfectly sums up my views on this issue. Her books and movie may be telling an empathetic story but no matter what way you look at Palacio’s scenario, she has become who she is today, and profited, off of a child with disabilities.
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