Planet Earth Is Blue

Although Nova doesn’t name her disability until her final letter to Bridget, in which she expresses her continued desire to become an astronaut and hope of being “the First Autistic Girl in Space” (220), her neurodivergence impacts all her encounters. Her experiences in school and with multiple foster families demonstrate the difficulties and joys that attend her nonverbal, autism spectrum condition.

Every time Nova begins at a new school, she experiences the same letdowns she has felt in every other school. However, when she starts at Jefferson Middle School, she has some pleasant, new experiences as well, and her disability impacts these too. She must endure the inevitable testing from Mrs. Pierce, testing that makes her think that everyone will consider her incapable of understanding complex ideas and essentially unteachable. It’s difficult to focus on these tests, which are tedious to begin with and are especially so on days when she’s excited or preoccupied by something else. Nova remembers her teachers completely misunderstanding her on the first day of kindergarten; the teacher “was too close” (23), and when Nova “screeched and swatted” at her (24)—unable to communicate another way—the teacher yelled at her. The people at school often misinterpret Nova’s intentions, sounds, and gestures, such as when she tries to help Mallory straighten her head and an adult blocks her and makes her move. These challenges frustrate and annoy her. However, at this new school, Nova also feels more excitement and happiness than ever before, such as when she reads a classroom poster all by herself or gets to visit the planetarium on campus. She’s amazed by the dazzling beauty of the planetarium show. She feels that she “wouldn’t leave now for all the rings around Saturn” (84) and that “her heart [grows] three sizes” while she watches (85). The joy and elation that Nova feels is as intense as her frustrations, and both often link to her autism.

In addition, what characterizes Nova’s experiences with foster families has been their misunderstanding of her condition and their failure to meet her needs; the Wests seem much more committed to Nova’s welfare and to understanding her, which materially adds to her happiness. At one point, Billy reaches for Nova’s hand after she yells and yanks NASA Bear from Francine, and she recoils from him, “certain he w[ill] hit her for screaming. But she w[ill] not let him. Instead, she hit[s] herself” (28). Nova likely concludes that Billy was going to hit her because other foster parents have done so. She’s unaccustomed to the gentle ways that Billy and Francine touch her. Likewise, Nova was forced to wear ill-fitting clothes at her last foster home, which exacerbated her sensory sensitivity. Francine, however, is happy to purchase new things for Nova and only clothes that she finds “comfortable.” Nova thinks, with relief, “Maybe clothes shopping with Francine wouldn’t be too bad” (100). Being with a family that meets her needs and cares for her comfort and well-being shouldn’t be unusual, but in this text, it is. Nova is grateful for the Wests’ understanding, and it convinces her to try her hardest to communicate with them. Joanie even realizes that “astronaut teddy’s” real name is NASA Bear, a name that Nova feared no one besides Bridget and her would ever know. Furthermore, Nova “carefully ma[kes] eye contact” with both Francine and Billy when she consents to their request to adopt her, even though “she d[oes] not like looking into people’s eyes” (218). Her autism can make relationships with others more difficult to manage, but it also leads to greater joy when Nova finds people who are committed to understanding her.