A Conversation with Claire Forrest
Annie Tulkin (Accessible College) spoke with author Claire Forrest about her book, “Where You See Yourself.” In the book, Effie is a high school student with cerebral palsy who is navigating the transition to college as a wheelchair user. The book follows Effie’s college search process and her relationship with her long time crush!
“Where You See Yourself” Description:
If Effie’s being honest with herself, she knows just what she wants.She wants to enjoy all the firsts and lasts of senior year with her two best friends. She wants to go to college in NYC and major in mass media so she can make sure more disabled people like her get to see themselves in the media. She’s never been to New York, but she can picture the person she’ll be there, far from the Minneapolis neighborhood where she’s lived her entire life.
And she wants the specific kind of happiness that would come with dancing with her long-time crush, Wilder, at homecoming. With being more than just in-school friends.
When she finds out that Wilder is applying to her dream school too, it seems like a sign that it’s the right place for her. But when her high school fails to make the accommodations Effie needs as a wheelchair-user, and she can’t get the situation fixed on her own, she can’t help wondering: Is New York too big, too far, too much? And if she can’t bring herself to tell Wilder how she feels, how could they ever have a future together?
As Effie learns to speak up and fight for her dreams, she’ll also have to decide which dreams are truly worth fighting for. What—and who—will bring her the happiness she deserves?
Watch Annie Tulkin and Claire Forrest’s Conversation:
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