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nancy@nancykeane.com
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Wood,
June Rae
THE MAN WHO LOVED CLOWNS
New York : G.P. Putnam's Sons,
1992.
IL YA
ISBN 0399218882
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| "The
Man who Loved Clowns" by June Rae Wood was written as a tribute to her
brother Richard, who had Down's Syndrome. In this story, Punky
Holloway is a thirty-five year old man with Down's Syndrome, and Delrita
Jensen is his thirteen-year-old niece. Punky lives with his sister, who
is Delrita's mother, his bother-in-law, and Delrita. Punky is more
like a younger brother to Delrita than an uncle. Delrita loves Punky,
and she feels guilty to be so embarrassed by him, but she has made up her
mind that she is not going to make friends at her new school because then
she would have to bring them home to meet Punky. She has had bad
experiences with bringing home friends in the past, with children either
being frightened by Punky's childish enthusiasm or teasing him cruelly
for his disability. Delrita does love Punky with all her heart,
however, and a family tragedy helps her to see that not only does he need
her, but she needs him. You will want to keep reading to see how
Delrita deals with with issues such as prejudice against the disabled,
her own growing attraction for a freshman football player, and the event
that literally tears her world apart. (Gail Gouvei,
ggouveia53@yahoo.com) |
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SUBJECTS:
Down syndrome -- Fiction.
Mentally handicapped -- Fiction.
Uncles -- Fiction. |
© 
Permission is granted for the
noncommercial duplication and use of this resource, provided it is substantially
unchanged from its present form and appropriate credit is given.
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