The Soft Bigotry of Low Expectations

There are many examples in "Freak the Mighty" in which others expect less of Max—and then are surprised when that is what they get. Max never thinks he is very bright; but looking more closely, he is told—told officially—that he is not very smart. Since Max cannot talk in front of his classes and cannot adequately write down test answers on his paper, he is immediately labeled as learning disabled.

The fact that his mother is dead, murdered by his father, does not enter the minds of these experts as a possible reason for his poor performance in school. The trauma of a four-year-old witnessing the murder of his mother at the hands of his father would surely provide the reason for his isolation and lack of self-worth. As a result, Max does not do well in...