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3 min read

A Drop in the Ocean

A Drop in the Ocean
A graphic with a purple background with illegible writing in the form of a note over top. In the centre right, on top of a large blue ocean wave, the illustrated profile of a teenaged Asian mixed- race girl with shoulder-length hair looking leftward. Overlaying the image is the title A Drop in the Ocean. In the upper lefthand corner is the author’s name, Léa Taranto. Book cover and illustration by Jazmin Welch.

Happy summer, everyone. It is so great to see more books by disabled authors for young adult or middle grade audiences such as Whale Eyes, a giveaway from a few weeks ago, or A Drop in the Ocean by Léa Taranto available now. I'm delighted to offer 5 paperback copies to anyone in the US or Canada. Details below.

A graphic with a purple background with illegible writing in the form of a note over top. In the centre right, on top of a large blue ocean wave, the illustrated profile of a teenaged Asian mixed- race girl with shoulder-length hair looking leftward. Overlaying the image is the title A Drop in the Ocean. In the upper lefthand corner is the author’s name, Léa Taranto. Book cover and illustration by Jazmin Welch.

About the book

An engaging YA novel about a girl in treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder that combats the dehumanizing stigma around mental illness
Sixteen-year-old Mira Durand has just been checked into the secure unit of the Residency Adolescent Treatment Centre for obsessive compulsive and comorbid disorders. Four years of being passed around different psych wards like a hot potato have only worsened her OCD and anorexia. Her brutal, religious compulsions, which she believes keep her mom safe, make her less of a clean freak and more of a freak freak. No wonder her only friend is her journal.
At the Residency's Ward 2, Mira discovers that her shrink is a fellow fantasy nerd and that her wardmates have enough of their own high-risk behaviours to tolerate hers. The complex friendships she forms with them (including a first love), the slow trust she builds with her treatment team, and the outside and family visits she earns give her things to look forward to beyond the drudgery of her compulsions. But it takes visiting Gung Gung, her dying maternal grandfather, for her to realize that to truly live, she must fight the cognitive distortions at the heart of her compulsions.
Based on the author's personal experience, A Drop in the Ocean is a gritty, humanizing portrait of living with mental illness.
Photograph of a young Asian Canadian mixed-race woman with black shoulder-length hair wearing a blue dress looks directly at the camera against the backdrop of the ocean. Photo by Maria Koehn.

About the author

Lea Taranto is a disabled Chinese Jewish Canadian writer who lives with OCD and comorbid disorders. An MFA graduate of the University of British Columbia, alumnus of Simon Fraser University Writer's Studio, and member of PRISM International's poetry board, she resides on traditional, unceded Halkomelem and Squamish territories in BC.

Details

1) Any disabled person in the US or Canada is eligible to receive a paperback. You do not need to disclose any details about your disability.

If you already received a book from one of my previous giveaways, please consider letting other people have a chance.

2) If you do not receive a reply that means the books have been claimed or you did not include all the required information.

3) Send an email to DisabilityVisibilityProject@gmail.com with 'Léa Taranto’ in the title of the message. Do not reply to this post!!

4) Include the following information in your message:

  • First and last name
  • Mailing address

Please note: I will send this information along with your email address to the publisher. They are responsible for confirming your details and sending you the book. Please be patient!

Published by:

Alice Wong

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