The Acorn People

The Acorn People recounts teacher Ron Jones’s experience of both guiding and learning from a group of children with disabilities in his care for a week at Camp Wiggins. He experiences initial trials: “I sensed that the trial was shared. It was hard on everyone. I retreated in thought, remembering how Benny had cried in the bathroom when I tried to change him” (20). His journey from dismayed and deeply ableist at the memoir’s start to supportive and inclusive at its end is rapid but sincere, as his campers never hesitate to show him how complex, capable, kind, and strong they are in the face of adversity. The tipping point for Ron’s attitude occurs in Chapter 2, in which he makes a necklace of acorns during craft time to symbolize how “nutty” he feels surrounded by children so different from those he’s accustomed to. The campers quickly assure him that they also feel “crazy” since they are constantly misunderstood or ignored by those around them; following Ron’s example, they make acorn necklaces to mark themselves as a unified group. This is the origin of the Acorn Society, which grows to include other campers throughout the book.