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Itze's Review of: "The Good Egg" by Jory John

 My goal in this review is to be transparent and honest. That being said, I must admit something somewhat embarrassing: I cried the first time I heard this book being read. It must have been such a strange sight, for the teacher reading the story. Seeing a 20 year old crying in the back of the classroom while reading a story about an egg! I feel the blood rushing to my cheeks as I recount this awkward moment.

However, I must give credit to the writer of this incredible tale. Jory John masterfully wove in his story themes of self-healing, self-care, dealing with perfectionism, and healthy expectation setting. We follow the young protagonist as they navigate the belief that they must always be good, and so must the others around them. The overall message of the book encourages its readers to accept imperfection within ourselves and within those around us. It suggests using self-care strategies such as journaling, deep breathing, and taking walks.

Now friend, I should probably explain why tears were shed the first time this story reached my ears. The answer is simple: hearing the little egg's daring journey of self-healing reminded me of the journey I was on at the time. At the age of 20 I left an unhealthy home environment, and was forced to grow and heal without the support system I had been accustomed to. Much like the Good Egg, who left his home in order to heal. The pain from that event was still raw, and hearing this story gave me hope that I would heal, and eventually be able to have healthy expectations when seeing and being around the people who had hurt me. So a combination of raw wounds and fresh hope lead to the tears that my lead teacher saw come from my eyes that day. I found myself at 20 years old being able to identify with the feelings of the Good Egg, and I have read this story to my students the following years in hopes that it would speak to them as well.




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