Local Author

            Local author Monica Roe visited the Calhoun County Library to discuss her newest book, Air, last Thursday.

            Monica Roe is a resident of Calhoun County and is a pediatric physical therapy consultant as well as an advocate for the social model of disability. She explained in an interview with teen volunteers Sara Birch and Sarah Nell Walling that her motivation for writing this book was because she was tired of people thinking that they knew what the disabled need and therefore ignoring their voices.

            Air is a junior fiction novel about a young girl named Emmie who is confined to a wheelchair and is growing up in rural South Carolina. We follow her as she faces discrimination and oversight due to her disability. As she overcomes these challenges, she teaches us the importance of respecting the needs and wishes of everyone. Many of the problems Emmie battles aren’t what would first come to mind when we think of the struggles that are the most obvious for a person with a disability. Monica does an excellent job of creating awareness by allowing the reader to see life from the perspective of a disabled person.

            Our community came together to discuss this award-winning book on Thursday, August 4, 2022. We celebrated with an ice cream social under the oak trees as Monica answered questions and read excerpts from Air. A lucky few won an autographed copy of Air and other books written by Monica Roe.

            As an added surprise, Roe announced that she has just released another new book! As part of the Jake Maddox JV Girls series, she published Snowboard Balancing Act on July 31 of this year. Be on the lookout for that book to be added to the Calhoun County Library’s collection. If you can’t wait, it is already being sold on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, and other online retail stores.

            In the meantime, go find Air by Monica Roe in the library today and enjoy the story of a strong girl who earns the respect of those around her!

            Thank you to Monica Roe who shared her work with our community and thank you to Save the Children who made this event possible.