The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint

The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint (2001) by Brady Udall. "If I could tell you only one thing about my life it would be this: when I was seven years old the mailman ran over my head." Thus begins the story of Edgar Mint, a half-Apache boy whose parents desert him, and who must form his own family out of the people he meets in the world. Edgar spends a long while in a coma after the accident, before miraculously recovering. He finds his time in the hospital to be just lovely -- being taken care of and regarded by everyone as the Miracle Boy. But too soon he has to leave and is sent to a state school -- more like a prison -- for boys. His time there is hellish, but he eventually escapes when he is taken in by a Mormon family. Edgar's adventures continue, some good, mostly bad, and we take the journey with him, until at last he finds the peace and the purpose he has been longing for. An unusual and enjoyable book. Grade: B+