Upward Bound

How does the novel’s use of multiple narrative perspectives—including those of Walter, Tom, Ann, and Dave—challenge a reader’s assumptions about disability and communication?

How does grounding the novel’s fictional climax in the documented 2016 North Miami police shooting amplify its exploration of systemic violence and the misperception of disability?

How should readers interpret Dave’s role in the novel? Using his perspective chapter and his actions, argue whether he’s best understood as a malicious individual or as a symbol of the larger institutional failures that stifle the potential of individuals with disabilities.