The Acorn People

Ron Jones often uses humor in his narration to help lighten the tone of a book that describes many frustrating or upsetting scenes, as it recounts numerous examples of individual and structural ableism. When he first sees the campers being dropped off, discovering for the first time the sheer breadth and severity of their disabilities, he thinks, “Oh shit,” lending wry levity to his moment of panic. In addition, he makes several cultural references that would have appealed to audiences at the time, and he frequently expresses amusement at some of the children’s behaviors—not because of their disabilities but because they act in the same youthful (and sometimes silly) ways as other children.

The kids’ sense of humor in the narrative is likewise constant, alleviating stress as they encourage each other not to become disheartened. The Acorn Society is full of jokes, such as when the group becomes overwhelmed on Lookout Mountain and Martin begins pretending they are part of a 19th-century group of explorers navigating a remote jungle. He begins naming the features of the mountain after Benny B. to make him laugh, understanding that the campers in wheelchairs face different and sometimes more limiting difficulties than he does as a blind boy.