Petey

"Petey" is divided into two halves.
Part 1 is mostly sad. The story begins in 1922, with Petey's birth. He has extreme cerebral palsy, and is misdiagnosed as an "idiot," incapable of thoughts or emotions. Eventually he is handed over to to an insane asylum to care for him. But Petey's mind is strong and his need for friendship is real and deep. But every time he grows attached to someone, it seems like something takes them away from him. He grows old, with this happening again and again.
In Part 2, it is 1990, and an 8th grade boy stumbles upon Petey, now residing in a nursing home, quite by accident. But Trevor soon becomes Petey's best friend, and interestingly, Petey is Trevor's best friend too. The boy makes more and more time to show more spend with the the elderly, handicapped man who can barely even talk. While Part 1 was mostly sad, Part 2 is mostly sweet and heartwarming. I cried both sad and happy tears reading this one. show less

This novel tells the story of Petey, a character born with cerebral palsy in 1922, but misdiagnosed as an 'idiot' by doctors. His parents put him in an insane asylum when he is still a baby and that's where Petey spends his childhood. As Petey grows, certain caregivers see something special in him and recognize his ability to communicate. Petey befriends another patient, Calvin, and the two boys become inseperable as they grow. As Petey becomes an adult, he is transferred to a nursing home, where eventually his condition is correctly diagnosed. When Petey is 70 years old, a boy, Trevor, new to the town of Bozeman, Montana, sticks up for Petey when local bullies begin throwing snowballs. Petey asks to see Trevor so that he can thank him, show more and Trevor relunctantly goes to the nursing home. Gradually Trevor and Petey become friends. Trevor helps to raise money for a new wheelchair for Petey and he also finds Petey's close friend, Calvin. show less

In 1922, a precious baby boy was born. But he was not perfect. His parents reluctantly surrendered him to an insane asylum, where he was diagnosed as an idiot. Petey, (real name Clyde Cothran), was born with Cerebral Palsy. CP, as you know, does not affect the brain. Petey was totally trapped in a body that could not communicate and he was written off as having no brain function at all.
The books spans 70 plus years and perception of handicapped individuals changed greatly over the years.

This is a must read as it will tear at every emotion in your body, yet leave you with a warm feeling for mankind. This is a true story and the book has won many accolades. Ben Mikaelsen is a wonderful writer you don’t want to miss. If you can get this show more in audio format it is even better than reading a hard copy as you hear the voices of the patients.

I read the book about 8 years ago and listened to it this year. show less

I truly hate to read I think that it’s the most boring thing in the world; it makes me sleepy and cranky and however with this book I ended up loving it. The first time I ever read Petey was about two years after one of my middle school teachers had read Petey out loud to the class. To tell the truth I had forgotten about the book till I was shopping in a book store and ran across it. It was then that I picked up the book and started reading it again. As I read on in the book I was reminded of how I felt about the book back in middle school. And just like back then, at the end of the book I cried like a big baby. Petey is one of the few books that I would read again and again. It really is just that great of a book.

Petey is a touching story about a boy born in 1920 who is misdiagnosed because of his disabilities. He is unable to move most of his body or communicate clearly. As the story unravels, a people come into Petey's life who see him as more than an idiot (his original diagnosis). They help him communicate and form friendships with him. Unfortunately, Petey is institutionalized from the start and his friendships are lost due to a variety of circumstances unrelated to him. Finally, Petey is moved to a nursing home where he meets a new friend who is young and has his own problems. They form a friendship that helps them both!

This is a great tale, but it's slow. I think it is a great book for helping students understand that there is more to show more people with disabilities than their disability. show less

Misdiagnosed as an idiot and locked in a body twisted by cerebral palsy, Petey is subjected to the inhumanity of a mental asylum for most of his childhood and adult years. He makes a friend with another child who is also in the adult ward and the two of them forge a friendship that defies their respective disabilities. A series of compassionate people come in and out of their lives to brighten their bleak existance and eventually, they are separated and sent to other placements as older adults. Years later, in a nursing home in Montana, Petey is reluctantly befriended by Trevor, a lonely teenage boy. In Petey, Trevor finds a bond he does not have with his own parents, and is determined to help reunite him with his lost friend. This show more story celebrates the strength of the human spirit as the author recounts in fictional form the remarkable life of a very real person. show less

The story of a boy born with cerebral palsy in the 1920s, misdiagnosed as an idiot and sent to spend his life in an insane asylum. As the story follows his life, he has Calvin as a best friend, plus others who care for him. Friends disappear, promises are broken and Petey decides not to love anyone again until he meets Trevor, a teenage boy in the 1990s whom he meets when Trevor stops some boys from teasing him.