Viral Poem Leads to Book Deal for Teen With Aspergers

A Morrisonville, NY, teen with aspergers is touching the lives of many with his heartfelt poem, that celebrates uniqueness. The 14 year old wordsmith is the author of the viral poem I am odd, I am new, which will now be adapted into a children's book.

Rising poet Benjamin Giroux wrote this piece four years ago for a class assignment. He was very surprised with how the public reacted to his writing, and he hopes that it will have a positive impact on the world. 

The day Giroux was scheduled to read his poem to the class, he began to feel insecure about the personal content he’d written. His father Sonny, decided it was probably best to let him skip the presentation. 

“He felt that it wasn’t good enough to read and that kids would laugh at him for sharing, ya know, his most personal feelings,” Sonny shared with Local 22 News.

Giroux’s  poem was so touching that it brought his father to tears, it was at this moment that he knew his son’s piece had to be shared with the world. After Sonny posted the poem on Facebook, it went viral immediately.

“I didn’t even think it was going to be noticed because when my dad posted it online I didn’t even know. I was shocked really. I really didn’t think it would get this far,” Giroux told  Local 22 News.

 Since the poem's debut on Facebook, it has been translated into almost 23 languages and has been transformed into many catchy songs! Shiffer Publishing will be putting the book out, and an illustrator is currently developing ideas.

 Giroux’s family is extremely proud of his achievements. They hope that their son’s words will be able to show kids like him, that they are not alone. There are children all around the world with autism that will resonate with Giroux’s poetry. The highly anticipated poetry book is set to be released in fall 2021. For the time being, Giroux says he will be monitoring his social media accounts and developing other ideas.

“I’m really excited. I’m mostly excited to see if it gets into my school library,” he shared with Local 22 News.

To read the poem, click here.

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