I first read Wonder shortly after it was published.
Quick note: If you're not familiar with the book or movie, go read/watch. It's the fictional story of August Pullman, a fifth grade boy with Treacher Collins Syndrome, which causes him to have very obvious facial differences. In the story, he starts middle school, which is his first foray into school after a lifetime of being homeschooled. The story is told from the perspectives of various people in Auggie's life - his sister and new classmates, as well as Auggie himself. Now go get the book. Seriously.
Not surprisingly, as the parent of a child with a visible disability, Auggie's story stood out to me. Watching the movie several years later, now as the parent to a child with a disability and a typically developing child, Via caught my attention more than she had previously. The summer before the movie came out, I took a picture of Ellie in an astronaut helmet at the Children's Museum of Naples. I thought of Auggie and his helmet. A few months later, after seeing the movie, this idea was born. Photos of kids with and without disabilities, some with visible disabilities and some not, wearing a helmet and with their own beautiful faces showing. Although these portraits were gifts to the families, they were really a gift to me.
“You were wearing that helmet all the time. And the real, real, real, real truth is: I missed seeing your face, Auggie. I know you don’t always love it, but you have to understand … I love it. I love this face of yours, Auggie, completely and passionately. And it kind of broke my heart that you were always covering it up.” - Auggie's dad, Wonder by R.J. Palacio