A year ago I held my book launch of Ride High Pineapple. The story had been in my heart for a long time but it wasn't until I left teaching that I was able to put pen to paper and write the book. I wrote a few different versions of the story, finally being happy with the final draft that was published. I am rereading Ride High Pineapple now which is great because I'm viewing it with fresh eyes.
The story does show what it's like to be born with a facial disfigurement, but it also looks at many typical teenage issues, how mental illness affects a person physically and mentally, how important a mentor can be; and of course I love the analogy of the pineapple that Issy the main character uses to deal with her lack of self-confidence.
What I think is great about this book is, that anyone who feels different will get something from it. Anyone who suffers from anxiety will understand how Issy feels. The book isn't just about her face. Though Issy's face leads the story because it influences Issy's whole personality, her self-confidence, her possessiveness of her best friend and why she is bullied.
So why did I write the book?
Because I was born with a facial disfigurement, called Crouzon syndrome. Most people who meet me do not know this, because of the surgeries I've had. They do not know that the bones in my face have been rearranged and I have pieces of my ribs and hip bones in my face. For example, my brows are made from hip bone. Under my eyesockets are pieces of ribs.
Growing up was tough but I was a happy child and had friends. I tried to live a normal life but it was difficult because other kids and adults told me that I different. I was bullied, I was stared at, I was shunned. The surgeries I underwent were horrific. But I was a determined soul and that kept me going. I did suffer from anxiety and shyness in new situations.
There were no books around about someone who was different like me. I Can Jump Puddles is the only one I remember where a child was disabled. When my children were born there were still no stories around. It wasn't until Wonder by RJ Palacio came out in 2012 that finally there was a book. I didn't want to write a book the same, so went with a teenage girl and broadened the book so it wasn't just focussed on the face.
If you haven't read Ride High Pineapple, it is available as a paperback and an ebook, from my website, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Acebooks, Kobo, Book Depository, Fishpond, Booktopia.
http://jennywoolsey.com
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