Book review by Rebecca, JAR volunteer and bookworm

When Karol Silverstein sent us copies of her novel, Cursed, I couldn't wait to read it. I had heard this book was good though in honesty, I was a little worried by the title as I've always been passionate about showing the world what those of us with JIA *can* do and to try to keep hope and optimism rather than seeing our lives as "cursed".

Reading the book, it just went to show that you really shouldn't judge a book by it's cover or indeed by it's name. Though the main character may well feel cursed at the start, we witness quite a journey throughout the story.

The book is written from the point of view of Ricky (short for Erica), a 14 year old who has been recently diagnosed with JIA. Alongside the JIA-storyline and getting to grips with life with JIA, runs the additional storyline of Ricky's parents getting divorced - in fact, it is such a part of the storyline that she refers to her parents as "the disaster formerly known as my parents" throughout the book.

Ricky finds herself navigating life with this cruel condition that she didn't ask for and we get an insight into doctor/patient relationships - both how they should and shouldn't be, the bullying that can happen when living with a medical condition that makes you feel "different" to others, and the impact on school life generally too.

Having had JIA myself since the age of 10 and living with it through those tricky teenage years, there was a LOT that I could relate to. When I was diagnosed, I became so fed up of other people's comments and reaction to hearing the word arthritis that it got to the point of me not wanting to tell anyone what was wrong with me. As soon as I no longer needed crutches, having arthritis became a part of my life that I didn’t want to talk about and would cause me shame and embarrassment at that time in my life. I now know, of course, that there was nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about and that other people's reactions are the result of a lack of education and awareness. But nonetheless I could totally relate to Ricky not wanting others at school to know that she has arthritis. The word "effortlessly" comes up a lot in the book too as Ricky notices how those around her move effortlessly in comparison to how much of a struggle it can be to sit down, get up, move around when you have arthritis. That is something that often pops into my mind too when I see how smoothly others walk in comparison to my own limp and the back pain I experience.

One of the things I particularly liked about the book is that the storyline isn't only about having JIA - it's a gripping read witnessing Ricky navigate a whole heap of teenage dramas with the additional challenge of having JIA on top of that.

I loved the theme of self-advocacy shining through as we see how Ricky's relationship with medical professionals develops and I also appreciated the vagueness of medications as I know from my own and my daughter's experiences of JIA that it definitely isn't a case of one size fits all so not having specific medications named was definitely a good call by the author.

My one slight hesitation when it comes to recommending this amazing book to others is that it does include swear words which some people may find offensive. As I progressed through the book, it became clearer why it was necessary to include the swear words/cursing. But I don't think it would be responsible of me to recommend the book to those under the age of 18.

My own daughter (who also has JIA) is 13 and I think she would really enjoy this book in the next few years. So for those under 18, I'd add the caveat that it would be helpful for a parent/carer to check they are happy first.

I think it is also a book that could offer insight to parents/carers of a young person with JIA as they navigate school and the teenage years. The fight to get reasonable adjustments/accommodations at school is an all too familiar one and seeing how just a few little accommodations can really make a world of difference is an important point for all to remember.

Overall, a fabulous book which I'm really glad to have to read.

We'd like to say a big thank you to Karol Silverstein who arranged for us to receive several copies of Cursed. We're looking at how to best share these copies in a meaningful way.

You can find Karol's website at https://www.karolruthsilverstein.com/

on Bluesky at https://bsky.app/profile/krsilverstein.bsky.social

on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKarolRuthSilverstein

and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/krsilverstein2019