| Dibs in Search of Self , is an epic story of a kid named Dibs who overcame the
adversity of being in a shell. This is a story of how Dibs fights to break out of the shell
and into a normal life.
The Book starts off with Dibs being Examined by his teachers in school. His
behavior has drawn a lot of attention. Mrs. A, a supervisor and psychotherapist, helps
Dibs. She believes in order for him to get out of his shell he needs time and a comfortable
environment. She lets Dibs do what ever he wants, so he learns by himself. Dibs other
teachers were driven crazy by Dibs. He would not listen to them. He would fight and bite
if someone did something he did not like. He acted idiotic, so the teachers thought there
would be no hope for him. Everyone thought he was brain damaged or mentally retarded.
A proof of this character in the beginning was that Dibs was in a shell, he was
locked up in his own world. He would talk to himself, he would not talk to
anyone else, he would just stare into space. Everyone thought he had no
concept of love and hate. Everyone thought he had no feelings at all. Dibs was always sad,
he would not talk to his sister, if she did something wrong, he would bite her. Also with
the kids in school, Dibs would bite them if they did something he did not like.
Dibs mother knew he was abnormal, she quit her job ashamed of Dibs. Blaming everything
on Dibs, by doing this, it put him into a deeper shell. Dibs father was also ashamed of
Dibs. He would lock Dibs in his room without speaking to him. His sister Dorothy is
shipped to private school cause Dibs and her cant get along. Dibs mother was very afraid
of all the pain she put dibs through the years. She was a heart surgeon who made miracle
operations, but when she had Dibs she did not want anyone knowing he was slow, so she
quit her public life. Which made her so upset so she blamed it all on Dibs, which she
regrets doing, because she knows its not Dibs fault, its hers and her husband for not
dealing with the problem correctly. Another proof that he was abnormal is that one minute
he would want to kill his father, and the next he is explaining that he forgives his father,
and that he loves him. We find out Dibs only loves the people who love him, like his
Grandmother, Gardener, and Mrs. A. All of his family including his Mom, Dad, and sister
Doughty, he hates in the beginning, but then forgive and starts to love them. His whole life
was changed when he went to Mrs. A. because he finally found love besides his
Grandmother, and Gardener. Dibs parents soon found out their mistake, and they were
extremely sorry for it. We find out his parents really love him. When Dibs finds this out, it
helps him break out of his shell.
Dibs mother would always try to teach him things like how to read, count, among
other things. Sometimes she would read to him and he would stand there staring silently.
When Dibs was first brought to the center, he was a little scared cause it was a new
environment. Once he got used to it, he started to like it. He started to like Mrs. A., which
was really important to him because he only liked a few people. Dibs Grandmother who
lived far away, his old gardener who retired, and Mrs. A. These 3 people meant a lot to
Dibs he would talk about them a lot, they were the only people that could make Dibs
happy.
Slowly and shortly through Mrs. A process, he started getting feelings. How to be
happy and glad, instead of angry and sad, like he always was. He finally broke out of his
shell, he finally found the concept of love and hate. Dibs could actually read and write.
The book Dibs in search of self was a great book, it shows one kid’s struggle with
retardation. He learned to love, and learned regular things a kid his age should know. He
kept his strength, never giving up, a great testimony of his courage.
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