Beautiful Retard

About the Book

“Beautiful Retard" is a novel dealing with the trials and tribulations of a 16-year-old mentally disabled boy and his Special Education teacher.  In the story, we follow Jason’s teacher Joan Perkins and her difficulties, both with Jason’s inexplicable behavioural and aggression problems, as well as the friction by the administration of the high school where she heads the new Disabled Integration program.  

Jason’s life is riddled with sadness. Verbally abused by people everywhere; young and old, leads Jason to a feeling of isolation and depression. Rejected at an early age by most everyone around him, he is left under the care of an uncaring father, who is constantly grumbling about the hassles of his disabled son.  This denunciation by his own father leads to an inner hostility in Jason, which begins to surface in various forms.  Joan is constantly under attack from the administration because of Jason’s sometimes improper behaviour, and ultimately the value of both her program, and having Jason at school, is compromised.

It is up to Joan, and Jason, to convince everyone; Jason’s father, his peers, and the administration itself, that the Disabled Integration program is important.  But in order to accomplish this, Joan must use Jason’s supreme virtuousness as an awakening against all of the bigots and pundits toward the progress of disabled people everywhere.

“Beautiful Retard” pertains to the difficulties Mentally Challenged children face trying to fit in, both in the public education system and in society. The story typifies a struggle with both the teacher trying to lessen the ignorance of both the administration and the public, and at the same time prove the value of the Special Education program.  

The book is educational in many aspects, so the reader is not only drawn into the story, but at the same time is taught valuable life lessons from the teacher’s ambitiousness and Jason’s unbridled childlike wisdom.

About the Author

Inspired by his mother’s work with disabled children, Beautiful Retard is Matthew Hansen’s first novel. As well as working toward a degree in Political Science at York University, Hansen is a competitive cyclist, having traveled and raced in various places all over the world. He currently lives in King City, Canada.