Book Club Recap: The Theory of Hummingbirds
Book Club Meeting Date: November 28, 2021
Book: The Theory of Hummingbirds by Michelle Kadarusman
Symbolism in the Book
Kadarusman uses hummingbirds symbolically for Cleo and the various phases of Alba and Levi’s friendship. One example appears at the beginning of the book where Alba tells us that her mom often says, “Hummingbirds and angels don’t need two good feet” (page 11) as she talks about her talipes equinovarus (clubfoot).
Another is when Alba writes hummingbird facts for Sadie, “Hummingbirds are not always as nice as they look…They can actually be quite aggressive” (page 73). It is around this point that she and Levi have a fallout. A little foreshadowing!
Nature
There is a quote at the beginning of the book by Albert Einstein, "Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better."
We talked about the fact that we are part of nature, something that we often forget. Nature helps us understand our life experiences. It helps us disconnect and it is a place where we can find healing. Nature reminds us of diversity and resilience. Everything in nature works together. This can be tied back to Alba and her cheering squad at the nursing home and while she walked the race at the end. Her support system came together to cheer her on.
“Normal”
We started off by looking at sections of the story where Alba mentions normal.
When she had a nightmare and said that she just wanted to be normal.
When her mom bought her new pants, and she wore them to school she still stood out even though she looked normal.
These two examples demonstrate how deeply Alba had internalized the idea of being “normal“. Something that we as a society do as well.
Normal is a construction with a lot of power attached to it (one of our book club members put it so well -you had to be there). Some of the categories that often get categorized as “normal” include male, cisgender, able bodied, patriarchy, Christianity, etc. When people don’t fall into those categories, they are othered. Alba wanted to be “normal” because society frames things in a way to include some people and exclude others. For example, Alba wasn’t included in the races before. As the book proceeded and culminated, Alba uses “normal” less and less until she doesn’t anymore.
Our conclusion on this: there is no normal, only inclusivity. Our suggestion: it’s wise to not use “normal” in reference to people, their cultures, and their life choices -unless you’re a medical profession talking about test results and such.
Final Thoughts on the Book
We enjoyed the happy ending and loved that it was a more truthful ending-Alba walking the race not running it. An important lesson from this read is that, you can still meet your goals even though sometimes the accomplishment may not look the way you envisioned it. It’s still worth celebrating. And, we’re all going to be watching out for hummingbirds now.
Taking it further (resources)
The Theory of Hummingbirds is just one disability experience. It’s Alba’s story and her own journey. We obviously need to stay the course of our intentional learning and explore further resources. Check these out when you have a chance.
1. Molly Burke: https://www.youtube.com/user/MollyBurkeOfficial/featured
2. Squirmy and Grubs: https://www.youtube.com/c/SquirmyandGrubs/about
3. Intersectionality between race and disability: https://youtu.be/rq-kiiTadnA
4. Watch Special a Netflix series. It’s a coming-of-age story about a young man with cerebral palsy. (PS: it includes nudity.)
5. Books on disability at Tusome Books: https://www.tusomebooks.com/?category=On+Disability