Being Different by Ada Glustein

Being Different: From Friday Night Candles to Compassionate Classroom by Ada Glustein is a deeply moving memoir about childhood, education, and the challenge of fitting in.

Ada Glustein was born in Canada into a devout Jewish family who had migrated decades before from Europe. Excluded at school and at times bullied for being Jewish, Ada was painfully aware of how different she was from her peers. However, her experience taught her to be inquisitive, curious, and compassionate – the opposite of those who made her feel left out. Ada always chose to embrace diversity and learn from these early struggles, which would eventually help her to become a sensitive and respected teacher.

In the first part of the book, Glustein writes about her childhood with fascinating and sometimes melancholic detail, showing her attempts to understand her place in the world. In the second part, Ada is a grown woman who finally feels she can make a difference in the life of children who, like her, felt like the odd ones out. Throughout, she recalls the most meaningful lessons she has learned in life, showing how she has never stopped learning, or teaching, as this memoir is a kind of manual on being open-minded.

Written with beautiful clarity, Being Different is a heartwrenching and empathic memoir that is at once inspiring and comforting to anyone who has felt like an outsider.

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