{"id":50311,"date":"2022-05-21T07:08:23","date_gmt":"2022-05-21T11:08:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/?p=50311"},"modified":"2022-05-21T07:08:23","modified_gmt":"2022-05-21T11:08:23","slug":"book-feature-just-maria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/arts\/book-feature-just-maria\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Feature: Just Maria<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jay Hardwig, Author<\/h4>\n

\"\"Jay Hardwig has taught blind and visually impaired students for more than 20 years. To satisfy one of those students who was a voracious reader, Hardwig went looking for books with protagonists who have disabilities and didn\u2019t find many, or found ones that did not portray believable characters. \u201cTo put it another way,\u201d Hardwig says, \u201cso often in books featuring characters with disabilities, the narrative purpose of those characters is to motivate others to change and grow. I wanted to explore what would happen if it was the kid with the disability who needed to do some changing and growing herself. Like all kids do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just Maria is his debut novel and though he wrote it with younger readers in mind, he has been surprised by its popularity among adults as well. \u201cMany of them have told me that the humor in the book keeps it approachable;\u201d he says, \u201cthey don\u2019t feel preached to, or taught to, but rather that they\u2019ve been invited to share in a story, and learn about a life.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is his hope that all readers come away with a more nuanced understanding of what it\u2019s like to live with blindness, but he also wants readers to find themselves in the vivacious Maria. \u201cHopefully they will identify with her competing motivations and conflicting feelings, her struggle to do the right thing, and understand once again that what makes us the same is greater than what makes us different,\u201d he says. \u201cPlus, the world needs more weird.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just Maria, January, 2022, fiction, hardcover $26.95, paperback $15.95, by Jay Hardwig, and published by Regal House Publishing, Raleigh, NC. Find the book at regional bookstores. To learn more, visit JayHardwig.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jay Hardwig has taught blind and visually impaired students for more than 20 years. To satisfy one of those students who was a voracious reader, Hardwig went looking for books with protagonists who have disabilities and didn\u2019t find many, or found ones that did not portray believable characters<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":50309,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47,110],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts","category-literature"],"yoast_head":"\nBook Feature: Just Maria - The Laurel of Asheville<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Jay Hardwig has taught blind and visually impaired students for more than 20 years. 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