The Music of Dolphins by Karen Hesse

I give this book a 10/10! I really enjoyed this book because it's 100% original and unique. I have never read anything like it before. The Music of Dolphins is the story of Mila who is rescued off the coast of Florida. Since the age of 4, Mila has been raised among dolphins. Having been found by the Coast Guard, Mila is taken into observation at a local hospital. There Doctor Beck and Sandy attempt to teach Mila about about language and music. As a scientific research subject, Mila makes great strides and progress, but the more and more she learns about human life, the more and more she wants to return to the sea. For Mila, the sea is where she really belongs.

The Music of Dolphins explores what it means to be human. At first, Mila enjoys everything about being human, but soon she learns about captivity and locked doors, rules, and emotions of anger and fear. She misses the freedom of the sea. According to Mila, one difference between dolphins and humans is that "The dolphins, they live for today. To be human is to live for tomorrow. Why does tomorrow matter? What is important is now" (p. 173). Mila's mindset matches that of the dolphins. She fits in with the sea and nature.

What I liked most about this story is the way Karen Hesse relays the story shows Mila's growth as she gradually acquires language. When the story is in italics, Mila's connection with the sea is apparent. The rich detail shows how comfortable Mila is in nature, wild and free. Once she is found, a newspaper article outlines Mila's story with the headline "Wild Child Found on Island Off Cuba" (p. 4). Once Mila is brought to the hospital for observation, the font size reflects Mila's understanding of the English language. From Mila's point of view, it shows her perspective at any time frame as she tries to adjust her knowledge. She isn't even able to recognize herself in a mirror at first. As Mila continues to learn English, the font size becomes smaller, and her language becomes more precise. Mila's connection with music leaves her with a tie to the sea. However, Mila becomes increasingly disillusioned with everything she learns about the human world and begins to withdraw, refusing to eat until she is brought again to the sea. The font size and word choice used show a regression of language rather than a progression. In the final pages, Mila returns to the sea, and the language is again shown in italics. Through Hesse's font size and language usage, I felt even closer to Mila and felt I could better understand her world.

If this novel wasn't in first person, I feel like Mila's story would be incomplete. By having this story from Mila's point-of-view, the reader both progresses and regresses with Mila. In any story, especially a novel, I like to create a visual picture in my mind, and this novel allowed me to do just that. This story also reminded me of Genie's story, the true story of a girl who grew up without normal human interaction and stimulation for the first 13 years of her life. Genie's outcome reminded me of Shay's outcome from this story since both Genie and Shay fail to adjust to social norms and behavior. Unlike Shay, Mila did have interaction and stimulation growing up. It was just with the dolphins. Although this story is rather unrealistic, it's not impossible. It's a reminder that sometimes we need to expect the unexpected.