Icy Sparks

Gwyn Hyman Rubio's "Icy Sparks" is an exceptional book. She has created an unforgettable character in Icy -- a young girl suffering from Tourette's syndrome. Set in rural Kentucky during the late 1950s and early 1960s, the reader is consistently challenged to question their response to the incidents and situations that occur in this novel. The book is so rich in detail that the reader is often left feeling as though they have actually witnessed one of Icy's outbursts. The question is -- from which point of view? One of Gwyn Hyman Rubio's strongest assets is her ability to convey the shock and horror of those around Icy as she "jerks" and "croaks," while at the same time describe Icy's self-hatred of the inablity to control her body. In the end, this book is not simply about Tourrette's syndrome. It is about human igonrance, fear and tolerance. I would highly recommend it to anyone.

I enjoyed reading this book, because I learned about a subject I knew nothing about before. This is a wonderful coming of age novel set in rural Kentucky in the 1950's. The main character is an orphan named Icy Sparks. She suffers from Tourette's syndrome which causes her body to jerk involuntarily. Tourettes also causes Icy to repeat curse words uncontrollably. This condition leads to much embarassment at school in her early years. She is teased and shunned by her classmates. Icy spends some time in a mental hospital upon the suggestion of her school principal and grandparents. She makes friends with other disabled people there. She also learns new ways to deal with her disorder during her stay. Miss Emily is a compassionate fat woman. She is Icy's best friend throughout the book. I loved the relationship between these two characters. She teaches Icy her academic subjects and about life too. I loved the ending of the book. It is so touching when Icy finally finds her gift. I highly recommend Icy Sparks.

This book was a gift to me from a person who recognized the difficulties a family faces when a child has Tourette Syndrome. It follows the childhood, adolescence and early adulthood of a girl in the 1950's with a condition that we now know as Tourette Syndrome, but back then, and in that area, was simply called "the fits." We see the heroine as a person first, even a delightful and insightful person, but one whose symptoms are misunderstood, and who sometimes endures egregious "treatments" that never cure her "problem." Today, we consider ourselves "enlightened" in our views of Tourette Syndrome, but I can report that this is only true in the abstract. Revulsion toward people who cannot control some movements or noises continues even to this day, and prevents their full acceptance and participation in activities that we 'normal' people take for granted; attending church, being allowed in a 'normal' classroom, being accepted by 'normal' peers. The book details how cruelly a likable and talented girl is treated because of her differentness in the 1950's, but it is not so far from the truth of what sometimes happens today to these defenseless and innocent children.This book could have descended into the misery these people often suffer, but instead it's a book of self discovery, and even triumphs. There is a hilarious passage where Icy is involved in her first relationship with a boy. Although she has Tourette's, we know her as a teenage girl first. We can all identify with the awkwardness that she encounters in what she might have expected to be a romantic interlude.The book follows Icy to early adulthood, with the scars but also the self knowledge that Icy carries like a veteran. The ending is so uplifting, that I wanted to shout and applaud. All children with Tourette Syndrome, and all the people who care about them, especially their teachers, should read this book cover to cover. Yes, there can be happiness and achievement and triumph for people with Tourette. The book reminds us not to write them off.

Rubio intertwines the lives of different characters to show that everybody has differences and that empathy can help people be more understanding. Icy Sparks reveals herself to the reader allowing a glimpse into her world dealing with Tourette's Syndrome. Much more is revealed to the reader though through Miss Emily, Mamie Tillman, Matanni & Patanni, and the patients at the Sunshine Building at Bluegrass State Hospital. A world filled with judgement & intolerance is shown through the eyes of Icy Sparks who hopes to overcome these judgements. This novel will leave the reader feeling empathetic towards Icy and realizing that everyone has some ICE (bad) and some SPARK (good) in them.(some people are just better at hiding the ice than others).

Although I am neither a literary professional nor an expert on Tourette Syndrome, I am a woman who somehow made it through that awkward period of adolescence and now has a daughter of my own. I relived much of that time while reading Icy Sparks -- the feelings of embarrassment and "sticking out", the flush of puppy love, and the discovery of an adult woman who became a mentor to me and remains a confidante to this day. Of course, my experience pales in comparison to Icy's courageous journey that included a culture which couldn't accept her differences and an illness that she could not control. Icy's story is a powerful victory over a painful past and should challenge all women readers to re-kindle a vanishing tradition - the art of mentoring to our young girls.