Crow Boy

In 4th grade my teacher read this book to the class. It's about a young boy in a mountain village in Japan who is an outcast for being different. At the end of the book the boy performs crow calls in the talent show and comes to be accepted and liked by his classmates for his differences.

I got made fun of a lot in grade school and middle school. At the time the book really spoke to me and gave me something to latch on to in a time when I was struggling socially. The idea that being different is an asset and, given time, people are positively recognized for their differences. My teacher at the time, Mrs. Melville. told me I reminded her of the Crow Boy. That validation from her meant a lot to me too and was no small part of propelling me forward, shrugging off bullying, and being happy.

Years later in high school I dated Mrs. Melville's daughter. After a couple months of dating we had dinner with her folks. I don't know how it came up, she might have read the story to her students that day, I may have brought it up, I don't recall but I asked her about it.

Me: I remember you told me I reminded you of the Crow Boy.
Mrs: Melville: Yeah you did. You always looked like such a mess.

It was a gut punch. I didn't respond to what she said but it hit me hard. She wasn't making some comparison to my being different in a good way, she was saying I was sloppily dressed and never had my hair combed.

But thinking about it I realized it didn't matter. How I viewed what she said made me feel good, gave me confidence regardless of her actual meaning which I discovered years later. In actuality it didn't have much to do with her.

I still cherish the story and the memory.