Favourite Quote: “New Me wants to say, So do you have verbal diarrhoea or are you just unbelievably rude? But the force is strong in Old Me. A lifetime of habit is hard to break. I hide behind my hair.”

Sensitive by Allayne L. Webster covers the highs and lows of being a teen different to the norm. A teen who doesn’t quite fit the mould of a popular or pretty girl.

After relocating to a South Australian country town, SJ wants to reinvent herself. She’s determined to make new friends without her eczema joining the conversation.

“For once, I’m going to know how it feels to be beautiful – just like normal girls.”

Much of SJ’s emotional journey was relatable to me.
There is common ground that many people who are disabled/chronically ill share. This common ground includes the internal dialogue: a desire to fit in and be ‘normal’, rebellion against the medicine regime and medical professionals, questions over fairness.
Another section of common ground is external: shaped by the expectations and behaviour of society — taunts and comments along with questions and well-meaning but utterly unhelpful advice — not to mention the questions that arise if your behaviour pattern doesn’t fit with how others perceive disability/chronic illness.

[Image Description: The cover of Sensitive by Allayne L. Webster. On the bottom there are three eggs, along with a pot of cream.]

It’s an authenticity that speaks volumes on the importance of #ownvoices

Sensitive is a powerful read, and I highly recommend it.