Cordelia is half Chinese, half American, and all albino. She spends the first 15 years of her life in the woods, with lumberjacks, her father, and her seven-foot-tall stepmother Babe. The book takes place in 1918, a time in which medicine could not explain these abnormalities, and Cordy and Babe are called freaks. But the combination of strength and individuality present in this young girl is enormous.

Randall Beth Platt exposes all of Cordy's actions and thoughts to the curious reader. Unfortunately, Cordy is not too happy with her life among the lumberjacks in a remote corner of Washington. She knows she must leave Centner's Mill sometime. When Cordy meets Squirl, she thinks he is the man of her dreams. He is "perfect." But is he really?

When Squirl leaves the mill, Cordy figures the best thing to do is to follow him. She escapes into the big city of Seattle, where alone and clueless, she becomes the attraction in a freak show. When Cordy meets up once again with Squirl, who knows what will happen next: Will Squirl take advantage of Cordy, or will he protect her? And what about the freak show? How long can they go on exhibiting Cordelia and her special appearance?

To put it simply, THE LIKES OF ME is a touching story, with characters who are a bit out of the ordinary but who have the same feelings as "normal" people do.

   --- Reviewed by Lisa Marx

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