My overall impression of The Making of Brio McPride was that it was a sad, powerful, and soul-searching journey. It has a really interesting discussion within the book about religion, gender and sexual identity, therapy practices, and social media. I did not expect to feel so deeply about Brio when I first started reading, but his character drew me in, and I just wanted to protect and guide him. There were moments that I was confused about what was going on but I think this was on purpose as Brio himself did not know what was going on, I struggled along with his character on what was real and what wasn’t. I think the ending was truly beautiful and unexpected, I am so glad it ended like it did.
What I liked most about this book was that the reader wasn’t spoon-fed the information; tidbits of information were given and left for the reader to interpret until the end when all was revealed. I also really enjoyed the book within the book and how I learned more about Brio and his history through the story of the little hedgehog. I also enjoyed how Brio’s internal struggles were presented, it invoked a lot of empathy and sadness for the young boy and felt very real.
If there was one area that I did not necessarily understand or enjoy, it would be the CHANT project. I felt like I somehow understood it but not at the same time and I was confused about how Brio had ended up in their hands. I was also, at times, confused by all the different medical professionals and their approaches. It was difficult to discern what their true motives were behind what they were telling Brio.
