Earlier this year six students at Cerdon College in Merrylands, NSW, all read a copy of Ange Crawford’s book, How to Be Normal. We caught up together on Zoom with the author so the students could ask the author questions and chat. You can listen to a podcast of the meet-up on our website.
Through the process of all reading the same book, and meeting the author on Zoom, the students gained an in-depth understanding and a valuable new empathy for other people’s lives.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Astrid is about to start her last year at high school. And her first.
When her dad loses his job, Astrid’s homeschooling comes to an end. Until now, she has lived within the confines of a tightly controlled, contracted world where there’s no room for anything … except following her father’s rules and pretending that everything is normal.
As Astrid and her mum tentatively expand their world, they struggle to break free of their ingrained wariness and self-doubt. But with hope, new friends, and the strength of a promise, Astrid has a chance to find out what she wants, who she loves and who she really is.
STUDENT’S REVIEWS
Victoria (Year 12)
While reading I felt really connected to the character, I was invested in their lives.
I learned about the different ways abuse can happen. It also gave me insight into the types of things people might have to go through. I now feel more conscious that you never know what people are going through, so it’s best to be nice.
Rosemary (Year 11)
At first, I felt it was going to be a typical story. My feelings changed as I started reading about Astrid’s home life. My favourite part of the story was the ending.
I learned that an important part of having healthy relationships is having multiple people to display what that looks like and that one’s owns problems often blind oneself to other people’s issues.
Angel (Year 12)
I really appreciated how well written Astrid’s relationship with her father was. Even though he mistreated her and her mother, there are still good times. He’s the one who introduced her to music and it connects her to him. Many people are abused by people they love and it’s because of that love that they are willing to let the abuse continue and find ways to justify it or forgive it.
This story shows what abuse is like for a lot of people, especially children who don’t have any experience outside of that abuse and think it’s okay or even normal.
Raksitha (Year 8)
After a while I was re-reading the book and realised Astrid was going through some of
things that I was personally going through
when I moved to high school. New environments, new people, making friends, fitting in …
From this book I learned to embrace whoever I am. Overall, I really loved the novel and its small details.
Age Guide 12+
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ange Crawford is a queer, neurodivergent writer based in Naarm/Melbourne. Currently a PhD candidate in the School of Media and Communications at RMIT, she holds a Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology, Honours 1) from Bond University and a Master of Arts (Writing) from Swinburne University of Technology.
Her debut novel for young adults, How to Be Normal, is forthcoming from Walker Books in 2025. She has published shorter works across many genres, such as digital poetry, reviews, fiction and feature articles. She works as an editor and runs Seventh Gallery’s emerging writers’ program.
0 Comments